AUSTIN, Tx. — Willie Nelson couldn’t have handpicked a more appropriate song to sing when he served as the musical guest on a recent episode of the Late Show With Stephen Colbert. The legendary country singer brought new life to his old hit, "Hello Walls," during this Monday's remote show.
For his virtual performance, Nelson enlisted the help of his two sons, Lukas and Micah, who were seated beside him and playing their guitars. The family trio took turns singing lead while strumming on their instruments. Before closing out the tune, Nelson altered the song lyrics of the final verse to fit the current climate, as people all over the world continue to shelter in place to slow the trajectory of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“We got to all stick together or else we’ll lose our minds / I've got a feeling we’re going to be here a long, long time,” Nelson sang as a photo of him posing with Colbert flashed on the screen.
Before offering up “Hello Walls,” Nelson announced that he’d be dedicating the at-home performance to his good buddy, the late Faron Young, who not only took the song to the top of the charts in 1961 but also introduced Nelson to a national audience.
“[He was a] great friend of mine and we had a lot of fun together,” Nelson said fondly of Young in the recorded video, filmed at his Luck Ranch located outside of Austin, Texas. “He made a little bit of fun out of the song. He would go around singing, ‘Hello walls, hello commode’ and, you know, one thing or another, so he thought it was really funny, so we’ll dedicate this song to Faron Young.”
The country legend has been keeping busy during quarantine. On the same day of his Late Show With Stephen Colbert appearance, Nelson and Lukas hosted a weed-themed variety show called Come and Toke It in celebration of his favorite 4/20 holiday. The four-hour-and-twenty-minute live-stream featured interviews, performances and appearances from stars including Billy Ray Cyrus, Jeff Bridges, Kacey Musgraves, Margo Price and more.
Nelson, who will celebrate his 87th birthday on April 29, is expected to drop a new album later this year. The project, titled First Rose of Spring, is due out on July 3.