Ella Langley had a very special guest on deck for Night Two of her headlining stint at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium: Morgan Wallen!
During her performance on Friday (Nov. 7), Langley surprised the crowd with an appearance from Wallen, and the two sang a duet version of “Cover Me Up.”
That’s a Jason Isbell song that Wallen has been covering for years, and included on his 2021 Dangerous: The Double Album.
But fans got a taste of something special during the Friday night performance: Wallen typically performs “Cover Me Up” solo, not as a duet, and it’s the first time he and Langley have ever publicly sang it together.
And it’s a team-up that’s been a long time coming.
Read More: Morgan Wallen’s 2026 Still the Problem Tour Could Be Record-Setting
Before they sang, Langley told the crowd she’s been “trying to convince this man to sing this song with me for so long, and it has honestly taken two whole tours to do this.”
Watch Morgan Wallen + Ella Langley Sing “Cover Me Up”
Of course, Langley’s noted for her duet projects. Her breakout hit was “You Look Like You Love Me,” a smash hit duet with Riley Green.
Melancholy is a frequent wheelhouse for both singer-songwriters, and they slid effortlessly into that groove for “Cover Me Up,” a love song that describes a tough path to find connection and happiness.
Each singer took a verse in this performance, and Langley switched the pronouns around, singing from the point of view of the woman in the song.
What Did Morgan Wallen Say About Awards Shows During His Time Onstage?
When he joined Langley at the Ryman, Wallen briefly side-swiped awards shows by way of making a joke about how rare it is for him to come out to downtown Nashville.
“Yeah, it takes a lot more than an awards show to get me out to Broadway these days, I’ll tell you that,” he joked.
Wallen’s been notably absent at some big awards shows in recent years. Among those was last year’s CMA Awards, where he won Entertainer of the Year.
Read More: Where is Morgan Wallen? Not at the 2024 CMA Awards
Not only that, but Wallen didn’t even publicly acknowledge his big win until four months later, when he posted a photo of his trophy as part of a social media carousel roundup.
That’s a far cry from the usual “thank you” speech an artist would send out after winning what’s arguably the most-coveted award in the country music genre.
What is the Story Behind “Cover Me Up”?
Jason Isbell included “Cover Me Up” on the track list of his 2013 Southeastern album. He wrote it as a love song to his wife Amanda Shires (the couple would later go on to separate in 2023, and their divorce was finalized in 2025.)
Shires is a solo singer-songwriter and performed in Isbell’s backing band, the 400 Unit, for many years.
Read More: The Darkest Songs in Country Music
The song’s lyrics allude to getting sober, and indeed, Isbell went to rehab for alcoholism in 2012, with Shires’ help. They were married in 2013, the same year that Southeastern came out.
Wallen had been playing “Cover Me Up” live for a couple of years before he covered “Cover Me Up” in 2018 as part of Taste of Country’s RISERS series.
His gravelly version of Isbell’s ballad quickly racked up a fan base of its own.
The singer admitted that he was nervous to share a song that differed sonically from what he was most known for at the time — early hits like “Whiskey Glasses” and “The Way I Talk” — but said he’d always felt a connection to Isbell’s version.
“You can just tell he wrote that song out of being real,” Wallen said at the time. “…You can just feel the true emotion in it, and I’ve always connected to that song more than any other of his songs, for whatever reason.”
30 Best Morgan Wallen Songs Every Fan Should Know by Heart
We’ve even included a few early favorites from his 2025 project, I’m the Problem.
