"He's Just Going to be a Staple on the Things That I Do for the Future:" Morgan Wallen Talks About His Newest Eric Church Collaboration, 'No. 3 and No. 7'

Morgan Wallen has gifted fans with a special preview listen to some of the songs from his forthcoming project, I'm the Problem.

Ahead of its May 16 release, the country megastar hosted a series of listening parties at his multi-hyphenate Nashville establishment, Morgan Wallen's This Bar & Tennessee Kitchen, giving us a chance to hear a handful of the upcoming 37 tracks and some of the stories behind them.

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.

In addition to gushing about standout tracks like his 2025 Keith Whitley interpolation on 'Miami,' 'Come Back As A Redneck' with HARDY, 'Kick Myself,' his first-ever female collaboration with pop icon Tate McRae on 'What I Want' and more, Wallen also let us into the backstory behind the Eric Church-graced 'No. 3 and No. 7.'

"I cut that song strictly because I wanted Eric Church on the song," Wallen admitted. "I asked him beforehand if he wanted to get on it before I recorded it in the studio."

Underlining how much of an inspiration Church has been to the award-winning entertainer over the years, Wallen added, "I've said many times how much of an impact Eric has had on me as a musician and as an artist, and now he's become one of my closest friends. To have a mentor and a friend like that is super special. I'm still a big fan of of his art and the way that he evolves as a musician."

Making reference to the late NASCAR great, Dale Earnhardt, who famously drove the No. 3 Goodwrench car throughout his career before tragically passing away during the 2001 running of the Daytona 500, the other half of the song's title is a tip of the hat to the Tennessee-made Jack Daniel's whiskey, which dons the No. 7 insignia.

In a masterful play on words – "No. 3 and No. 7 don't add up to much good" – the new Wallen tune serves as a cautionary tale of the dangers of drinking and driving, painting the portrait of a near-death experience and how thin the line between heaven and earth truly is.

Marking the second time these two country behemoths have joined forces following 2023's 'Man Made A Bar,' Wallen also teased that this likely won't be the last time that the powerhouse pair links up, saying, "I think as long as we keep making songs that fit well together, he's just going to be a staple on the things that I do for the future."

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 & Eric Church's 'No. 3 and No. 7,' see below:

Daddy's truck, daddy's bottle
Open top, open throttle
87 and 80 proof running through my veins
Drunk on --, drunk on whiskey
Ain't no -- quite like 16
-- making grown man mistakes
Puttin' Earnhardt to shame

Up in my head I was in first
Whole pack of cars in that fourth turn
Burning towards a checkered flag
I was on a record lap
Had my hand wrapped around that drink
Til that truck wrapped around that tree
Should've gone to heaven fast
Learned the hard way lesson that
We all get more second chances than we should
And No. 3 and No. 7 don't add up to much good

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For more on Morgan Wallen, see below:

Morgan Wallen

Artist

Eric Church

Artist