This just might be the most Willie Nelson song I’ve ever heard…
The Red Headed Stranger teamed up with his son, Micah (AKA Particle Kid), for a brand new single called “Die When I’m High (Halfway To Heaven).”
Micah said that he wrote the song after playing rounds of chess and dominos with his dad and brother during the COVID quarantine in 2020:
“Sometime back in December 2020, in between endless rounds of chess and dominos, my dad looked up at me and said, ‘If I die when I’m high I’ll be halfway to heaven.’
It took me a second to process, but I said, ‘Dad, that’s the best song title I ever heard. You better write the rest of it quick.’ He said. ‘Why don’t you write it?’ So I did.
That night I wrote it for him, about him. It’s really just a love letter to him. A tribute.”
But on the flip side, Micah noted that he wanted people to know that he has a deep and immense respect for his dad and his legacy both in country music and pop culture, and this song serves as an example of the love he has for Willie.
Just because he doesn’t play country music or pander to Willie’s same audience, that doesn’t mean he isn’t his father’s biggest fan:
“At the same time I realized it’s also a sort of ‘fuck you’ to anyone who ever thought of me as some lost prodigal son who doesn’t understand him or respect his legacy just because I’ve never imitated his style or pandered to his audience.
HE is the one who gave me my Particle Kid moniker after all. We are both freaks, in our time. I’m no prodigal son. I am HIS Particle Kid. I would never try to be him, or even pretend, because nobody will ever be him.
But believe it or not, I do relate to the Willie fans because I am one of them. They know how incredible and one of a kind he is. So this song is for the real Willie fans too. They get it.”
I mean, it’s pretty obvious that Micah definitely came by writing chops very honestly, and the opening verse is just brilliantly funny:
“Well I figured Trigger would outlive my liver,
But I’m still here writing songs,
Or if I reached my age, I’d forget how to play,
Well I guess I proved me wrong,
They say use it or lose it, and I’ll do it again
My half-crazy mind is my oldest friend…”
And on top of writing the song, Micah also created the music video himself, using footage he shot at the family ranch in Luck, Texas, concert footage of them performing the song live, and some animated portraits he created digitally of his father at different times in his life.
With Father’s Day coming up this weekend, it’s a pretty cool tribute to his legendary dad…
“And if I die when I’m high, I’ll be halfway to Heaven, or I might have a long way to fall.”
Here’s some of that live footage from when they performed it live with with the family band back in September of 2021 at Farm Aid:
The Nelson family is also gearing up for their Outlaw Festival tour that kicks off next week in Missouri:
2022 OUTLAW MUSIC FESTIVAL TOUR DATES
6/24/22 St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
6/25/22 Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
6/26/22 Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Music Center
7/1/22 Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
7/2/22 Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
7/29/22 Cleveland, OH – Blossom Music Center
7/30/22 Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
7/31/22 Pittsburgh, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
8/12/22 Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
8/13/22 Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center
8/14/22 Darien, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
9/9/22 Atlanta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
9/10/22 Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
9/11/22 Virginia Beach, VA – Veteran’s United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
9/13/22 Bridgeport, CT – Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
9/16/22 Boston, MA – Xfinity Center
9/17/22 Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
9/18/22 Saratoga Springs, NY – SPAC
9/23/22 Philadelphia, PA – Waterfront Music Pavilion