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Common (song)

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This article is about the Maren Morris song. For the Zayn song, see Icarus Falls.

"Common"
Promotional single by Maren Morris featuring Brandi Carlile
from the album Girl
ReleasedFebruary 8, 2019 (2019-02-08)
Length4:06
LabelColumbia
Songwriters
ProducerGreg Kurstin
Maren Morris promotional singles chronology
"Dear Hate"
(2017) 		"Common"
(2019) 		"Kingdom of One"
(2019)
Audio video
"Common" on YouTube

"Common" is a song by American singers Maren Morris and Brandi Carlile, who appears as a featured artist. It was released on February 8, 2019, as the first promotional single of Morris's second studio album, Girl (2019). Written by Morris, Greg Kurstin, and Sarah Aarons, the song is a pop-influenced track that addresses shared humanity and social division through a duet between Morris and Carlile. "Common" was praised by critics for its message and vocal performances, reaching at number 49 on the US Hot Country Songs chart. The song was promoted with live performances and a behind-the-scenes video documenting its recording.

Background and release

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"Common" was written by Morris, Greg Kurstin, and Sarah Aarons during a songwriting session in Los Angeles. After returning home, Morris decided to invite Brandi Carlile to record the song as a duet after receiving a letter and a copy of Carlile's album By the Way, I Forgive You. Carlile recorded her vocals separately with Kurstin in Los Angeles while Morris joined the session via FaceTime.[1] The track was released on February 8, 2019,[2] serving as the fifth track of Morris's second studio album, Girl.[3]

Morris said "Common" was released ahead of the 61st Annual Grammy Awards to coincide with the nominations received by herself, Carlile, and Aarons, describing it as "a fun celebration to put this song out for the pre-order of [Girl]".[4]

Composition

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"Common" incorporates influences of pop, featuring somber piano sounds with layered vocal harmonies.[5] Lyrically, it balances hopelessness with hope and addresses social division. The lyrics suggest responsibility for resolving that extends to everyone, including those privileged.[6] According to Jon Freeman of Rolling Stone, "Common" pairs sparse synthesizers with an "uplifting" beat as Morris and Carlile alternate verses before joining in the chorus. He wrote that the song takes "a more somber, alienated look at human relations" and concludes by emphasizing the similarities between people.[7]

Promotion

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Morris debuted "Common" at Carlile's Girls Just Wanna Weekend festival in Mexico on February 3, 2019.[8] They performed the song for the second time at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on March 13.[9] Two days later, a making-of video for "Common" was released; it documents Morris and Carlile recording the duet in the studio before performing it live for the first time at Girls Just Wanna Weekend festival.[10] The video concludes with the two embracing after the performance.[11]

On March 29, Morris and American singer JoJo dueted "Common" on a stage at Wiltern in Los Angeles, Calif.[12] Calling the song "brotherhood-of-man anthem", Variety's Chris Willman noted JoJo's verse as "an unlikely but vocally capable ringer for Carlile".[13] On June 10, Morris performed the track with Carlile at the CMA Music Festival, which held at Nissan Stadium in Nashville Sunday.[14][15]

Critical reception

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Lauryn Snapp of iHeartRadio described "Common" as a "feel-good track".[16] The Boot's Angela Stefano chose the song as one of the five songs essential on Girl, describing them as "especially worthwhile".[6] In a poll held by Taste of Country, the song's video ranked 11th at their Best Country Video of the Week, earning 0.27 percents.[17]

Personnel

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Credits were adapted from Tidal.[18]

  • Maren Morris – lead vocals, songwriter
  • Brandi Carlile – featured vocals
  • Greg Kurstin – producer, songwriter, recording engineer, bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, organ, percussion, piano, synthesizer
  • Sarah Aarons – songwriter
  • Alex Pasco – recording engineer
  • Julian Burg – recording engineer
  • Matt Tuggle – assistant engineer
  • Michael Freeman – assistant engineer
  • Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing engineer
  • Randy Merrill – mastering engineer
  • Jacob Braun – cello
  • Alma Fernandez – viola
  • Charlie Bisharat – violin
  • Songa Lee – violin

Charts

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Weekly chart performance
Chart (2019) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[19] 49

References

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  1. ^ Stecker, Liv (March 15, 2019). "Maren Morris and Brandi Carlile's 'Common' Collaboration Is a Case of Good Timing". The Boot. Archived from the original on December 12, 2025. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  2. ^ Acevedo, Angelica (February 8, 2019). "Maren Morris & Brandi Carlile Team Up for New Duet 'Common': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  3. ^ Stefano, Angela (February 8, 2019). "Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile Find 'Common' Ground on New Song [Listen]". The Boot. Archived from the original on April 14, 2026. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  4. ^ Watts, Cindy (February 12, 2019). "Maren Morris releases new song, 'Common', with Brandi Carlile amid Grammys furor". The Tennessean. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  5. ^ Whitaker, Sterling (February 8, 2019). "Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile Have a Lot in 'Common' on New Duet [Listen]". Taste of Country. Archived from the original on January 13, 2026. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  6. ^ a b Stefano, Angela (March 8, 2019). "Maren Morris' Girl: 5 Must-Listen Moments". The Boot. Archived from the original on March 13, 2026. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  7. ^ Freeman, Jon (February 8, 2019). "Hear Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile's New Duet 'Common'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 18, 2025. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  8. ^ Hudak, Joseph (February 3, 2019). "See Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile Debut New Duet 'Common' Onstage". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  9. ^ Krol, Jacklyn (March 13, 2019). "Maren Morris Brings Brandi Carlile Out for 'Common' at Nashville Show [Watch]". Taste of Country. Archived from the original on January 15, 2026. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  10. ^ Ferris, Jedd (March 15, 2019). "Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile Document Collaboration in New 'Common' Video". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  11. ^ Houghton, Cillea (March 15, 2019). "Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile Take Fans Into the Studio in 'Common' Video [Watch]". Taste of Country. Archived from the original on March 6, 2026. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  12. ^ Stefano, Angela (April 1, 2019). "Maren Morris Brings Pop Singer JoJo to LA Tour Stop for 'Too Little Too Late' Duet [Watch]". The Boot. Archived from the original on December 7, 2025. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  13. ^ Willman, Chris (March 31, 2019). "Concert Review: Maren Morris Enlists JoJo for Even More Genre-Blending (Watch)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 16, 2025. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  14. ^ Liptak, Carena (June 11, 2019). "Maren Morris Shares CMA Fest Stage with Brandi Carlile for Surprise Duet". The Boot. Archived from the original on June 26, 2026. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  15. ^ Thiel, Mike (June 10, 2019). "Maren Morris Brings Surprise Guest Brandi Carlile to CMA Fest". Taste of Country. Archived from the original on March 9, 2026. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  16. ^ Snapp, Lauryn (March 19, 2019). "Maren Morris + Brandi Carlile Release 'Common' Video That Is Anything But". iHeartRadio. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  17. ^ "Will Maren Morris and Brandi Carlile Head Up the Week's Top Videos?". Taste of Country. March 15, 2019. Archived from the original on February 14, 2026. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  18. ^ "Girl". Maren Morris. Tidal. March 8, 2019. Credits. Archived from the original on June 27, 2026. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  19. ^ "Maren Morris Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
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