Lainey Wilson portrays the role of a singer named Abby on season 5 of Paramount Network's Yellowstone, and on Sunday night's episode (Nov. 20) she debuted a new song called "Smell Like Smoke" as her character.
The song was written by Wilson, Lynn Hutton, Monty Criswell and Derek George, and it is a lighthearted, honky-tonk-tinged story about a journey through heartbreak. In the funky tune, Wilson sings of having a halo that's "kinda bent" after a former flame did her wrong. The song expresses the kind of girl Wilson is ("Southern fried, dropped in the grease kinda hippie") but it also warns that the scar of heartbreak is still on her.
"If I look a little drunk, it's 'cause I drank some / If my neck's a little red, it's 'cause I am one / Heaven's where I'm gonna go, the Bible says so on my shelf / But if I smell like smoke, it's only 'cause I'v? been through hell," she sings in the chorus.
The song's quick-witted lyrics are paired with an uptempo, rock-influenced beat and contagious melody.
Now that it has been released, "Smell Like Smoke" will officially be added to her sophomore album, Bell Bottom Country, which was released on Oct. 28. The album also features her latest single, "Heart Like a Truck," as well as "Watermelon Moonshine" and "Hold My Halo," which will be featured on the current season of Yellowstone.
"Smell Like Smoke" was debuted in a scene that featured Abby (Wilson) singing the tune live onstage in a bar. As she sang, a few of the show's familiar faces, such as Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, danced in the crowd.
Wilson made her debut on the show during the season 5 premiere on Nov. 13. She was invited to join the show after several of her songs had made an appearance throughout the years, and the show's creator Taylor Sheridan created the character of Abby specifically for Wilson.
"He said, 'I want you to wear what you wear, sing what you're singing and pretty much just be yourself. You're gonna go by Abby. She's a musician,'" Wilson told People of her conversation with Sheridan. "And without even thinking, I just said, 'Yes, count me in. Let's do it.'"
