Maria Taylor and Conor Oberst way, way back together. Taylor is one half of Azure Ray, and that duo's story is deeply intertwined with Oberst's history with Bright Eyes. Bright Eyes took Azure Ray on tour in the early '00s, and Taylor became a touring member of Oberst's band and contributed to a bunch of his records. They were also a couple for a long time, and Oberst apparently wrote "First Day Of My Life" about Taylor. Now, Taylor is getting ready to release her first new solo album in seven years, and she's got a new song that she and Oberst wrote and recorded together.
Next month, Taylor will release her new album Story's End on Oberst's Million Stars label. (Her last album, a 2019 self-titled affair, did not have an Oberst duet, but the one before that, 2016's In The Next Life, did.) Today, Taylor shares "Sorry I Was Yours," a soft and tender song that she and Oberst wrote and sang together. It's very pretty, and it gains some real heft when you consider the fact that we're hearing a former couple who pretty much grew up together. Here's what Taylor says about it:
I met Conor close to 30 years ago. Music has always been such a strong part of our connection. As soon as we met, I started periodically touring with Bright Eyes as either the keyboard player or the drummer. Our friendship turned into a romantic love that lasted seven years which eventually morphed into the love we have now, which feels like family.
A couple of years ago, we decided we wanted to write a song together, so I went over to his house with my guitar and computer. I was playing him songs that I was working on and when he heard this one, he perked up and ran inside to grab his pen and notebook. Hours later, we finished the song and even made a demo. So many beautiful contributions from these friends that made the song better than I could have imagined: Brad Armstrong, Mike Mogis, Macey Taylor, Ben Brodin, Nate Walcott, Tiffany Osborn, Hannah Murray, and Paul Cartwright.
Listen below.
Story's End is out 4/3 on Million Stars.
