Paul Simon quietly released a new song on Wednesday, October 31, a duet with wife Edie Brickell titled “Bad Dream.” The blues-influenced tune is available now as a digital download and via streaming services.
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“Bad Dream” is driven by Simon’s insistent acoustic guitar, and punctuated by horns and atmospheric percussion. Simon sings the song’s first verse, joined by Brickell on harmony vocals. Edie takes over lead on the second verse, with her husband adding harmonies of his own.
“Bad Dream” features enigmatic lyrics that partly seem to be commenting on the volatile political climate in the U.S. Simon and Brickell sing at the end of the tune, “It’s a dream / I’m wondering, where is the country I promised my children?”
Among the musicians who contributed to the track is drummer Steve Gadd, who’s been working with Simon since the mid-1970s. The song also features Mike Elizondo on synthbass, Andy Snitzer on tenor saxophone, Aaron Heick on baritone sax, and Anthony Kadleck on trumpet.
Fans’ Reaction to Simon and Brickell’s New Duet
Hearing the new song inspired a number of Simon’s and Brickell’s fans to share their reactions in the comments section of Paul’s Facebook page.
“Perfect timing for this beautiful song!” one fan wrote.
A second commented, “I love all the colors I hear in this.”
A third wrote, “Really beautiful, I was really happy for this surprise today!!”
Online Speculation Regarding a Simon and Brickell Project
Simon and Brickell have been married since 1992, although they’ve only collaborated occasionally. According to a thread on an online forum, the couple has been working on a duets album for more than a decade, but no official news about the project has been announced.
Simon’s Most Recent Album and Hearing Issues
“Bad Dream” is the first new song Simon has released since his 2023 studio album Seven Psalms. The critically acclaimed record featured a seven-part meditative piece inspired by a dream he had.
A documentary titled In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, which partly focused on the making of Seven Psalms, premiered in September 2023. In the film, Simon revealed details about losing the hearing in his left ear, which happened while he was working on the album.
In a recent interview posted on the Stanford Medicine YouTube channel in October 2024, Simon reported that he’d completely lost the hearing in his left ear.
The 83-year-old singer/songwriter also expressed hope that the medical and scientific communities will be able to come up new treatments for extreme hearing loss.
Brickell’s Most Recent Release
The most recent music Brickell has released is Here It Comes, an album by her side project Heavy MakeUp that arrived in June 2024. Heavy MakeUp is a band that also features horn players CJ Camerieri and Trever Hagen.
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