Kelly Clarkson and Dwayne Johnson paid a honky-tonkin’ tribute to late country music superstar Loretta Lynn when they performed Lynn’s 1967 hit “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind)” Oct. 17 on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”
The surprisingly stellar duo — and, wait, did we even know The Rock could sing? — took turns on the song’s witty verses, which tell the story of a woman forced to spurn a romantic partner who comes home looking for amore after downing too much liquor.
The “Jumanji” franchise star held his own alongside Clarkson, who infused her seamless vocals with just a touch of Lynn’s classic country quiver. Together, they harmonized on the song’s spirited choruses.
“No, don’t come home a drinkin’ with lovin’ on your mind / Just stay out there on the town and see what you can find / ‘Cause if you want that kind of love, well, you don’t need none of mine / So don’t come home a drinkin’ with lovin’ on your mind,” they sang.
Johnson patted his hip and Clarkson clapped her hands while her studio band Y’all let loose on twangy pedal steel guitar and frolicking piano.
The pair’s completely unexpected duet would likely have delighted the irreverent Lynn, who died Oct. 4 at age 90. And as for the show’s viewers — well, they loved it.
“What a world we live in. Never in a million years would I think I’d ever see THE ROCK duet with Kelly Clarkson!!! Yes!!!!,” wrote one.
“This is unexpected, didn’t know Dwayne sang until now and loved his low voice that matches with Kelly’s high notes which she killed it once more. What a great tribute to the late Loretta Lynn,” gushed another.
“His voice really actually fits that song. Who would have guessed Dwayne is a country boy??” added someone else.
Actually, Johnson, who spent some of his teen years in Nashville, has repeatedly mentioned his love of country music over the years, even name-checking some of his favorite contemporary country artists in a 2019 Instagram post.
“As a lifelong fan of country (traditional/outlaw) music, I highly reco one of my fav artists, Sturgill Simpson,” Johnson wrote. “Sturgill, Cody Jinks, Tyler Childers, Stapleton, Jamey Johnson are a few of my favs who would’ve made Jennings, Merle, Paycheck, Cash, Gosdin and the Possum himself very proud to keep the tradition going.”
“If you know, you know,” he added. “Now jump in that truck and turn em up.”
In 2020, the former wrestling pro posted a pic of himself on Instagram that showed him posing outside famed Nashville honky-tonk Tootsies. In his caption, Johnson revealed that he dreamed of being a “country music legend” when he was 15.
Later on in life, he added, country music star Willie Nelson, whom Johnson called “the GOAT,” gave the actor his first guitar. “Which I learned to play pretty well,” Johnson wrote, jokingly adding, “Didn’t matter anyway because I proudly sing in raspy keys that don’t exist.”
