The lyric video for Carly Simon‘s “Howl” crossed 100,000 views on YouTube Thursday. Her official Instagram account marked the moment with a warm note of gratitude to listeners.
The caption opened with a simple “Thank you!” and then confirmed the count, extending “gratitude to everyone who has listened, watched, shared, and embraced this first glimpse of COMES IN WAVES.”
“Howl” is the first public preview of Simon’s forthcoming album, “Comes In Waves.” No release date for the full record has been announced yet.
That six-figure view count is worth noting. This is a lyric video, not a polished production clip or a live performance. It crossed 100,000 views before the album even has a confirmed street date. This track arrived without a traditional promotional push. Hitting six figures anyway is a real signal of demand.
The appetite makes sense. Simon is one of the most distinctive voices in the history of popular music. Her catalog stretches back to the early 1970s and holds some of the genre’s most enduring songs. “You’re So Vain,” “Anticipation,” “Nobody Does It Better,” “Coming Around Again” – these aren’t deep cuts. They’re songs people have carried around for decades.
She’s a Grammy, Oscar, and Golden Globe winner. “Nobody Does It Better,” her theme for the 1977 James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me,” remains one of the most celebrated Bond songs in the franchise’s history. For a songwriter, that one moment would represent a full career.
A new record from Simon would be her first collection of original material in several years. She’s also been open about serious health challenges over the years. A stroke in the late 1990s and a later battle with breast cancer both shaped stretches of her life and creative output. A new album in 2026, at 81, comes with all of that history behind it.
There’s also a birthday detail here. Thursday’s post landed the day after Simon turned 81. She was born June 25, 1945. Crossing 100,000 YouTube views on a new track the day after her birthday is a memorable way to start the next year.
No further album details have come out publicly. There’s no release window confirmed, no additional singles announced, no tracklist available. For now, “Howl” is carrying the whole story on its own, doing it without the usual promotional machinery in place.
The lyric-video format is fitting for a songwriter of Simon’s caliber. With her, the actual words tend to be the main event. The title “Howl” promises something emotionally direct. That fits her writing style throughout her career.
The post pointed anyone who hasn’t seen the video yet to the link in the official Instagram bio. For long-time fans, it’s the first clear signal that “Comes In Waves” is genuinely on its way.
