Easton Corbin honored country music legends Merle Haggard and Hank Williams on his new song “Hey Merle” released Friday (Jun. 3).
Corbin paid tribute to legends Haggard and Williams on the song, sharing he wouldn’t be who he is without them.
“If you ask anyone, they’ll tell you that Merle Haggard is one of my biggest influences,” Corbin shared in a press release. “I wouldn’t be who I am without some of our legends like Merle and Hank Williams,” he said.
“When Wade [Kirby] threw out ‘Hey Merle’ for the title – it felt like a no-brainer. We had to write that. We had so much fun being able to take elements from some of their hits and tie them into this song,” Corbin explained via the same press release.
“Hey Merle, did your Mama cry on the day you left Muskogee / Hey Merle, did the other side of them Swinging Doors get lonely / Did you end up on the fighting side when The Bottle Let You Down / Did you ever think you leave this big a mark on a guitar town,” Corbin sings on the first verse, paying homage to Haggard.
“Hey Hank, did you see the light at the end of that lost highway / Hey Hank, on the other side do you still get a little sideways / Nothing like a little hey good-looking, to heal those lovesick blues / We’re still out here honky tonkin’ all because of you,” he follows up on a later verse, this time honoring Williams.
In addition to “Hey Merle,” Corbin also released B-side track, “Somebody’s Gotta Be Country,” which was written by chart-topping Nashville songwriters Ashley Gorley, Rhett Akins, and Dallas Davidson, according to the release. Corbin originally released the song back in 2019.
Corbin previously paid tribute to Haggard, performing a cover of “The Fightin’ Side Of Me” for Country Rebel in 2021.
Corbin announced that he’d signed with Stone Country Records in the beginning of 2022. His latest single at country radio is “I Can’t Decide,” which was released on Apr. 29.
Corbin is currently working on a new album due out later this year, according to the same Elicity press release.
