The CMT Music Awards are always full of great performances and surprises. Tonight’s (April 7) show was no exception. Melissa Etheridge joined host and nominee Kelsea Ballerini for a surprise performance of “Come to My Window.”
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“As we all know, Luke Combs’ cover of ‘Fast Car’ was one of the biggest songs of the year. And you know what? It had me thinking. And I want in on some of that action. So, I was thinking of what huge throwback hit could be, like, my thing,” she said. “Then it came to me,” she added, before beginning an acapella rendition of “Come to My Window.” After she sang the chorus, Etheridge took the stage strumming her guitar and fully prepared to belt the 1993 classic.
After the mindblowing performance, Etheridge may have hinted at big things to come. “We sounded good,” she said. “Maybe we should get our own Crossroads huh? What do you say?” Ballerini replied with “I like the way you’re thinking.”
CMT Crossroads pairs country singers with artists from other genres to share their biggest hits or most popular songs. If tonight’s performance of “Come to My Window” was any indication, Ballerini and Etheridge are ready to take that series by storm. The world will have to wait and hope that the network makes it happen.
Kelsea Ballerini and Melissa Etheridge Performed a Landmark Hit
“Come to My Window” was the second single from Etheridge’s 1993 album Yes I Am. It was a Top 40 hit and brought Etheridge a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. However, the song is more important than that in the history of American music. It was the first single she released after coming out as a lesbian.
Yes I Am was the album that propelled Etheridge to arena-level stardom, according to Songfacts. The album sold six million albums in the United States alone. “Come to My Window” and the album’s second single, “I’m the Only One” dominated the airwaves and VH1, helping to push album sales.
Shockingly, Etheridge almost left “Come to My Window” off of Yes I Am. After recording it, she found the song too simple. Thankfully, her friends convinced her that the track’s simplicity didn’t make it a bad song. As a result, she decided to include it.
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