Inside Rolling Stones 'Hackney Diamonds' London album party with Fallon, Sydney Sweeney
LONDON – Sept. 6 has important meaning in music history. The date marks the last time The Rolling Stones released an album of original songs in 2005, and the day they announced their comeback in 2023.
Exactly 18 years after "A Bigger Bang," the rock legends announced "Hackney Diamonds" from the historic Hackney Empire theater in a London neighborhood famed as an eclectic musical epicenter.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood took to the stage with late-night host Jimmy Fallon to unveil their new album, set for release Oct. 20.
"We got to make a record that we really love ourselves," Jagger said. "We are quite pleased with it, and we hope you all like it."
Fallon, who is off the air because of the Hollywood writers strike, greeted fans at the event, which was livestreamed via YouTube for fans, and called the Stones the "ultimate rock 'n' roll band."
Rolling Stones explain 'Hackney Diamonds' album name
Richards said the album's name was a result of "flinging ideas around."
The title refers to British slang for the shattered glass when a window gets broken, Jagger said, referencing the Hackney neighborhood.
"It's like when you get your window screen broken on a Saturday night in Hackney," Jagger said.
The band remarked on how quickly pieces of the album came together once they set their sights on a new creative project.
'Hackney Diamonds': The Rolling Stones are making a comeback with first album in 18 years
"We were a bit too lazy and then suddenly we said, 'Let's make a record and make a deadline,'" Jagger said. They jumped into the studio in December and cut 23 tracks, rounding out the album in February. The band collaborated on the final product across Jamaica, Los Angeles and New York.
For fans of classics like "Paint It, Black" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," the new songs can be described as an "eclectic" mix of love songs, ballads, classic rock and a little "anger," Jagger said.
'Hackney Diamonds' marks first Rolling Stones album since Charlie Watts death
The album is also the Stones' first since the death of drummer Charlie Watts in 2021.
"He's No. 4. He's missing," Richards said, adding that Watts had appointed as his successor Steve Jordan, who plays on the record. Of the 12 tracks on the album, two were recorded in 2019 with Watts before his death.
The Rolling Stones debut 'Angry' video with Sydney Sweeney
The band also announced new tune "Angry" and debuted the song's video, featuring "Euphoria" actor Sydney Sweeney.
The video features Sweeney rocking a black leather bustier in a red Mercedes convertible as she rides past billboards of the band over the years. The video acts as a timeline, leading fans through iconic moments in Stones' history. And for fans who want some classic Stones music, they won't be disappointed by the single's classic guitar riffs and catchy vocals.
"This is the biggest thing ever," Sweeney said to Fallon of the career highlight, adding she "loves" the song, which has been "stuck in her head."
Rolling Stones 'Hackney Diamond' tracklist includes song with Lady Gaga
The band discussed the new album's track list, which begins with "Angry" and includes:
"Get Close"
"Depending On You"
"Bite My Head Off"
"Whole Wide World," which Wood said has a "funky riff"
"Dreamy Skies," which Wood said is about being "stranded and wanting to get away from it all"
"Mess It Up"
"Live By the Sword," which features Watts
"Driving Me Too Hard"
"Tell Me Straight"; Richards says he has no idea what it's about.
"Sweet Sound of Heaven," a gospel song featuring Lady Gaga that Fallon called "unbelievable." (Jagger joked with Richards that he has never been to a church.)
"Rolling Stone Blues"
Richards said: "Playing live is the other holy grail, but to record is when the guys can get together and pass around ideas without any interference. … It's a great place for a band to work it all out."
Jagger said the band's mindset was to "play for yourselves" first and not get too worried about what fans will think.
Rolling Stones fans in London react to new album
Stones fans have been eagerly awaiting new music. The U.K. band hinted at their next project on Instagram Aug. 30 with the caption "HELLO WORLD" and photos of the band's iconic mouth logo projected across buildings around the world. The caption also included a link to their revamped website, which promises a new "album, music, era" in a cryptic launch akin to a Taylor Swift drop.
On Wednesday, Steven Hancock, of Suffolk, waited with a crowd of fans wearing the band's classic tongue and lips logo. He traveled by train to London two hours to wait in the heat for a glimpse of the rock stars. "I hope it's not too overly polished," Hancock said of the new album. "I hope it's quite raw. I'm really looking forward to it."
Hancock has been a fan for 54 years, ever since "Honky Tonk Women," and he has met everyone in the band except Jagger, whom he said he would encounter this time around.
Another lifelong fan, Ryan Szanyi, 37, is a Chicagoan-turned-Hackney resident who was out grabbing groceries on his day off when he realized history was being made down the street.
He stopped at his house around the corner and swapped his purchases for his Stones record collection before grabbing a spot in front of the Empire.
"I was just taking my groceries home and thought, 'Why not grab some vinyl?'" he said, adding he's open-minded about the sound of the new music.
"That's the best interpretation of any artist – when they're expressing themselves," said Szanyi, whose father was a "huge" fan and inspired his forever passion for the Stones' music.
The three-time Grammy-winning band is among the most iconic and bestselling rock bands of all time. Formed in 1962 in London, the Stones have notched 23 Top 10 songs on the Billboard 100 chart with hits like "Angie," "Ruby Tuesday" and "Get Off Of My Cloud."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rolling Stones launch 'Hackney Diamonds': Inside London album event
