The Rolling Stones have spent more than six decades proving that rock and roll is as much about attitude as it is about musicianship. Their latest music video, “Mr Charm,” directed by Henry Scholfield and starring Alexander Skarsgård, arrives with another reminder that the band’s history is still very much part of its present. Accompanying the video is “Bad Luck Hideaway,” a previously unavailable streaming release featuring a duet between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, with drums recorded by the late Charlie Watts.
Both songs belong to the expanding world surrounding Foreign Tongues, the Stones’ latest studio album, released July 10 through Capitol Records. The 14-track collection follows 2023’s Grammy-winning Hackney Diamonds, continuing a remarkably productive period for a band whose members could reasonably have retired several farewell tours ago. Instead, Jagger, Richards and Ronnie Wood have returned to the studio with producer Andrew Watt, apparently more interested in making records than discussing the virtues of their back catalog.
The “Mr Charm” video brings a distinctly cinematic dimension to the album campaign. Filmed in Palmdale, California, and directed by Scholfield, whose previous credits include work with Billie Eilish, Stromae, Dua Lipa and Stormzy, the production stars Skarsgård, an actor whose screen presence frequently combines an unsettling intensity with a peculiar sense of humor. It’s a potentially intriguing match for the Stones, whose music has always been comfortable occupying the space between seduction, mischief and outright menace.
Skarsgård also joins a growing collection of actors appearing in the band’s recent videos. Anya Taylor-Joy and Charles Melton starred in “Jealous Lover,” while Odessa A’zion appeared in “In the Stars.” Taken together, these casting choices suggest a deliberate approach to visual storytelling. Rather than relying exclusively on performance footage or nostalgic images of the band, the Stones are commissioning videos with contemporary filmmakers and recognizable actors who can introduce their music to audiences outside traditional rock circles.
That strategy matters in an industry where music videos increasingly compete with film trailers, television clips and social media for attention. A new Rolling Stones release already comes with decades of cultural recognition, but an Alexander Skarsgård-led video offers another entry point for viewers who may know the band’s reputation better than their recent recordings. There’s also something entertaining about the idea of one of rock’s most enduring acts embracing the same visual publicity machinery used by musicians young enough to be their grandchildren.
The more historically significant part of this release, however, may be “Bad Luck Hideaway.” Produced by Watt, the song features Jagger and Richards sharing vocal duties alongside a drum performance by Watts, recorded during sessions at British Grove Studios. Watts died in 2021, and his appearance gives the recording a significance beyond its status as an additional track.
Watts was never the flashiest member of the Rolling Stones, which was precisely why his playing mattered so much. His understated sense of swing, disciplined timing and refusal to overcrowd a song helped establish the band’s rhythmic identity. Rock drummers are frequently celebrated for how hard they hit or how complicated their fills become. Watts understood the less glamorous art of leaving room for everyone else. His presence on “Bad Luck Hideaway” reconnects the band’s current output with the musical chemistry that defined its classic recordings.
The decision to release the song alongside “Mr Charm” also provides a revealing contrast between two sides of the Stones’ contemporary identity. One is a band actively producing new work, investing in elaborate videos and collaborating with filmmakers and actors. The other is an institution with an extraordinary archive of recordings that can still offer meaningful additions to its catalog. Rather than treating those identities as competing interests, the Stones are allowing them to coexist.
Foreign Tongues itself was reportedly recorded in less than a month at Metropolis Studios in West London, with Watt returning after his work on Hackney Diamonds. The album topped charts in 14 countries, suggesting that the Stones’ recent creative momentum has translated into commercial interest. Ahead of its announcement, the band also quietly circulated “Rough and Twisted” as a limited white-label vinyl release under the name The Cockroaches, an amusingly low-profile maneuver for musicians whose identities are among the least concealable in rock history.
There is an important distinction between a veteran band remaining visible and remaining creatively active. The former can be accomplished through anniversary editions, archival documentaries and endless repackaging of familiar songs. The latter requires returning to the uncomfortable business of making something new, knowing that every recording will inevitably be measured against an almost impossibly influential body of work.
With “Mr Charm,” the Rolling Stones are continuing to invest in their present. With “Bad Luck Hideaway,” they’re making room for a musician whose contribution to their sound cannot be replaced. It’s an unusually effective pairing, not because it attempts to summarize the band’s entire history, but because it acknowledges that the Stones’ past and present remain inseparable.
Watch the “Mr Charm” video and listen to the single release, including “Bad Luck Hideaway,” through the band’s official music platforms.
Featured image credit: The Rolling Stones
