Hear Maren Morris' Reimagined Version Of "The Middle" — EXCLUSIVE

The perfect pop song does exist, and it’s called “The Middle” by Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey. A dance-pop track for the ages, the song has been racking up Spotify streams — 1.6 billion and counting — and soundtracking our nights out since 2018. But even the best songs need a little refresh in our reboot-obsessed culture, which is why Morris is reimagining “The Middle” for a very special performance.

In the latest installment of Amazon Music’s Songline series, out Aug. 8, the artist swaps the track’s signature electronic synths and futuristic vocoders in favor of fingerpicking guitar licks and raspy vocals. The end result? A moving acoustic cover that’s sure to go platinum in cafés everywhere (complimentary).

“For this performance tonight, I feel like we really wanted to make it feel more organic,” Morris says in a clip shared exclusively with NYLON. “You know, real instruments and vocals... in the rehearsals I was like, ‘This is giving me Stephan Jenkins vibes.’”

Stripping down a song that’s “in its own universe” is no easy feat, yet Morris’ command of the foliage-covered stage makes it seem like a piece of cake. And while some artists may grow to resent their smash hits, Morris continues to be appreciative of the collab. “‘The Middle’ will always be this very singular moment in my career, because it just exploded so quickly,” she says. “It’s so ubiquitous.”

The Songline episode, out now, also features reworked versions of Morris’ songs “To Hell & Back,” “My Church,” “RSVP,” “Lemonade,” “Too Good,” “Dreamsicle,” and “Grand Bouquet.” Each track is available only to Amazon Music subscribers via the Amazon Music app.