This article was originally published on Crafting Your Home. A human contributor also wrote and edited the post.
Legendary singer-songwriter Carly Simon has long been celebrated for her unmatched ability to translate complex emotional landscapes into timeless pop anthems.
However, on her brand-new studio album Comes in Waves, released today, August 14, 2026, the 83-year-old music icon offers her most candid and heartbreakingly reflective work to date.
Marking her first full album of original material in 18 years, since 2008’s This Kind of Love, the project functions less like a conventional pop record and more like an intimate, sweeping retrospective of a life filled with profound love, lingering regret, health battles, and emotional resolution.
Rather than dwelling solely on romantic heartbreak, Simon turns her lens inward, examining the collateral damage that her world-famous marriage and subsequent divorce inflicted on the people who had no choice in the matter: her children.
At the very heart of the 12-track collection is “Mother of Pearl,” the album’s fifth track, which serves as a raw, direct letter to her daughter, Sarah “Sally” Taylor, now 52.
Instead of pointing fingers at her famous ex-husband, fellow folk-rock titan James Taylor, Simon takes an emotionally mature vantage point. She revisits the moment her daughter was just a 7-year-old child trapped in the crossfire of two superstar parents whose personal life was collapsing under public scrutiny.
Through hauntingly gentle songwriting, Simon reflects on how Sally and her brother Ben were forced to absorb, process, and drown out the surrounding noise of a marriage falling apart. The result is a deeply moving admission of parental vulnerability that bridges the gap between past heartbreak and present understanding.
A Child’s Burden Remembered: Decades After the High-Profile Separation
Carly Simon and James Taylor were the definitive golden couple of 1970s singer-songwriter royalty, marrying in 1972 and creating a body of work that defined an era.
Together, they welcomed two children, Sally and Ben, both of whom would eventually follow in their parents’ footsteps to become accomplished musicians in their own right. Yet behind the harmony and success, the union was deeply turbulent, culminating in a bitter and highly publicized divorce in 1983.
For decades, fans and media outlets focused primarily on the romantic fallout between the two stars. On “Mother of Pearl,” however, Simon fundamentally shifts the narrative away from spousal conflict to focus on the silent emotional weight carried by young children navigating a broken home.
The poignant beauty of “Mother of Pearl” lies in its refusal to assign simple blame or resurrect old feuds for drama’s sake. Simon looks back with decades of hindsight, offering an empathetic perspective that acknowledges how powerless children are when their parents’ marriage dissolves.
Rather than framing the narrative around her own personal pain, she acknowledges the sacrifices involuntarily demanded of her daughter and son during their most formative years.
It is a rare moment of maternal reckoning in popular music, capturing the realization that adult choices leave lingering footprints on young lives, and proving that true healing often requires acknowledging the unspoken burdens carried by those we love most.
‘Maybe I Never Loved You’: Confronting the Complex Ghost of James Taylor
While “Mother of Pearl” delivers a gentle, reflective apology to her daughter, another standout track on Comes in Waves proves that Simon is not shying away from the unresolved questions surrounding her iconic romance.
On the album’s second track, “Maybe I Never Loved You,” the Grammy-winning artist wrestles directly with the ghost of her relationship with James Taylor.
The brutally honest ballad captures a woman still trying to make sense of a love that was as overwhelming as it was destructive. Rather than offering a simple declaration of closure, the lyrics reveal a deep, conflicting push-and-pull between questioning the authenticity of their past affection and admitting that a piece of her heart may forever belong to him.
“Maybe I never loved you / But anyway, I thought I did / I married you, we had a kid,” Simon sings with uncompromising intimacy on the track. “And maybe you never loved me / Although God knows you said you did.”
The track, co-produced by Mike Mainieri and featuring her son Ben Taylor on backing instrumentation, highlights the emotional duality that defines the entire record. It demonstrates that even after four decades, the memories of a intense, transformative relationship do not neatly disappear.
By pairing “Maybe I Never Loved You” alongside “Mother of Pearl,” Simon creates a dual portrait of divorce, one side grappling with the confusing romantic remnants left behind, and the other recognizing the unconditional love that survives through parenthood.
An 18-Year Studio Vault Opened: Taking Emotional Inventory at 83
The release of Comes in Waves arrives at a pivotal moment in Carly Simon’s legendary life and career. Having recently shared her diagnoses of Parkinson’s disease and skin cancer, the decision to unearth these songs and complete her first original studio album since 2008 carries a profound sense of urgency and legacy.
The album was crafted as a collaborative family endeavor, featuring musical contributions from her son Ben, vocals from her daughter Sally, and production work alongside long-time friends like Paul Samwell-Smith and Frank Filipetti.
By surrounding herself with her closest inner circle, Simon created a safe, reflective space to process feelings that had been sitting in her private vault for years.
Ultimately, Comes in Waves stands as a testament to the enduring power of music as a vehicle for emotional truth and reconciliation.
Far from a simple nostalgia cash-in or a vengeful breakup record, the 12-track collection represents an artist at age 83 taking full, courageously honest inventory of her story.
From the highs of passionate romance to the quiet heartbreaks of motherhood, illness, and aging, Simon delivers a masterclass in songwriting that leaves nothing hidden behind the curtain.
For fans listening to her new work today, the album serves as a poignant reminder that while the waves of life can be overwhelming, the clarity that arrives afterward can yield something truly beautiful.
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