Mortality sits at the forefront of Willie Nelson's mind nowadays. 91 years old, going on 92, it's not hard to think about the passage of time. Moreover, it's a prominent theme on the country legend's latest album. Now, fans are getting a look into Nelson's mind frame when creating it with his son Micah.
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Recently, Willie and his team allowed fans an inside look into the creation of his latest album Last Leaf on The Tree. There, he speaks fondly of working with Micah for this album and why it works. "Your first thought is, can I see me doing that? But you have to listen. Imagine what you want and then get out of the way," Willie explains. "I think we read each other pretty well, you know, and I can tell what he's thinking and I think he can pretty much tell what I'm thinking most of the time. Being there with him in the studio, actually hearing and seeing what he's doing, playing music with him, that's as good as it gets."
Willie Nelson Gets Candid About Mortality and the Inspiration Behind Last Leaf on The Tree
Then, Willie Nelson gets incredibly vulnerable and we get a real sense of how he views the world and what living really means. Moreover, he ties it all into how he wanted to express this album creatively. "I wanted it to be a cosmic country record, but rooted deep in the earth, and like something emerged naturally, the way a tree grows. all of the emotions that come with feeling immense love for somebody, but recognizing the temporality of everything," he says.
"Time is this illusory experience, and the only thing that is happening is just change, floating change, constant flux. And it's impossible to grab onto something and keep it there. It's so scary and sad, but you know, without that, we wouldn't love so hard," Willie emphasizes. "The feeling to me of what this whole project was, was just facing the inevitability with a feeling of love and acceptance, with one foot in the secret outlaw hideaway, where everything's cool."
Willie concludes by emphasizing our connection with the Earth and the importance of staying grounded in the present. It's incredibly stirring, a poignant reminder not to take any of this for granted. We don't know for certain that we get another crack at life. "That's always been a part of my escape, you know, nature. I think I realized pretty early that we were here together, you know. It wasn't hard to see how we were alike a lot. There's no need trying to fight. it. I've always felt that we're all related in some ways, and that death is temporary, that you'll come back somewhere else. One day at a time, one breathe at a time, really," Willie concludes.
