I Wish You Were Here

This was originally recorded by Australian singer and guitarist Jedd Hughes for his 2009 eponymous EP with Hillary Lindsey singing background.

After Charles Kelley cut the song for his The Driver album, he realized that it was missing a female voice, so he reached out to Miranda Lambert. "I kind of pulled in a favor because I sang on her [Revolution] record, a song we'd written called 'Love Song,' and I was singing harmonies," he recalled. "So I said, 'Not to put any pressure, but I'm calling in my favor from you right now. Would you like to sing on this song?'"

The collaboration with Miranda Lambert happened at the last minute. Charles Kelley explained to Billboard magazine: "Initially we had intended on just making an EP of just five or six songs. Around that time, I performed a showcase in Nashville for some industry friends to share the music live. After the excitement of the performance, the thought of finishing out the EP into a full-length album started to take shape. I started immediately writing more and also digging into older songs I had on my computer. I've always loved the song 'I Wish You Were Here,' originally written and recorded by Jedd Hughes, so I decided to give it a shot in the studio. After hearing the finished product I knew it was missing something. It needed some vulnerability to it in the form of a female harmony. Luckily, she (Lambert) had come to the showcase in Nashville and had been so supportive and encouraging after seeing the performance that I thought maybe, just maybe, she will want to be a part of this. Luckily, she said yes."