Willie Nelson’s New Album Celebrates Hit Songwriter Harlan Howard

It’s been less than a year since Willie Nelson released an album, but the country legend already has a new project ready to share.

On March 3, the 89-year-old innovator will drop his 73rd studio record, I Don’t Know a Thing About Love. The project features renditions of the most popular and beloved tracks penned by the late Harlan Howard, one of country music’s most influential songwriters. 

Nelson recruited his longtime creative partner Buddy Cannon to produce the LP, which includes fresh reinterpretations of classics like “Streets of Baltimore,” “Tiger By the Tail” and “Too Many Rivers.”

I Don’t Know a Thing About Love also includes Nelson’s cover of “Busted,” which serves as the record’s lead single. The track, which Howard penned in 1962, was recorded the following year by Johnny Cash for his 1963 concept album Blood, Sweat and Tears. Ray Charles also found success on the charts that year with his own version of the song, which he would later rerecord with Nelson for his 2005 duets record, Genius & Friends. In 1982, John Conlee made the track a radio hit again, selecting it as the title track for his fifth studio album.

Joined by his longtime bandmates, including harmonica wizard Mickey Raphael, Nelson brings his own groovy swagger to the cross-genre classic. Listen below.

The release of I Don’t Know a Thing About Love is just one of the many notable major accomplishments Nelson is set to celebrate in 2023. Later this week, a new five-part documentary film called Wille Nelson & Family will debut at Sundance Film Festival. On April 29, he’ll celebrate his 90th birthday, although we’re still waiting to see if a public event will be held to mark the occasion.

Until then, fans have multiple chances to catch him perform live across the U.S. over the next few months. You can find a complete list of upcoming tour dates at Willie Nelson’s official website.

Willie Nelson, I Don’t Know a Thing About Love Track List:
1. “Tiger By the Tail”
2. “The Chokin’ Kind”
3. “Excuse Me (I Think I’ve Got a Heartache)”
4. “Life Turned Her That Way”
5. “I Don’t Know a Thing About Love”
6. “Streets of Baltimore”
7. “Busted”
8. “She Called Me Baby”
9. “Too Many Rivers”
10. “Beautiful Annabel Lee”