The Rolling Stones say Paul McCartney "really wanted to jump in" on Foreign Tongues album

6 May 2026, 20:43

The Rolling Stones Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood and Paul McCartney. Picture: Kevin Mazur, Jim Dyson/Getty Images

By Jenny Mensah

The legendary rockers have revealed The Beatles legend plays a song on their forthcoming studio release Foreign Tongues.

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The Rolling Stones say Paul McCartney was very keen to play bass for the band's Foreign Tongues album.

This week saw the band officially confirm that the record would be set for release on 10th July 2026, while sharing their new single In The Stars.

Speaking to host Conan O'Brien at an event, which took place in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday (5th May), when quizzed about some of its famous contributors, Jagger revealed: "With Paul, he really wanted to jump in there. He was next door in the studio.”

On working with The Beatles legend - who also played bass on the band's 24th effort Hackney Diamonds - Ronnie Wood joked: "There was no intimidation with Paul. He just wanted to play with the band; he wanted to tick that box.

"He was like, 'Finally, I can say I played with The Rolling Stones’.”

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The Cure's Robert Smith is also among the artists the new record and Jagger also shared the humorous story of their first encounter.

The frontman recalled: "He was standing there with his back to me and this long gown on and when he turned around, he was covered in lipstick And I said - I never met him before - ‘You’re Robert Smith of The Cure’. And he said, ‘Yeah, we’ve never met’."

"And I said, ‘While you’re here, you better go and do something’. That’s how collaborations work sometimes,” he smiled.

Foreign Tongues - which is set for release on 10th July - will be available on a wide range of formats, including CD, deluxe CD editions, cassette, multiple vinyl variants (standard and limited colour pressings), exclusive retailer editions, and special box sets, alongside the single ‘In The Stars’ on CD and vinyl formats.

The album’s striking album artwork, which blends the three icons images together, is a painting created by acclaimed American artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn who commented: “Creating the album cover for the Rolling Stones is an artistic honour - a dialogue with one of the most enduring forces in cultural history”

See the artwork for Foreign Tongues below and pre-order and pre-save the album here.

The Rolling Stones' Foreign Tongues album artwork. Picture: Press

Foreign Tongues also sees the trio joined by regular collaborators Darryl Jones, Matt Clifford and Steve Jordan and includes a special appearance from Charlie Watts, captured during one of his final recording sessions before his passing in 2021. Additional contributions come from Steve Winwood and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Listen to the band's new single, In The Stars, which is available to stream now and receives its physical release on 15th May.

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On the process of making the album, frontman Mick Jagger said: “I love doing these recording sessions in London at Metropolis. It was a very intense few weeks recording Foreign Tongues. We had 14 great tracks and we went as fast as we could. I like the room there as it’s not too big so you can feel the passion in the room from everyone.”

Keith Richards added: “The Foreign Tongues album has a continuity from Hackney Diamonds and it was great to be working in London again, and to have that London vibe around us. It was a month of concentrated punch. To me, it's all about the enjoyment of it. I'm blessed to be able to do this and long may it last.”

Ronnie Wood commented: “The atmosphere in the room was so creative, and the whole band was on top form throughout the whole process. Very often we nailed it on the first take. I hope everyone loves it.”

Watch the album trailer for Foreign Tongues here:

The Rolling Stones - Foreign Tongues | Album Trailer

The rockers previously shared plenty of hints on the lead up to the announcement, including a multi-lingual billboard campaign and a partnership with Apple Music in which fans had to find tracklist clues hidden within the band's previous songs.

Back in 2023 the band announced the news of their Hackney Diamonds album with a special press event at Hackney Empire in London.

The band's 24th British studio offering - which featured collaborations with Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder - stormed straight to number one in the UK charts and earned the band a GRAMMY for Best Rock album.