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. In 2017, country music group Zac Brown Band covered the song for Spotify on Spotify Singles. In 2019, country music singer Morgan Wallen covered the song, and it was included on 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] In 2020, Paste ranked the song number one on their list of the 20 greatest Jason Isbell songs,[6] and in 2022, American Songwriter ranked the song number four on their list of the 10 greatest Jason Isbell songs.[7]

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[8] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Morgan Wallen version
"Cover Me Up"
Promotional single by Morgan Wallen
from the album Dangerous: The Double Album
ReleasedApril 5, 2019 (2019-04-05)
GenreCountry
Length4:53
LabelBig Loud
Songwriter(s)Jason Isbell
Producer(s)
Lyric video
"Cover Me Up" on YouTube
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.[9]

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.[10] 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)[11] and Music Canada.[12]

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.[13]

After a controversy surrounding a video of Wallen using a racial slur in February 2021, Isbell announced that he would donate his songwriting royalties to the Nashville chapter of the NAACP.[14]

Weekly charts
Chart (2019–2021) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 50
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 52
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[17] 15

Year-end charts
Chart (2020) Position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[18] 97

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[19] Platinum 70,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[12] 3× Platinum 240,000‡
United States (RIAA)[20] 4× Platinum 4,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other Versions

The song has also been covered by the Zac Brown Band, released exclusively to Spotify in 2017. Rodney Atkins released a version of the song, appearing his album Caught Up in the Country (2019), as did Warren Zeiders, on his 2021 album Accoustic Covers.

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. 9 September 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  4. "Southeastern". AllMusic. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  5. "Southeastern". Paste. 10 June 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  6. Johnson, Ellen (May 13, 2020). "The 20 Best Jason Isbell Songs". Paste. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  7. Long, Sam (May 16, 2022). "The Top 10 Jason Isbell Songs". American Songwriter. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  8. "American single certifications – Jason Isbell – Cover Me Up". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  9. 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.
  10. "Criticism Won't Keep Morgan Wallen From Performing 'Cover Me Up'". Taste of Country. December 16, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  11. "American certifications – Morgan Wallen". Recording Industry Association of America.
  12. "Canadian single certifications – Morgan Wallen – Cover Me Up". Music Canada. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  13. Freeman, Jon (November 22, 2019). "Morgan Wallen Depicts Soldier's PTSD in Harrowing 'Cover Me Up' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  14. Bernstein, Jonathan (February 10, 2021). "Jason Isbell Is Donating His Morgan Wallen Royalties to the NAACP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  15. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  16. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  17. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  18. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  19. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  20. "American single certifications – Morgan Wallen – Cover Me Up". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
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