Singer-songwriter Carly Simon has released a new album, "Comes in Waves," her first collection of original material in 18 years. The album, which dropped Friday, includes a song titled "Maybe I Never Loved You," where Simon appears to reflect on her estranged marriage to musician James Taylor.
The lyrics of "Maybe I Never Loved You" delve into uncertainty about past emotions, with lines such as "Maybe I never loved you / But anyway, I thought I did." The song also touches on the shared experience of raising a child, stating, "I married you, we had a kid / That counts for something."
Simon, 83, and Taylor, 78, were married from 1972 to 1983 and have two adult children together, Sally and Ben Taylor. Their marriage was reportedly tumultuous, ending amidst Taylor's struggles with heroin addiction and infidelity on both sides. In her 2015 memoir, "Boys in the Trees," Simon described their relationship as far from the public's perception.
In a 2015 interview, Simon stated that she and Taylor had not spoken in over a decade but that she still held affection for him, expressing a desire to see him heal. She also noted her realization that one can "love and not be loved," a sentiment that emerged during the writing of her memoir.
"Comes in Waves" features 12 tracks written and recorded by Simon at her home in Martha's Vineyard. The album's single, "Peaches," was released prior to the full album. Simon recently shared that she has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and skin cancer, noting that working on the music provided structure during her health struggles. "Working on the music gave shape to days that did not always have much shape," she stated in July. "It gave me somewhere to go without having to leave the room."
Simon was previously married to James Hart from 1987 to 2007 and has had relationships with other notable figures, including Jack Nicholson, Mick Jagger, Cat Stevens, and Warren Beatty, the latter of whom was the subject of her 1972 hit "You're So Vain."