Chris Stapleton lends heartbroken harmonies — and then some — to Morgan Wallen‘s new song “Only Thing That’s Gone.” The brand-new song, from Wallen’s new double album, Dangerous, has a modern edge, but with plenty of traditional tinge to place it in Stapleton’s wheelhouse, too.
Wallen co-wrote “Only Thing That’s Gone” with Matt Dragstrem, Chase McGill and Josh Thompson. The lyrics share a conversation between a bar patron and his bartender, with the former telling the latter to “pour me one more / Make it quick and make it strong / ‘Cause, buddy, my last drink ain’t the only thing that’s gone.”
Stapleton harmonizes with Wallen in the choruses, but also sings lead on the second verse: “Here’s a hundred and some change / I’ll take whatever that will buy / Leave a twenty for the band if they’ll lay off lonesome songs tonight.”
Dangerous contains a whopping 30 songs, including the singles “More Than My Hometown” and “7 Summers.” Wallen’s sophomore record, the project arrived on Friday (Jan. 8), though a few Walmart stores put the album out for sale one week early, prompting the singer to fire back by leaking several tracks in the days leading up to its release and telling fans to go buy the disc at Target, which is selling a special edition with two extra songs.
It’s poised to be a big year for Wallen, after a tumultuous 2020. In early October, the reigning CMA New Artist of the Year was bumped from a scheduled performance on Saturday Night Live after photos and video of him flouting social distance and mask rules at the University of Alabama during the novel coronavirus pandemic made the rounds on social media.
Between that incident and the CMAs, Wallen opted to take some time for himself, after, in late May, getting arrested and charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct due to an incident at Kid Rock‘s bar on Lower Broadway in Nashville. Wallen was released on bond shortly after his arrest, later poking fun at his mugshot on social media and apologizing for what happened at the end of a night full of memories he admitted were “pretty fuzzy.” In July, a judge declined to prosecute Wallen on the charges.
Over the summer, Wallen welcomed his first child, a son named Indigo Wilder. The baby boy’s mother is the singer’s ex-fiancee, Katie Smith.
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