Carly Simon and Tony Shanahan pose backstage at the 31st Annual Tibet House US Benefit Concert and Gala at Carnegie Hall on March 3, 2018, in New York City. (Getty Images for Tibet House)

“I am deeply grateful to my children, my family, my friends, my caregivers and the medical professionals who have helped me through this,” Simon said. “Their love and patience have carried me through days when my own reserves were not enough. I wanted to share this now because so many people have reached out with genuine concern. I am touched by that concern, even when I have not known how to respond.”

“These days I move more slowly, I lean on others more than I once did, and I have learned to accept that every day will look a little different. But I am still very much here.”

People reported that “Comes in Waves” is Simon’s first full-length album since 2008.

Carly Simon details how James Taylor divorce affected family, says kids had to ‘drown out all the noise’

Good friends Carly Simon and Jackie Onassis pose for a picture at Bunch of Grapes Bookstore on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, on Sept. 2, 1989. (Stephen Rose/Getty Images)

Simon, who lives on Martha’s Vineyard, made one of her last public appearances in 2019 when she visited SiriusXM Studios in New York City to promote her memoir, “Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie,” which chronicles her once-close bond with former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

People reported that Simon’s last public performance was in March 2018 at the 31st Annual Tibet House U.S. Benefit Concert & Gala at Carnegie Hall.

Musician Carly Simon (center) and sisters Lucy Simon and Joanna Simon attend The National Academy of Popular Music’s 25th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on June 1, 1994, at Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers in New York City. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Although Simon was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2022, she did not attend the ceremony in Los Angeles. The event came weeks after her sisters, Joanna and Lucy Simon, died of cancer one day apart. People noted that Simon survived breast cancer after being diagnosed in 1997.

Olivia Rodrigo performs under a photo of Carly Simon during the 37th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Microsoft Theatre on Nov. 5, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AFP via Getty Images)

According to the Mayo Clinic, Parkinson’s disease is a nervous system disorder that affects movement. Symptoms can include tremors, balance problems, stiffness, slowed movement and slurred speech. Although there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, medications and, in some cases, surgery can help manage symptoms.

Michael J. Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991, was one of the first high-profile figures to raise public awareness of the disease. The “Back to the Future” star later founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Christopher Lloyd (left) and Michael J. Fox (right) are seen here during the “Back to the Future” reunion panel. (Mike Coppola)

Simon rose to fame with her 1971 self-titled debut album. The Grammy winner is best known for the 1972 hit “You’re So Vain” and the James Bond theme “Nobody Does It Better,” recorded for the 1977 film “The Spy Who Loved Me,” starring Roger Moore as 007.

Carly Simon details how James Taylor divorce affected family, says kids had to ‘drown out all the noise’

Where Do Carly Simon and James Taylor Stand Now?

It’s been over 40 years since the marriage between singer-songwriters Carly Simon and James Taylor came to an end, but fans and the internet are newly abuzz about them. Following the release of Simon’s 24th studio album and her first since 2008, Comes in Waves, everyone is wondering whether she is finally sharing some insight into their marriage and eventual divorce.

Simon and Taylor first met on April 6, 1971, backstage at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, where Simon had just played a show and Taylor was about to open for Cat Stevens. It wasn’t until the fall of that year that the two reconnected, began dating seriously and moved in together. A little over a year later on November 3, 1972, the couple married in Simon’s New York City apartment and they stayed together for 11 years until their 1983 divorce.

Now, with the release of Simon’s new album, fans are pulling details of what they believe are about the couple’s marriage, wondering where they stand today. Learn more about the song causing a public stir and what kind of relationship they have now.

This song has fans in a frenzy

The 12-track album, Comes in Waves, features one song in particular that has piqued the interest of fans everywhere. Titled “Maybe I Never Loved You,” the song’s lyrics suggest that Simon’s unsure whether she loved Taylor and vice versa. Although Simon was married twice and could have been singing about either of them, another lyric mentions that they had children, which she only did with Taylor.

The particular lyrics of the song sparking a reaction are:

“Maybe I never loved you / But anyway, I thought I did / I married you, we had a kid / That counts for something / Maybe I never loved you / Yes, and maybe I did / And maybe you never loved me / Although God knows, you said you did.”

Many of the lyrics are a question as to whether the former couple truly loved each other, while also pointing out specific moments they supported each other. However, the final line is a feeling that many feel after the end of a relationship, especially one this publicized and talked about. It says, “Maybe I never loved you / Maybe I always will.”

Where do Simon and Taylor stand today?

Despite their marriage coming to an end in 1983, nearly 43 years ago, their relationship is often a subject of discussion. During their 11-year union, Simon and Taylor welcomed two children together: daughter Sally in 1974 and son Ben in 1977. Both went on to follow in their parents footsteps, releasing music of their own. However, having children together didn’t mean Simon and Taylor maintained a close bond.

Simon largely raised Sally and Ben on her own, though Taylor is close with his children. The two artists have not spoken or visited each other in decades and they are currently estranged. But their lack of a personal relationship doesn’t mean Simon avoids their time together altogether. Simon has frequently talked about their time together in interviews, memoirs and, of course, her music. Taylor, on the other hand, is famously tight-lipped about their relationship.

While fans may not see a reconciliation in real life or even a friendship between the two, they can always turn to Simon’s music for some insight, including her newly released album.

Carly Simon details how James Taylor divorce affected family, says kids had to ‘drown out all the noise’

The musicians were married from 1972 until 1983.

Key Points

Carly Simon gives rare insight into her divorce from James Taylor on her new album Comes in Waves.

“I can see you at 7, a child of divorce / How can it be that we gave you no choice? / It was your job and Ben’s to drown out all the noise,” she sings on the track “Mother of Pearl.”

Comes in Waves is available to stream.

Carly Simon is giving fans insight to a turbulent time with James Taylor.

The fifth track from Simon’s latest album Comes in Waves takes a personal turn, where she directly addresses her and Taylor’s daughter and gives fans a glimpse into their family life amid their divorce in the early ’80s. The musicians share daughter Sarah “Sally” Maria and son Ben.

“Sally, oh, Sarah, another song with your name,” Simon croons in the song’s opening. “You’ve gone around the roses, a mustang became / A boat in the harbor that’s called Sally Mae / And oh girl, my girl, to me you’re my goddess, you’re my mother of pearl.”

Carly Simon with daughter Sally and son Ben on Martha’s Vineyard in July 1987

Later in “Mother of Pearl,” Simon gets more specific, singing, “I can see you at 7, a child of divorce / How can it be that we gave you no choice? / It was your job and Ben’s to drown out all the noise.”

Entertainment Weekly contacted reps for James Taylor and did not receive an immediate response.

Per Rolling Stone, the former couple met in 1971 at one of Simon’s concerts.They wed in 1972 in Manhattan and divorced 11 years later amid Taylor suffering from substance abuse and infidelities on both sides.

Throughout their marriage, Simon sang backup vocals for several of Taylor’s songs including the 1978 track “Devoted to You” and an acoustic version of Taylor’s “You Can Close Your Eyes.”

She told PEOPLE in 2015 that she and Taylor don’t speak, but said, “I still want to heal him, I still want to make him all right,” adding, “And I love him so much.”

Simon continued, “My incredible loyalty to him, in spite of the fact that he has treated me without any regard, has been so painful to me for so long.”

She concluded, “But, through the course of writing the book [her memoir Boys in the Trees], I really started to understand that I could love and not be loved. And that was the big realization for me, that it doesn’t have to be a two-way street.”

Comes in Waves is Simon’s first album in 18 years, last releasing This Kind of Love in 2008.

The 12-track record was recorded with her children. “I’ve been living with these songs for a long time. Most of them were written and recorded here on Martha’s Vineyard, surrounded by the water, the weather, family, memories, and all the things that have a way of finding their way into a song,” she wrote on Instagram on Friday.

“The title comes from a line in ‘Slowly,’ but also from something I’ve come to understand: feelings come in waves. Love does. Memory does. Grief, forgiveness, longing, joy,” she added. “They arrive, they retreat, and sometimes they come back when you least expect them.”