Morgan Wallen is celebrating the Tennessee Volunteers victory over Alabama’s Crimson Tide with a clip of a brand-new, unreleased song, “Tennessee Fan.”
The country superstar took to social media hours after the Volunteers’ big win on Saturday evening (Oct. 15) to share footage of his time at the big game, which was soundtrack by a new tune.
The song’s storyline follows a character who meets an Alabama fan at a Tennessee bar after a football game. The pair ended up hitting it off and the character turned his love interest into a Tennessee fan for life and even though his team didn’t win, the character admits he ended up getting the “number one pick.”
Wallen also references the ongoing rivalry between the Tennessee Volunteers and Alabama’s Crimson Tide within the tune’s lyrics.
“They beat us every damn year / It’s been a minute since we pulled out a win / I loaded the truck down with beer / drove down to watch ’em do it again / and they did so we went to the bar right after / met a girl with a hounds tooth brand of her chapter / on her shirt and it turned into talking all night / she came back with me crossed the Vols state line / guess the joke’s on Alabama / ’cause they lost big this time / I’ve got the number one pick blonde hair, red lips brought her over to the other side / a little deep south delta Gamma / done found a Smokey Mountain man / she was raised roll tide ’til the day she died / but ever since that night she’s been a Tennessee fan…”
The Tennessee Volunteers were victorious (final score 52-49) against Alabama’s Crimson Tide this past weekend, which marked the Volunteers’ first win against the team since 2006.
In addition to sharing a new song teaser, Wallen also shocked patrons after the Volunteers game at Saloon 16 inside The Graduate Knoxville with a surprise three-song performance that included “The Way I Talk,” “Sand In My Boots” and the fan-favorite hit, “Cover Me Up.”
He launched the pop-up performance with “The Way I Talk” from his debut album, If I Know Me, which was released in 2018. After singing most of the tune, Wallen paused to share a message with the saloon patrons with a big smile on his face.
“Hey, I ain’t never been more proud to sing this last chorus right here tonight. If you know me and if you know yourself and you’re from Knoxville or you’re from Tennessee and we just beat Alabama you better sing this part,” Wallen told the packed Saloon. “Shoutout to my mama and my daddy and to my little boy [Indigo]. I love all three of them the same.”
He then finished out his performance of “The Way I Talk” with a massive sing-along with a bar full of excited Tennessee Volunteers fans.
@musicmayhemmagazine @morganwallen delivered a surprise three-song set in Knoxville to celebrate the Tennessee Volunteers’ big win! #TheWayITalk #MorganWallen 🎥: @Chelsea J
He then performed a pair of songs from his record-breaking sophomore project, Dangerous: The Double Album, including his chart-topping hit “Sand In My Boots” and fan-favorite tune “Cover Me Up,” a song written and originally recorded by Jason Isbell.
While performing “Sand In My Boots,” Wallen changed up the lyrics to further celebrate the Volunteers’ victory.
“Something the way she kissed me tells me we’re going to beat Bama here in Tennessee,” he sang instead of the song’s actual lyrics, which are “Somethin’ bout the way she kissed me tells me she’d love Eastern Tennessee.”
@musicmayhemmagazine @morganwallen changed up the lyrics for #SandInMyBoots during his surprise pop-up performance in Knoxville to celebrate the Tennessee Volunteers’ victory! #MorganWallen 🎥: @chelsea330j
He concluded his surprise performance with “Cover Me Up.”
Wallen also joined his fellow East Tennessee natives’ Kelsea Ballerini and Kenny Chesney at the same saloon to spend some time with one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Peyton Manning, in Knoxville ahead of the Tennessee Volunteers football game against Alabama Crimson Tide.
The trio of country hitmakers and the former NFL quarterback, who has been nicknamed “The Sheriff” and spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with the Denver Broncos, were pictured prior to kickoff at the Saloon, which is located just minutes away from Neyland Stadium.
In the photo shared by Saloon 16, Wallen, Ballerini, and Chesney are seen dressed in Tennessee orange in support of their hometown team with Manning, who also served as the College Game Day guest picker.
“GO VOLS!! @saloon16knox is where we hang when we watch the VOLS lay it down!” the Knoxville Saloon captioned the image. The caption also included several hashtags, including #GBO #VolNation #VFL #peytonmanning #kennychesney #kelseaballerini #morganwallen.”
Wallen recently confirmed that he’s been in the studio working on new music.
“I’ve been working on new music. I’ve been in the studio, I’ve been grinding, I’ve been writing a lot,” Wallen told fans in an Instagram story in late August.
“Me and HARDY just wrote one on the road the other day that I’m really pumped about. It’s one of the best ones that we’ve written in a long time, if not ever,” the East Tennessee native went on to say.
Wallen previously opened up about new music on Country Countdown with Lon Helton, where he revealed that he has been writing new material and already has 12 songs finished.
“I’ve already got 12 songs finished, maybe more. I’m just trying to beat what I’ve got,” Wallen told Helton while co-hosting the show. “I’m confident in whatever I do next already. Overall I feel pretty comfortable. I don’t feel rushed. I’ve got other things, I’ve got the tour, I’ve got my son, so I’m glad that I’ve already spent some time on the next project,” he added.
Wallen also recently wrapped up his recording-breaking, headlining Dangerous Tour, which was completely sold out, selling over 839,704 tickets. The trek concluded with his first-ever headlining stadium concert at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, which broke attendance records at the venue.
The “You Proof” hitmaker will soon conclude his tour schedule for 2022 with a performance at Country Thunder in Kissimmee, FL on October 22, 2022.
