"If It Leads People Back to a Keith Whitley Song, Then I Think We Did A Good Thing:" How Morgan Wallen Flipped Keith Whitley's 'Miami, My Amy'

For his 32nd birthday, Morgan Wallen has gifted fans with a special sneak peek of his highly-anticipated fourth album, I'm the Problem.

Slated for release on Friday, May 16, lucky patrons were able to listen to a series of the project's 37 songs before the album's release, as well as hear some of the stories behind the tunes at Morgan Wallen's This Bar & Tennessee Kitchen.

In addition to gushing about standout tracks like 'Don't We,' 'No. 3 and No. 7' with Eric Church,' 'Kick Myself,' his first-ever female collaboration with pop icon Tate McRae on 'What I Want' and more, Wallen also spilled the tea on how he flipped the classic country ballad of Keith Whitley's 'Miami, My Amy' into an 808-infused romper.

news GENERAL • Morgan Wallen's New Album - ‘I'm the Problem’: Release Date & Tracklist

The Sneedville hitmaker's fourth studio album arrives on Friday, May 16th, 2025.

"For 'Miami,' we were writing something completely different, and Charlie [Handsome] mentioned something that made me think of 'Miami, My Amy' by Keith Whitley. I was like, 'Hey, man. Can you make like a flip? Do something real quick and we'll start writing to it,'" Wallen shared. "We decided to take a little more lighthearted approach and just tell a story, which also seems like it could happen.

He continued, "It didn't happen to me, but it's a fun story and I really love the sound of it. Some people probably will give us a hard time for flipping a Keith Whitley record like this, but in my mind, it still is true to my sound.

"If it leads people back to a Keith Whitley song, then I think we did a good thing."

Ditching Whitley's honey-dipped croon and slow-rolling sheen, the 2025 interplolation flips the whole thing on its head as Wallen infused his signature rap-style lyricism into the tune.

Still borrowing the main melody and repeating the iconic "Miami" howl from Whitley's original, Wallen's take finds a much more lustful, party-ready romance down in the 305.

The country titan is currently gearing up to drop his long-awaited fourth studio album, I'm the Problem, which coincides with the opening day of his inaugural Sand in My Boots Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

For the partial lyrics to Morgan Wallen's 'Miami,' see below:

It gets cold in Tennessee in January
I done tagged down all my ducks
Ain't no one seeing ducks
Thoughout that I could use some out the ordinary
Trade them pine trees for a palm
By the ocean, peace and calm

So I bought a seat and caught a buzz
Headed straight to South Beach
And there she was
Havana in her accent
Coconut and captain
And by the end of the say she was beggin' me to stay

(In Miami)
It ain't nothing like where I'm from, nah
I can't keep my gun in my truck
(In Miami)
They don't know my name at these bars
You can't even see any stars
(In Miami)
Got me MIA for a couple days now
But it don't hit the same as in Tennessee
(In Miami)
Except for getting sand in my boots
--
What the hell is a redneck gon' do in Miami?
(In Miami)
(In Miami)

––

For more on Morgan Wallen, see below: