The Story Behind Morgan Wallen's Unexpected New Year's Eve Release, ‘Smile’

It's been a year to the day that Morgan Wallen surprised us with the release of a haunting new song, ‘Smile’, alongside a cinematic music video featuring a cameo from Caleb Pressley.

It's a stunning, pared-down ode to a relationship that is fractured beyond repair, but one in which there is enough love remaining for our protagonist to find solace in a rare smile from his soon-to-be-ex - even if it was only for the sake of a photograph.

‘Smile’, one of the songs that helped to introduce Wallen's fourth studio album, I'm the Problem, epitomises the storytelling intricacy and sonic experimentation that permeates the record. The track carries an icy, almost choral backing, with the Sneedville megastar's vocals drifting forlornly across the sparse instrumental.

Particularly given its unexpected arrival, ‘Smile’ left fans poring over the music video for details and clues about his forthcoming record - with many speculating that the name of the fictional TV show in the visuals, Dark Til Daylight, could be the title of the long-rumoured album. Although not proving to be the project's name, ‘Dark Til Daylight’ did end up being one of the song-titles on the record.

Speaking as part of a Behind-the-Scenes look at the ’Smile’ video, Wallen explains how the track struck a chord with him the very first time he heard it, “There’s been a couple songs where I have a feeling that they’re gonna do well, and ‘Last Night’ was the last one that I had that feeling on. My feeling was right, you know?”

He went on, “And I have that same feeling with this song, and - I actually like this song better - and it’s just one of those songs where, no matter how many times I’m singing it or listening to it, I get goosebumps at some point in the song. So, it’s like, those songs don’t come around very often, so I’m super excited about it”.

Although ‘Smile’ didn't reach the same stratospheric heights of ‘Last Night’, it still reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the chart for an impressive 21 weeks.

Wallen had enough firepower on the rest of I'm the Problem, in the form of songs like ‘What I Want’ with Tate McRae, ’Love Somebody’ and ’Just in Case’, that he didn't need ‘Smile’ to become a chart-topper. But his decision to give it some well-deserved time in the spotlight underlines just how special this offering is to the ‘Thought You Should Know’ singer-songwriter. The wonderfully ethereal and stripped-back track has since become a fan-favourite among Wallenteers.

The excitement surrounding its New Year's Eve arrival was amplified by the dramatic video, which finds Wallen preparing for a live performance on a TV show, hosted by his friend and Sundae Conversation personality, Caleb Pressley. In the story, his partner is with him in his dressing room, playing the part of the woman he sings about, who no longer derives any happiness from the relationship.

He is meant to perform his upbeat, summery anthem, ’Love Somebody’, but due to the inner turmoil he is feeling, he decides to sing ‘Smile’ instead, leaving the producers scrambling. Near the end of the performance, Wallen spots his partner emerging side-stage, before leaving. When he returns to the dressing room, she is gone.

The director, Justin Clough, who has taken the helm for virtually all of Wallen's iconic music videos, from ‘Whiskey Glasses’ and ‘More Than My Hometown’ to more recent gems such as ‘20 Cigarettes’ and ‘I Got Better’, speaks to Spidey Smith as part of the latter's In The Trenches podcast about the fascinating creation of ‘Smile’.

He recalls, “They had given me the note before I wrote the treatment that it was going to come out on New Year's Eve, but they didn't ask for anything specifically. And then, actually, really going full-fledged ‘New Year's Eve’ was Morgan's push”.

The prolific director recalls that the CEO of Wallen's label, Big Loud Records, was aligned on the vision, “Seth [England] wanted it as well”, before going on, “When I talked to Morgan about the treatment, he was like, ‘I love it. I just would like to play in New Year's Eve in some way, shape or form’. And then I just proposed, ‘Why isn't it just a New Year's Eve special?’ I didn't want to date it specifically, so actually, it was important to me when we did the New Year's stuff that we didn't...I didn't want to put ‘2025’ on it...I try really hard not to date certain things”.

Clough then reveals that he drew inspiration from the traditional Scottish New Year's Eve song, Auld Lang Syne, when crafting the treatment, “The New Year's Eve thing...When I was writing it, re-writing it, with that in mind, I was listening to Auld Lang Syne, the New Year's Eve song. That song has this weird way of making you feel sad that something's over, but happy that something [else is starting]”.

Clough touches on the symbolism of the dressing room, “There's a wall between him and...that little room just to me represented, like, this is what's going on in his head and once he leaves this room...nobody understands what's going on”.

With easter eggs being sprinkled into Clough's more recent collaborations with Wallen, ‘20 Cigarettes’ and ‘I Got Better’, we're hoping there are more blockbuster videos en route from the I'm the Problem era, including one for ‘Number 3 and Number 7’ with Eric Church, which feels tailor-made for a fantastic music video.

As the clock strikes midnight on 2025 and we cast our gaze towards the next 12 months, we don't think there'll be another full-length album from Wallen, who tends to release records once every two years, but we suspect there may be more music on the way in 2026. Wallen has been hinting at a deluxe version of I'm the Problem, and his 2026 tour-name, Still the Problem, all but confirms these suspicions.

If Wallen is indeed releasing the keenly awaited extended version of his I'm the Problem ‘Interlude’, as well as his long-awaited Drake collaboration, then we'll be keeping our fingers crossed that some of this new material is given the music video treatment.

As ’Smile’ demonstrates, sparks fly when Clough and Wallen combine. Their stellar partnership is helping to remind fans of the art - and importance - of the music video, something that is sadly often overlooked in today's streaming-oriented landscape.

For more on Morgan Wallen, see below: