Songfacts®:

• Throughout the '70s and '80s, Paul Williams appeared as an actor in many movies (Smokey And The Bandit, Bugsy Malone) and TV shows (The Muppet Show, Fantasy Island), wrote music for films (A Star Is Born, Phantom Of The Paradise), composed hit songs for the Carpenters and Three Dog Night, and wrote the theme to The Love Boat. This song, which as the title states is about hearing new music from an old friend, taps into Williams ability to connect with people. Williams told Songfacts: "As far as writing love songs for my generation, I think there's almost kind of a window of opportunity for that. I think that at a certain point we move on to write about other things, or we're at a different place in our lives."
• Jazz vocalist Jane Monheit sings on this with Williams. The album is a collection of old songs by legendary songwriters like Williams, Carole King and Burt Bacharach, with a few new songs added. Included on the album is Willie Nelson's duet with Williams on "Rainbow Connection."