Morrissey recruited Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and the Regrettes’ Lydia Night for his soulful cover of the 5th Dimension’s “Wedding Bell Blues,” the first official single from the singer’s upcoming Sixties/Seventies covers LP, California Son.
The guest duo add breezy backing vocals throughout the Laura Nyro-penned track, while Morrissey croons marital daydreams over jaunty piano, glassy electric guitar chords and the faint flutter of a theremin. “I look at you and see the passion eyes of May/Oh, but am I ever gonna see my wedding day?” he sings in a soft vibrato. “In your voice I hear a choir of carousels/Oh, but am I ever gonna hear my wedding bells?”
California Son, which follows 2017’s Low in High School, also features covers of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Roy Orbison (“It’s Over”), Dionne Warwick and Carly Simon, among others; additional guest artists include Grizzly Bear’s Ed Droste, Petra Haden and Young the Giant’s Sameer Gadhia.
Prior to the record’s May 24th release, Morrissey will host a seven-day Broadway residency of seven career-spanning sets, including material from California Son. The shows are scheduled for New York City’s Lunt-Fontanne Theater between May 2nd and 11th.