On May 10, Post Malone released “I Had Some Help” with Morgan Wallen. Malone is expected to release a country album soon, though he’s teased his country turn for a few years.
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In 2022, he told Howard Stern, “To be honest, there’s nothing stopping me from taking a camera or setting up in my studio in Utah and recording a country album and me just putting it up on f—–g YouTube.”
At the 2023 Country Music Awards, Malone joined Wallen and HARDY for a Joe Diffie medley. Then, in April, Malone performed a country music set at the Stagecoach Festival in California, featuring guest appearances from Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, and Dwight Yoakam. He also surprised the audience during Wallen’s Stagecoach set, appearing with the country star to debut their new song.
“I Had Some Help” broke the single-day country streaming record on Spotify with nearly 14 million plays. While it works its way up the charts, here’s a look back at Post Malone’s must-hear collaborations.
“Better Man” with Eddie Vedder
Post Malone joined Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder to perform “Better Man” for a charity co-founded by Vedder and his wife Jill McCormick. They raised money to fund research to cure epidermolysis bullosa, a rare disease that affects the skin. “Better Man” predates Vedder’s time in Pearl Jam. He wrote it as a teenager living in San Diego and first performed it live with his band Bad Radio. Before becoming one of Pearl Jam’s biggest songs, it was nearly abandoned after producer Brendan O’Brien told the band, “That song’s a hit.” This happened during a time when the Seattle group was pulling back on its exposure. Malone adds a slight country inflection to Vedder’s grunge anthem.
She lies and says she’s in love with him
Can’t find a better man
She dreams in color, she dreams in red
Can’t find a better man
“Fortnight” with Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s downtempo synth fairytale opens The Tortured Poets Department with a piece of fiction on an album built around personal healing. Swift sings about her ex moving in next door and the anguish of former lovers forced to live as friendly neighbors. Jack Antonoff’s woozy production makes Malone sound like he’s arrived from another sphere. It resonates like a dystopian nightmare, and Swift furthers the fictional writing she honed on Folklore.
I was supposed to be sent away
But they forgot to come and get me
I was a functioning alcoholic
Till nobody noticed my new aesthetic
“Take What You Want” with Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott
If you didn’t already know, the Prince of Darkness has an incredible voice. On Malone’s emo lament, you can hear how John Lennon influenced Ozzy Osbourne. Andrew Watt and Louis Bell produced the track, which appears on Malone’s third album Hollywood’s Bleeding. Travis Scott joins Malone and Osbourne, with the rapper’s voice disguised in psychedelic Auto-Tune. The song also features Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers on drums with a scorching guitar solo from Watt, sounding like he spent his teens studying Randy Rhoads.
Why don’t you take what you want from me?
Take what you need from me
Take what you want and go
“Dial Drunk” with Noah Kahan
Vermont singer/songwriter Noah Kahan has released multiple editions of his hit album Stick Season. The Forever edition features high-profile collaborations with Malone, Brandi Carlile, and Kacey Musgraves, among others. Kahan follows a recent music industry trend to juice streaming numbers with deluxe editions of the same album. However, “Dial Drunk” is an infectious folk song, and Malone’s addition increases the feeling of a life spinning out of control.
I ain’t proud of all the punches that I’ve thrown
In the name of someone I no longer know
For the shame of being young, drunk, and alone
Traffic lights and a transmitter radio
I don’t like that when they threw me in the car
I gave your name as my emergency phone call
“Sunflower” with Swae Lee
“Sunflower” is one of Spotify’s most-streamed songs. It appeared on the soundtrack to the 2018 animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The Spider-Man animation features multiple versions of the superhero, which mirrors Post Malone’s career. He’s famous for shape-shifting between genres like parallel versions of himself—Malone the rapper, R&B singer, pop star, alt-rock star, and now, country crooner. But his knee-jerk reinventions reflect the current post-genre music industry. Swae Lee is also known for his genre-bending and frequent collaborations—another feature of the time.
Needless to say, I keep her in check
She was a bad-bad, nevertheless (yeah)
Callin’ it quits now, baby, I’m a wreck (wreck)
Crash at my place, baby, you’re a wreck (wreck)
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Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Stagecoach
