Machine Gun Kelly and Jelly Roll Share John Denver-Inspired Single “Lonely Road”

Machine Gun Kelly and Jelly Roll have shared the music video for their new collaboration, “Lonely Road.”

The track, which nods to the John Denver classic with a reworked chorus, was worked on by the duo for two years, according to a post Kelly made to Instagram last Wednesday (July 24).

“8 different studios, 4 different countries, changed the key 4 times, and this Friday you will hear that we finally did it,” he wrote.

In the Sam Cahill-directed video, Jelly Roll and Kelly play down-on-their-luck mechanics, alongside their partners Bunnie XO and Megan Fox. To support his pregnant wife, Kelly robs a bank, while Jelly Roll refuses to get involved in a life of crime.

In addition to discussing alcohol addiction in his lyrics – “When the days seem long and the nights cold/And I’m a thousand miles away/I use alcohol just to fill the void/Will our home ever be the same?” – The video also addresses fertility issues, with Bunnie XO seen holding a letter with an infertility diagnosis on it.

It’s a personal topic for both couples in the video. Last month, the “Need a Favor” singer and Bunnie XO announced that they were trying to conceive their first baby through IVF and chose to share their experience on Instagram.

Kelly also addressed Fox’s pregnancy loss in “Don’t Let Me Go.” In the song, Kelly raps, “This psychiatrist keeps assessing / How can I live with the fact / That my hand wasn’t on her belly when we lost the baby.”

Jelly Roll and Kelly both praised each other’s efforts on the song, with Will Kelly writing, “Jelly, you are a living, breathing badass and a kindred spirit who has shown me the path to redemption and what it looks like to believe in yourself against all odds.

“Since our fights 12 years ago, and now that we’re releasing what I believe to be the biggest hit of our careers, I’m proud to call you my brother and life is better knowing you have my back. This lonely road ain’t so lonely my friend.”

Jelly Roll shared similar sentiments, also writing on Instagram: “What makes this collaboration so beautiful is that these are two guys who come from the exact same place with less than 0% chance of making it. We’ve known each other for at least 15 years now.

“And in true young idiot fashion, it was a rocky start and that’s mostly because I was one of the many people who judged him before giving him a chance. But over time, I’ve had the honor of watching him become one of the greatest artists on the planet, but more importantly, I’ve watched him become one of the greatest fathers and humans on the planet.”

They last teamed up at CMA Fest in June, and Kelly continued his foray into country with a cover of Zach Bryan’s “Sun To Me” last month.