If you've been watching the FOX country music drama Monarch, you may or may not be overwhelmed by everything going on in the plot. As we follow the Roman family, known as the first family of country music, it's hard to keep up with all of the lies, cheating, scandals and family feuds haunting this talented group. But one thing is sure: Once they start singing, the series is incredibly entertaining. It's been fun to see Monarch take on some country classics and essentially change music history by linking them to the fictional Roman clan. The latest example from episode 4 comes from Trisha Yearwood and LeAnn Rimes' hit song "How Do I Live."
Back in the '90s, both singers awkwardly recorded the same song, which caused a bit of a stir in the country community at the time. But in the world of Monarch, it was initially meant to be a recording for a young Nicky Roman. Part of the main storyline is how poor Nicky has lived in her mom's shadow her entire life despite also being beautiful and talented. In potentially the saddest storyline we've observed so far on the show, we see in flashback scenes what happened after she recorded what was supposed to be her big song, "How Do I Live."
Susan Sarandon's Dottie Roman may have passed away in the first episode, but her real-life daughter Eva Amurri continues to show up in flashback scenes as a young Dottie. We see her and a young Nicky gathered at a family function when "How Do I Live" comes on the radio. But it isn't Nicky who's singing it. It turns out Dottie just couldn't share the stage with her talented daughter and, after hearing her recording, decided to record it and take the song for herself. It's heartbreaking and a glaring example of how complicated this family truly is at its core. No wonder they have so many problems as adults.
But more importantly, the cast recording of this '90s gem is really good. The series has been experimenting with covering everything from pop hits like "Watermelon Sugar" to oldies like "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys." But they've really hit a sweet spot with '90s country, first with "Man I Feel Like a Woman" and now "How Do I Live." While the episode featured young Nicky and then Dottie singing the song, the official cast recording features Anna Friel (adult Nicky) and Beth Ditto (her sister Gigi). It's a song I never really thought about as a duet until hearing them sing together, and it's really beautiful. Their harmonies and, honestly, Ditto in general just knock it out of the park.
READ MORE: 'How Do I Live': How LeAnn Rimes and Trisha Yearwood Recorded the Same Song at the Same Time
