Lainey Wilson is embracing the Halloween spirit with a moody, stripped-back cover of YUNGBLUD’s emotional tune, “Zombie.”
Sitting on a front porch in her sleek black cowboy hat, black fringe leather jacket, and holding a striking red acoustic guitar, the “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” singer delivered a raw and haunting rendition of the powerful ballad.
“In honor of Halloween…I’ve had this one stuck in my head lately,” she wrote in the caption.
Lainey Wilson; Photo via Instagram
Originally written by Matt Schwartz with YUNGBLUD, whose real name is Dominic Harrison, the tune offers a story that hones in on themes of pain, loss and transformation. The british rocker explained to Billboard that the narrative was inspired by the personal experience of watching his grandmother become someone he didn’t recognize after a traumatic injury.
“The song was written initially about my grandmother going through serious injury and trauma, leading her to become a different person to who she was before,” he said. “It’s about the feeling of deterioration and ugliness; shutting out the world and the people we love out of the fear of becoming a burden or an embarrassment.”
He added, “We all want someone or something to comfort us no matter how we are right now or who we become in the future. But it’s f—ing scary.”
Wilson effortlessly channels that same emotional depth through her simple, yet impactful cover. While the songstress may be stepping outside the bounds of the country genre, she still made it her own, with her Louisiana drawl that added a haunting warmth to the melancholy lyrics.
The track opens with the singer describing the inner turmoil she’s facing and admitting to pushing the pain down in order to protect the emotions of others.
“If I was to talk about the words/ They would hurt, they would hurt/ So, if you were to ask about the pain I would lie, I would lie/ To fix my mind, I need time/ But it’s running out, it’s running out.”
Lainey Wilson; Photo by Erick Frost
Upon reaching the chorus, Wilson reflects on the pain of loving someone who’s battling something greater than themselves and the toll that has taken. With this spontaneous delivery, the award-winning singer proves that while her heart might be in the country music genre, she has the talent to make any song of any genre her own.
“Oh, I know that I can’t live without you/ But this world will keep turning if you do/ Would you even want me looking like a zombie?/ Would you even want me, want me, want me?
“Zombie” appears on YUNGBLUD’s latest double album, Idols, that arrived in June.
Next month, Lainey Wilson will return to the CMA Awards to host solo for the very first time. This historic opportunity is expected to bring a lot of fun, laughs, and entertainment to the 2025 awards show.
Plus, her massive headlining tour is still underway and is set to wrap up in Orlando, FL on November 8. She will close out her year of performing with one final show taking place in Las Vegas on December 7.
