Just like the songs I leave behind me / I’m gonna live forever now, outlaw country musician Billy Joe Shaver boldly declared in his 1993 hit “Live Forever.” Penned by Shaver and his late son, Eddy, “Live Forever” alludes to eternal life in the biblical sense. However, it has taken on a new meaning since Shaver’s death in 2020 — two decades after Eddie died of a drug overdose at age 38. With that song as part of their legacy, the father-son duo will, indeed, “Live Forever.” Fittingly, the sons of two country music legends — Lukas Nelson and Duane Betts — teamed up to put their own tender spin on the country classic.
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“The Melody Is Forever”: Watch Lukas Nelson, Duane Betts Duet of “Live Forever”
Lukas Nelson and Duane Betts are country music royalty. The former’s father, Willie Nelson, needs no introduction. He continues to release new hits and perform older ones at the ripe old age of 92. Duane Betts is the son of the late Allman Brothers co-founder, Dickey Betts, who passed away last April at the age of 80.
Taking to his Facebook page Friday (Aug. 22), Betts shared a snippet of his “Live Forever” duet with Nelson. The two sit side-by-side, strumming their guitars, as they sing, When this old world is blown asunder / And all the stars from fall the sky / Remember someone really loves you / We’ll live forever, you and I.
“Someday we’ll be gone, but the melody is forever,” Betts wrote. “What’s left when you’re gone?”
If the answer to that question is “this duet,” both men will have done something right. “Billy Joe would be proud!” gushed one YouTube user.
Eddy Shaver Gave His Dad the “Live Forever” Melody
Both Lukas Nelson and Duane Betts are quite familiar with Billy Joe Shaver. He has written songs for, and played with, both of their fathers. In fact, Dickey Betts gave Billy Joe’s son, Eddy, his first guitar.
In 2014, Billy Joe Shaver said of his late son, “He actually gave me that melody, and I carried it around for nearly a year.”
“It was such a great melody,” he told NPR. “His spirit’s still with me. I do believe that when people pass away, the goodness, the good things they did, it seems like they melt into your likeness. They melt into your likeness, and you become a better person for it.”
Featured image by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Americana Music Association
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