Today, Academy Award-nominated actress Amy Irving has shared her new single “I Wish I Didn’t Love You So” featuring Steve Earle, the latest offering from her forthcoming album Always Will Be, out April 25 via Queen Of The Castle Records/Missing Piece Records. Originally written by Tony Award-winning songwriter Frank Loesser and popularized further by Willie Nelson, “I Wish I Didn’t Love You So” finds Irving and Earle exchanging confessional verses about a lover’s lament over a sauntering, jazzy arrangement. The new track is one of many renditions from her longtime friend Nelson’s iconic catalog that comprises Always Will Be, with additional special guests including Amy Helm, Louis Cato, Chris Pierce, Lizzie No and Nelson himself.
“I Wish I Didn’t Love You So” arrives on the heels of Irving’s critically acclaimed film Crossing Delancey being added to the Criterion Collection earlier this month. She recently spoke with Vulture about “the New York rom-com classic” and this prestigious honor.
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“Two of the songs on my new album, which is a celebration of Willie Nelson’s music, were not written by him,” says Irving. “He sang wonderful renditions of ‘I Wish I Didn’t Love You So’ and ‘I’d Have to Be Crazy’ in the past, and he suggested them for me. ‘I Wish…’ was written by Frank Loesser in 1947 for the Paramount movie The Perils of Pauline, and the amazing Steve Earle joins me for this duet. One of my very favorite albums in the world is the soundtrack to the movie One From the Heart with Tom Waits singing his songs in his deep, gravelly voice along with the more pure sounds of Crystal Gayle. I feel like we are in the same lane with this new recording.”
“I Wish I Didn’t Love You So” follows the bittersweet “Always Will Be” (feat. Amy Helm), a tribute to Irving’s late best friend Judy Nelson that has garnered praise from Variety, Holler, The Bluegrass Situation and more. The origin of Always Will Be begins with Irving and Nelson’s decades-long friendship, which spans back to meeting while shooting the 1980 film Honeysuckle Rose. After dueting on a reimagining of his song “I’m Waiting Forever,” Nelson proposed that Irving record an album entirely of his work. She took him up on the offer, collaborating again with bandleader Goolis (Jules David Bartkowski) for these 10 genre-defying tracks.
Over Irving’s prolific career, she has been heralded as a “revelation” by Time, while Variety dubbed her “a gifted stage actress of uncompromising integrity.” She first came to prominence with early screen roles in Brian DePalma’s Carrie and The Fury. Nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Yentl, Irving has captivated audiences with beloved starring roles in films like Crossing Delancey, The Competition and Micki and Maude.
Now in this latest chapter, Irving has created an arresting body of work that couples her gift for dynamic storytelling with her talent for bringing unexpected and inspiring interpretations to the works of others. Shifting into music, the playground may look slightly different, but the creative impulse and deep dedication to craft remain.
Irving will be performing album release shows at New York City’s City Winery on May 4 and Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY on May 31. For more information and tickets, visit amyirvingmusic.com.
Always Will Be Tracklist:
1. It’s a Dream Come True (feat. Lizzie No)
2. Yesterday’s Wine (feat. Goolis)
3. I Guess I've Come to Live Here In Your Eyes (feat. Chris Pierce)
4. I'd Have To Be Crazy
5. If You Want Me to Love You I Will
6. I Wish I Didn't Love You So (feat. Steve Earle)
7. Getting Over You (feat. Goolis)
8. Everywhere I Go (feat. Louis Cato)
9. Always Will Be (feat. Amy Helm)
10. Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground (feat. Willie Nelson)
