LISTEN: Morgan Wallen Releases Haunting New Single, ‘Smile’

Usually, we've received all our gifts by the time Christmas is over - but Morgan Wallen has offered his fans one final present on New Year's Eve, releasing his long-teased single, ‘Smile’.

Originally thought to be titled ’Good to See You Smile’, the ‘Last Night’ chart-topper shared a teaser for the haunting, ethereal ballad back in August, with fans immediately calling for Wallen to drop the track as soon as possible. Ultimately, though, the comparatively uptempo ‘Love Somebody’ was the next song to arrive in October, with listeners left to assume we wouldn't be hearing ‘Smile’ until 2025.

Thankfully, Morgan Wallen has decided not to make us wait that long, releasing the full studio version of ‘Smile’ on New Year's Eve, accompanied by a cinematic music video featuring a cameo from comedian and Sundae Conversation host, Caleb Pressley.

The visuals poke fun at the fact that Morgan Wallen has decided to drop this mournful, introspective offering on New Year's Eve, typically a night of celebration, with the video following Wallen as he performs ‘Smile’ instead of the Latin-inspired ‘Love Somebody’. Initially, the show's producers are worried, but then ratings surge, as the enchanting, striking gravitas of ’Smile’ draws in swathes of new viewers.

‘Smile’ features a beautifully sparse arrangement, with Morgan Wallen's anguished croons cutting through a celestial haze of harmonies, as he recalls seeing his current girlfriend smiling for an imprompto photo alongside their friends in a bar.

Heartbreakingly, all he can think is how long it's been since he's seen her smile in that way, hinting that their relationship has been fraught and tense. This foreshadows the impending break-up, with Wallen returning to his dressing room alone at the end of the video, as the crowd and Pressley gleefully count down to midnight.

Penned by the ‘Thought You Should Know’ singer-songwriter alongside Rocky Block, John Byron, ERNEST, Charlie Handsome and Luis Witkiewitz, ’Smile’ is the third single to be released ahead of Morgan Wallen's One Thing At A Time follow-up album.

With ’Smile’ expected to join ‘Lies, Lies, Lies’ and ‘Love Somebody’ on the forthcoming project, Morgan Wallen's next project is shaping up to be a more conceptual piece than his previous releases. Each of the three tracks find Wallen navigating the limbo between a break-up and repairing the relationship, which seemingly suggests his next album will have a more clear-cut narrative running throughout.

On One Thing At A Time, there was the overarching progression from the alcohol-fuelled protagonist of ‘Born with a Beer in My Hand’ to the soulful lead character of ’Dying Man‘ and ‘Outlook’, but the tracks interspersed in-between spanned a plethora of themes.

Regardless of what exactly we can look forward to from Morgan Wallen's new album, the surprise release of ’Smile’ and a rare music video underline that it's - excitingly - on the horizon.

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