Cover Me Up

"Cover Me Up" is a song written and originally recorded by American country music singer Jason Isbell. It is the first track on his 2013 studio album Southeastern. Eight years later, country music singer Morgan Wallen covered the song for his 2021 album Dangerous: The Double Album.

"Cover Me Up"
Song by Jason Isbell
from the album Southeastern
Released2013
GenreCountry
Length4:51
LabelSoutheastern
Songwriter(s)Jason Isbell
Producer(s)Dave Cobb

Content and history

Isbell told NPR in 2013 that he wrote the song about his wife, Amanda Shires. He described the song as "a hard one for me to even get through without breaking down the first time" because of how personally he felt that it expressed his love for Shires.[1] The corresponding album came after Isbell had ended alcohol rehabilitation. The Bluegrass Situation describes the song as " Solemn, stripped-down, and slow, it floors listeners with its stark vulnerability and the strength of its romance as Isbell unfolds his love for Amanda Shires".[2]

The song is composed in the key of E-flat major. It uses a 6/8 time signature with an approximate tempo of 44 beats per minute.[3]

Critical reception

Steve Leggett, in his review of the album for AllMusic, called "Cover Me Up" a "beautiful opening love song".[4] Writing for Paste, Jerrick Adams stated in a review of Southeastern that " on the one hand a gentle, insistent love song, and on the other a moving testament to personal redemption that never once turns a blind eye to past indiscretions. It sets the tone for the remainder of the album, which is given equally to the promise of romance and the ever-looming possibility of suffering, both self-induced and arbitrary."[5]

Morgan Wallen version
"Cover Me Up"
Promotional single by Morgan Wallen
from the album Dangerous: The Double Album
Released2021
GenreCountry
Length4:53
LabelBig Loud
Songwriter(s)Jason Isbell
Producer(s)
Short Film
"Cover Me Up" on YouTube

In November 2020, Wallen's cover of "Cover Me Up" was announced as one of the tracks on his then-upcoming album Dangerous: The Double Album. Wallen's version is co-produced by Joey Moi and Dave Cohen.[6]

Wallen had covered the song in concert for more than a year prior to the release of his studio version, including performances on a tour with Luke Combs and during a video shoot created by the country music website Taste of Country. The latter publication noted that while Wallen's live covers had received mixed reception from fans, Isbell himself stated approval toward Wallen's rendition.[7] Although not released as a single, Wallen's rendition charted on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Canadian Hot 100 charts between 2019 and 2020. It has also received a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)[8] and Music Canada.[9]

Wallen uploaded an 8-minute short film on November 22, 2019, directed by Justin Clough and filmed near Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee. The video portrays the song's storyline through a soldier who is suffering post-traumatic stress disorder.[10]

Chart performance

Weekly charts
Chart (2019-2020) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] 50
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 52
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[13] 15

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[9] Platinum 80,000
United States (RIAA)[14] Platinum 1,000,000

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References
  1. "Jason Isbell: A 'Southeastern' Songwriter's Path To Sobriety". NPR. June 10, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  2. "WHY 'COVER ME UP' IS THE TRUEST LOVE SONG JASON ISBELL WILL EVER WRITE". The Bluegrass Situation. March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  3. "'Cover Me Up' sheet music". MusicNotes.com. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  4. "Southeastern". AllMusic. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  5. "Southeastern". Paste. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  6. Kaufman, Gil (November 12, 2020). "Morgan Wallen Announces 30-Track Double Album 'Dangerous': The 'Idea Started Off As Just a Joke'". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  7. "Criticism Won't Keep Morgan Wallen From Performing 'Cover Me Up'". Taste of Country. December 16, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  8. "American certifications – Morgan Wallen". Recording Industry Association of America.
  9. "Canadian single certifications – Morgan Wallen – Cover Me Up". Music Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  10. Freeman, Jon (November 22, 2019). "Morgan Wallen Depicts Soldier's PTSD in Harrowing 'Cover Me Up' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  11. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  12. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  13. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  14. "American single certifications – Morgan Wallen – Cover Me Up". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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