The Rolling Stones debut ‘Angry’ new single, video starring Sydney Sweeney
If you thought that the Rolling Stones were going to mellow out as octogenarians, think again.
Just two months after Mick Jagger turned 80 in July — and with Keith Richards right behind him, hitting that milestone on Dec. 18 — the legendary British rockers haven’t lost any of their old bite on their new single “Angry.”
Packing their trademark bad-boy attack, the track previews ‘Hackney Diamonds” — the Stones’ first studio album of new material since 2005’s “A Bigger Bang” — which will be released on Oct. 20.
And from the moment you hear the stomping drums of Steve Jordan — enlisted with the blessing of founding Stones skinsman Charlie Watts before his 2021 passing — and then Richards’ classic guitar riffage, it’s a nostalgic trip back to familiar territory.
“Don’t get angry with me/I never caused you no pain/I won’t be angry with you/But I can’t see straight ,” Jagger spits in a snarling vocal.
And with no signs of his sex drive having slowed down at 80, he’s pissed that the bitterness has taken over the bedroom: “It hasn’t rained for a month, the river’s run dry/We haven’t made love, and I wanna know why.”
There’s nothing new here, but absolutely nobody wanted them to go emo.
The “Angry” video was debuted on Wednesday morning after a launch event held at the Hackney Empire in East London’s Hackney district. Starring actress Sydney Sweeney — of “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus” fame — as the ultimate Stones groupie cruising down Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard, the clip features younger versions of the Stones playing on billboards from scenes throughout their storied career.
Sweeney was in attendance at the Hackney Empire event — which aired live on YouTube — along with Jagger, Richards and Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who were interviewed by Jimmy Fallon.
The Stones revealed other details about “Hackney Diamonds,” a 12-track set that was produced by Andrew Watt, the go-to studio gun for everyone from Post Malone and Lana Del Rey to Pearl Jam and Ozzy Osbourne.
The LP will feature Lady Gaga on the track “Sweet Sound of Heaven,” while Watts plays on two cuts with his parts recorded before his death. And another original Stones member, former bassist Bill Wyman, makes a cameo on “Live by the Sword.”
Reflecting on the 18 years since their last album of new material, Jagger quipped, “We’ve been very lazy.”
But, he added, “We didn’t want to make just any record and put it out … Before we went in [to make ‘Hackney Diamonds’], we all said, ‘We’ve got to make a record that we really love ourselves.’ Other people may like it, other people may not. But we must say that we are quite pleased with it.”
