The Meaning Behind the New Post Malone-Morgan Wallen Smash Hit “I Had Some Help”

In April, Post Malone joined the country star Morgan Wallen at Stagecoach 2024 to perform their much-anticipated new song “I Had Some Help.”

Fresh off his Taylor Swift collaboration “Fortnight,” Malone had previously teased the track on social media. The pop star, born Austin Post, is famous for shape-shifting between genres, and his turn to country music isn’t surprising.

Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, and Dwight Yoakam joined Malone for his own country-inspired set at Stagecoach. Malone and his guests performed fan-requested cover songs, including Vince Gill’s “One More Last Chance” and Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee.”  

“I Had Some Help” is believed to be taken from Malone’s upcoming country album.

Another Toxic Relationship

You got a lot of nerve, don’t you, baby?
I only hit the curb ’cause you made me
You telling all your friends that I’m crazy
Like I’m the only one

Toxic relationships are recurring themes in Malone’s music. In “I Had Some Help,” the pop singer isn’t skirting responsibility, but he’s not accepting all the blame, either.

I had some help
It ain’t like I can make this kind of mess all by myself
Don’t act like you ain’t help me pull that bottle off the shelf
Been deep in every weekend, if you couldn’t tell

Then, Wallen directs bitterness toward his ex during the second verse. Though the song is about heartbreak, they dress it up in a drinking buddy anthem where the narrators sound like they’ve already moved on.

You thought I’d take the blame for us crawling
Go ’round like you ain’t guilty for something
Already lost the game that you’ve been running
Guess it’s catching up to you, huh?

The singers, in pop outlaw sheen, consolidate blame with the cliché Teamwork makes the dream work. The country filter on “I Had Some Help” wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Malone’s acoustic guitar-driven album Austin.

Post Malone’s Country Album

At the 2023 Country Music Awards, Malone joined Wallen and HARDY for a Joe Diffie medley. The medley coincided with a HARDY mixtape featuring both Wallen and Malone.

Music fans noticed Malone was spending a lot of time in Nashville, and in late 2023 Wallen posted the first audio clip of their collaboration. Wallen quickly removed the track as he inadvertently posted the wrong mix. His initial post also tagged songwriter Ernest and producer Charlie Handsome—frequent collaborators.

A video clip for “I Had Some Help” appeared online, following Malone drinking and singing in a country bar. Meanwhile, another clip shows the duo dancing on the flatbed of a pickup truck.

Post Genre

However, Malone isn’t the only artist crossing over into an adjacent genre. Wallen made a cameo in Drake’s 2023 music video for “You Broke My Heart.” And Malone’s father once worked as a wedding disc jockey, which may explain the chameleonic nature of his music career. They are two of music’s most streamed artists, and it’s not a stretch to imagine overlapping fan bases. Malone’s evolving sound mirrors the genreless habits of many listeners.

The pair’s summer drinking song is heavy on romantic grievances and will undoubtedly provide solace for dudes who feel their exes have done them wrong.

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Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Stagecoach