5 things you should know about Knoxville country singer Morgan Wallen
Knoxville native Morgan Wallen is a rising country music star. Here are five facts about him.
Maggie Jones, Knoxville News Sentinel
Even though the Vols are playing on the road this weekend, Tennessee pride is still high at Neyland Stadium, as Morgan Wallen will perform two nights of songs from his award-winning country catalog full of East Tennessee references.
Wallen is a huge fan of the Tennessee Volunteers and a graduate of Gibbs High School who played on the baseball team. Even his songs, in which he doesn’t mention where he grew up, contain themes and imagery of small-town life that will resonate with many local listeners.
Heading to the Knoxville concerts on September 20 or 22? Listen to these “Tennessee” songs from Wallen to get in the mood.
- Album: “Dangerous: The Double Album”
- The Knoxville area code is repeated in this song as Wallen tries to drink away the memories of a past relationship while simultaneously fighting the urge to call his former flame.
- Lyrics: “The Tennessee heat made me feel even colder/I thought a drink would take my mind off you/But this bottle tastes like 865 (409-1021), yeah/One last time, don’t think twice/Girl, just take it and come on over.”
MORGAN WALLEN SETLIST: See the country star’s highly anticipated songs at Neyland Stadium
- Album: “One thing at a time”
- It’s a love story between Tennessee and Alabama! In the song full of college football references, Wallen falls in love with a girl who plays for the Vols’ longtime rival team.
- Lyrics: “A little further south Delta Gamma/Found a man from the Smoky Mountains/Yeah, she grew up on Roll Tide until she died/But since that night she’s been a Tennessee fan.”
- Album: “When I know myself”
- Only a true Vols fan can include a reference to the G10 parking lot in a song. “Rocky Top” and the Pride of the Southland marching band are also mentioned.
- Lyrics: “You were talking nonsense, we were throwing sacks/When I heard your name at a cornhole game/September Saturday in Rocky Top/Up in the G10 parking lot.”
- Album: When I know myself
- Go back to the beginning. “The Way I Talk” was Wallen’s debut single. It didn’t top the charts like Wallen’s songs do today, but any Tennessean with a Southern accent can identify with it.
- Lyrics: “Some people like to make fun of the way I talk. After three or four cold beers, it gets slower and louder as I cheer on the volunteers.”
- Album: “One thing at a time”
- In this fan-favorite film, Wallen’s lost love has moved to the West Coast. He longs to hear her voice on the phone, but she keeps avoiding his calls.
- Lyrics: “I used to be the one and now I’m just an 8-6-5/If I could just talk to her, maybe I could change her mind.”
- Album: “Dangerous: The Double Album”
- This song doesn’t explicitly mention Knoxville or Tennessee. Instead, it references all the aspects of small-town life that Wallen can’t leave behind to follow his childhood sweetheart as she pursues her dreams in California. The song could be an ode to the Tennessee towns he grew up in, including Sneedville and Knoxville.
- Lyrics: “I’m not the type to run away, I can’t change that/My heart is stuck in these streets like the train tracks/The sky over the city ain’t so black anymore/Ain’t it a shame, man, to think like that.”
- Album: “Dangerous: The Double Album”
- In this country ballad, Wallen reflects on a brief affair with someone he thought loved East Tennessee.
- Lyrics: “Now I’m dodging potholes in my sunburnt Silverado/Like a heartbroken desperado/On my way back to my roots.”
- Album: “When I know myself”
- In this track from his debut album, Wallen uses his Southern charm to woo the romantic celebrity of his lady love, who is used to dating men from the big city.
- Lyrics: “There I go/I’m flaunting my southern side/Whiskey whispers on/Little sweet southern words.”
- Album: “When I know myself”
- Tennessee knows whiskey! The state has deep whiskey roots that helped Wallen earn his second No. 1 single on the Billboard country charts. The song is about drinking whiskey to get over a bad breakup.
- Lyrics: “I need a couple glasses of whiskey/’Cause I don’t wanna see the truth/She’s probably on the couch making out/With someone new.”
- Bonus: Wallen has other songs with “whiskey” in the title, including: “Whiskey’d My Way,” “Me on Whiskey,” “Whiskey Friends,” and “Whiskey Whiskey” featuring Moneybagg Yo.
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email [email protected]On X, formerly known as Twitter @dturner1208.
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