Nancy Wilson has released the title track from her upcoming debut solo album, You and Me.
The song builds and swirls around acoustic guitar, with percussion, keyboard and vocal harmonies adding layers to the poignant track. Lyrically, “You and Me” is an ode to Wilson’s mother, Lois, and the influence she had on the singer’s life.
“This song is a song for women,” the Heart cofounder explained during a conversation with iHeartRadio. “It’s like a conversation in zero gravity with my mom, like when you’ve had a dream of your mom and she’s no longer of the Earth but you’ve felt like you got to hang out with her? That’s what this song is about.”
Lois died in 2006, but Nancy credits the matriarch for heavily influencing her and her, sister Ann.
“She was a steel magnolia of a woman,” Nancy said of her mom, “forceful and strong and nurturing and soft all at once. She said, ‘Follow your bliss. …Whatever makes you the most fulfilled, just follow that bliss.’ That’s what we did and we weren’t afraid of it.”
Listen to “You and Me” below.
The title track is the first original song unveiled from You and Me. Last fall, Wilson released her version of Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising,” giving fans their initial taste of the upcoming LP. Other covers include renditions of Pearl Jam’s “Daughter,” the Cranberries’ “Dreams” and Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer.” Original tracks include a song called “Party at the Angel Ballroom,” featuring Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses and Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters, and “4 Edward,” an instrumental dedicated to Eddie Van Halen.
You and Me is due for release on May 7.