Somewhere between Phoenix and Los Angeles, Merle Haggard wrote the simple yet heartbreaking tune “Silver Wings.” The fourth track on Merle Haggard & The Strangers’ 1969 album Okie from Muskogee never quite achieved the same success as the rest of the record. Despite never cracking the charts at all, “Silver Wings” still ranks among Haggard’s most beloved tunes. Recently, country firebrand Miranda Lambert partnered with fellow Texan Wade Bowen to put their own spin on the timeless classic.
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Fans Go Crazy for Miranda Lambert, Wade Bowen Cover of “Silver Wings”
Lambert shared a video of the duet in a May 28 post to her Instagram page. The “Bluebird” singer and Bowen maintain perfect harmony as they weave Haggard’s tale of melancholy. The lyrics tell the story of someone unwillingly watching the person they love fly away from them. Silver wings / Shining in the sunlight / Roaring engines / Headed somewhere in flight.
As Lambert notes in the caption, she and the “Lovin’ Not Leavin'” singer are strumming along two epiphone bluebirds. This is the acoustic guitar Lambert created with Gibson, named for her 2019 hit.
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The comments section was full of fans begging the two stars to release their version of the song. “Love this. Please do an entire album of this stuff,” one user wrote.
Another user commented, “Hard to do Merle Haggard but I’ll give y’all props for it I’m glad to hear someone bringing his music back.”
Get Ready For the Most ‘Miranda’ Album The Artist Has Ever Made
Miranda Lambert has come a long way since independently releasing her self-titled debut in 2001. Now 40, the Longview, Texas native has received more ACM Awards than any other artist. Her 10th studio album is due out later this year, and the “Kerosene” singer has called it “one of the most ‘me’ records I’ve ever made.”
“It’s really a kind of a time capsule of all of the music that’s inspired me, and it’s honky-tonk as hell,” Lambert told US Weekly. “It’s country, and luckily country is really getting a moment right now.”
The record is Lambert’s first since signing with Republic Records and Big Loud earlier this year.
Featured image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
