"[Studio Two is] our most famous recording space. The scene of landmark recordings by The Beatles, Shirley Bassey, Kate Bush, Massive Attack, Oasis, Adele and so many more, Studio Two has been at the heart of popular music since it first opened its doors back in 1932."When the newly founded company EMI (Electrical Musical Industries) announced the opening of three recording studios in the Westminster district of London in November of 1931 after two years of construction, this world first was celebrated with a performance by the London Symphony Orchestra. The music that was recorded there in the following years would go on to make film and music history to this day. Which is one of the reasons why Abbey Road Studios is still one of the most renowned recording studios in the world.
"[His] show on Sunday, December 3 [2023], was a testament to his undeniable prowess, a true powerhouse capable of bringing an electrifying energy to the grandeur of the O2 arena during his first ever visit to the UK," wrote the Daily Express US on December 5, 2023 about Morgan Wallen's concert. 20,000 people came to see him on his One Night At A Time World Tour. A performance that was actually supposed to take place in 2020 but fell victim to the Covid pandemic, and which at the same time proves how quickly the not entirely uncontroversial artist became a superstar. For only 2 years earlier, the concert was scheduled at The Garage, a venue which only accomodates 600 people.
On the same day Morgan Wallen and his band entered Studio Two of the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London. The result of the subsequent session was released on March 3, 2024, on the one-year anniversary of his still current studio album "One Thing At A Time" (2023) under the title "Abbey Road Sessions". It included 5 new recordings of songs from the studio album, as well as a cover ('Graveyard Whistling' by Nothing But Thieves) and a completey new song. However, the entire project could only be heard (and seen) on YouTube.
Then it took until July 5, 2024 for the new song entitled 'Lies, Lies, Lies' to be announced as the official new single and thus made available on all streaming platforms. Written by Daniel Ross, Jo Dillon, Josh Miller and Chris Tompkins, the melancholic ballad is an almost unexpected change of pace for Morgan Wallen, who has not been heard like that since '7 Summers' (2020).
'Lies, Lies, Lies' is about coming to terms with a broken relationship. However, this relationship did not fail because of lies on her part, as one might suspect from the title, but rather it is about the sober realization that it is nothing but lies when he claims to be over her.
It wasn't no thing to give you up.
I never reach for you in another touch,
don't ever think about you with him,
and girl, tonight I won't call again and again.
Ain't nothin' but ... lies, lies, lies.
(Lies, Lies, Lies / Daniel Ross, Jo Dillon, Josh Miller, Chris
Tompkins)
It reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Charts in its first week of release and, with currently over 164 million Spotify streams, topped the radio (Billboard Country Airplay) chart on November 16, 2024. This makes it already the 15th number one country hit for Morgan Wallen. At the same time, it is the fifth time this year (and a first for any artist) that he has topped the country charts, even though the other four songs were only duets (with Eric Church, Post Malone, ERNEST and Thomas Rhett).
So another successful year for Morgan Wallen is coming to an end and we are eagerly awaiting a new studio album. Until then, there is already a follow-up single to the current hit, 'Love Somebody'. It is another uptempo number, this time with Latin pop influences.
After the single's entry at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Chart on November 2, 2024, it is now at number 15 in the radio (Billboard Country Airplay) chart after only 4 weeks. It is a song about the search for the right kind of love. Apparently such a difficult topic that no fewer than 12 songwriters (including Morgan Wallen) were working on the title.
At the same time, it shows a stylistic development. "I wanted to try something different, with what I wanted to talk about, how I wanted it to sound, and we were inspired by Latin-leaning influences," says the artist about the new song and the vulnerability he reveals with it:
I just wanna love somebody
who won't leave a hole in my heart.
I just wanna love somebody
that don't want me fallin' apart
and I'd be lucky if I ever find
a somethin' more than just a crazy night,
I just wanna love somebody.
(Love Somebody / Ashley Gorley, Morgan Wallen, Jacob Hindlin, John Byron,
Ryan Vojtesak, Elof Loelf, Martina Sorbera, Nicholas Gale, Shaun Frank,
Steve Francis, Richard Mastroianni, Yaakov Guzman)
Morgan Wallen has received 7 nominations for the upcoming CMA Awards. Although 5 of them are only for songs with other artists, he is on the list for Male Artist and Entertainer of the Year.
However, not everyone has fully forgiven his controversial verbal slip-up in 2021 as is probably best shown by the fact that, as one of the most successful music artists in all of American music over the past 2 years, he has still not been nominated for a Grammy Award, but instead went empty again for the 2025 nominations. At least apart from the less prominent Best Country Duo / Group Performance for 'I Had Some Help' which rather went to duet partner Post Malone anyways.
But then again, the one thing that cannot be said about that fatefull night at the end of January 2021, is: lies, lies, lies ...
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