ERNEST and Morgan Wallen officially dropped their highly-anticipated duet, “Flower Shops,” on Friday (Dec. 31).
The longtime friends and frequent collaborators are ringing in the New Year with their just-released duet. “Flower Shops” is a song that the Big Loud labelmates have been teasing since late July and is destined to quickly become a chart-topping hit on Country Radio.
Produced by Joey Moi & co-written by ERNEST alongside Benny Burgess and Mark Holman, “Flower Shops” finds the fast rising singer and Wallen trading verses and choruses before joining together for the track’s final chorus.
“Mister I’ll take your roses / If you cut off the thorns / She can’t take no more / I’ll buy violets and daisies / To hide all the crazy / It’s gonna take all you’ve got / Awe It’s a bad day for love / But a good day for flower shops,” ERNEST and Wallen sing during the chorus.
In addition to sharing the new song, the singers dropped the music video for the track, which features both ERNEST and Wallen performing the song with minimal production, while leaning on a flower-covered car, truly allowing the song’s lyrics to shine vibrantly.
Watch the music video for the anthemic new song below.
Ahead of the song’s release, Wallen shared, “I’m really excited to see what you think about this song. I’m really fired up for it and really grateful that ERNEST asked me to be on it with him. It’s kind of like the opposite of ‘Broadway Girls,’ we just went a really traditional country direction, and I’m super fired up for it. Hopefully you guys enjoy it as much as we do.”
During a recent podcast episode of Just Being ERNEST – Jelly Roll and the “Cheers” singer discussed the backstory behind the forthcoming single and how it was inspired by a George Jones melody.
Professional PGA golfer John Daly was the one who sparked the idea to pen “Flower Shops.” The two were bouncing off ideas with one another over drinks at Old Hickory in Nashville, when the idea to pen “Flower Shops” came about after he encouraged ERNEST to listen to a Willie Nelson song.
“He goes, ‘I recorded this song, sent it to Willie Nelson for him to listen to, and Willie sent me back a brand-new version. The only thing that stayed on it was my vocal. So, I got this demo, and it’s called “Whiskey And Water,”’ shared ERNEST to his loyal listeners and Jelly Roll about his conversation with Daly.
According to ERNEST, the athlete turned musician continued to explain the unique collaboration and how he would breathe into the microphone as Nelson tackled the second verse and played an extraordinary guitar solo.
The track featuring Daly and Nelson resonated with ERNEST and forced him to dabble in old-world country music. “I went back and started listening to a bunch of George Jones’ [songs],” shared the breakout star. Alongside co-writers Ben Burgess and Mark Hollman, ERNEST enjoyed a well-rounded George Jones playlist.
“I was playing a bunch of George Jones’ songs, and there was one song I never heard called ‘A Good Year For The Roses,’ which the artist revealed about a critically acclaimed tune that speaks on making small talk. “So, Burgess was like, ‘man, this is pretty cool! We should write something kind of like his. We went back and forth and finally landed on “Good Day For Flower Shops.”
After putting pen to paper, together they came up with a heart-wrenching storyline about someone becoming their own worst enemy within a relationship and how they tend to mess up each and every time. However, throughout the track, they utilize the power of fresh flowers to make up for their constant mistakes.
“The concept is. Basically, I f**ked up my relationship so much, and I continue to do it every time that my only way to fix this is… I’m going to buy every f**king flower in a flower shop. It’s all I got, and I don’t have anything else to give you other than every flower I can buy,” he adds.
Wallen and Ernest are entering 2022 in full force by introducing their fan base to a whole new sound. The best buddies returned to their traditional country roots with their old-school sound, which is perfectly displayed throughout the new track.
“Flower Shops” follows Wallen’s latest collaboration “Broadway Girls” with Lil Durk. In the new year, the hitmaker will be embarking on his nationwide stadium tour with his other country friends – HARDY and Larry Feet.
In late July 2021, during Whiskey Jam’s massive ten-year anniversary celebration at The Ryman Auditorium, ERNEST gave the debut live performance of “Flower Shops.” The song earned immediate approval from fans, who begged for the song’s release.
Then, on August 9, during Wallen’s surprise performance at Losers Bar and Grill’s 15th Birthday Bash, he announced that he would be joining ERNEST on “Flower Shops” and he performed the song live.
“Y’all cool if I sing you a new song that I’m going to do with my buddy Ernest?” Wallen asked the beyond capacity crowd.
“Well, y’all kind of knew this already, but I love singing sad songs,” he continued. “It doesn’t matter if I’m the happiest person in the world, I just love riding around listening to sad songs. That’s what I’m going to sing tonight. This is a new one, I don’t know if y’all heard this or not but me and Ernest are doing this together, it’s called ‘Flower Shops.’”
Ahead of Wallen’s Whiskey Jam performance, the pair shared a clip on Instagram singing the highly-anticipated track’s chorus in a dimly lit room.
“I’ll take all your roses / if you cut off the thorns / can’t take no more / how ’bout violets and daises to hide all the crazy / it’s going to take all you got / it’s a bad day for love / but a good day for flower shops,” ERNEST and Wallen sing the clip.
Wallen and ERNEST have been teasing the new duet for quite some time and have even been performing the tune during their live shows together this year. Fans already knew every single word to the song during their live performances together, further proving the fan’s connection with the song.