Road trips pass in a flash if you’re got a good friend and a good playlist, and Snoop Dogg found both in Matthew McConaughey. The The Voice Coach and Olympics color commentator sang the car trip classic “On The Road Again” with his actor pal, and they looked like they were having so much fun.
The pair recorded the duet for Carpool Karaoke: The Series around the same time that they were promoting 2019’s The Beach Bum, a wild comedy movie starring McConaughey, Snoop, Isla Fisher, Zac Efron and more. As they sing, the two men’s gravelly, not-trying-too-hard voices are a perfect match for Willie Nelson’s songwriting, and it may just get stuck in your head for the rest of the day.
What to know about “On The Road Again” by Willie Nelson
Already an established Country star, Willie Nelson was just dipping his toe into the acting world when he signed on to star in the 1980 romantic drama Honeysuckle Rose, in which he played a country singer caught in a love triangle while… on the road.
Nelson, who had extensive touring experience, was asked by one of the producers to write a song for the movie about road life. Per Rolling Stone, Nelson and the producer were on a plane at the time, so Nelson grabbed a barf bag and jotted down some lyrics. “I like to show off occasionally,” Nelson admitted.
The song, a straightforward tune about loving the life of a traveling musician, earned Nelson a Grammy for Best Country Song in 1981.
Snoop Dog carries the Olympic flame during the last stage of the Olympic torch before the Olympic Games 2024 opening ceremony in Seine-Saint-Denis, France on July 26, 2024 Photo: Victoria Valdivia / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP
It may not be the heartland bus tour of Nelson’s imagination, but rapper and mogul Snoop Dogg does know the life of a traveling entertainer. He’s in Paris as part of NBC’s Olympics coverage, and even carried the Olympic torch, the ultimate on-the-road moment.
As one of the final torchbearers of the 2024 Summer Games, he carried the Olympic torch through the streets of Saint-Denis, dancing as he went. “Did somethin today,” the rapper wrote on X, alongside a photo of himself holding the golden torch.
It’s an honor he doesn’t take lightly. After completing his leg of the torch’s journey, Snoop told Mike Tirico of NBC Sports, “I found out that when you hold the torch, you’re a peace messenger.”
“I was waving, shaking hands, kissing the babies — doing what I do, you understand me? Putting my foot in the pavement, letting the people know that we’re here. We’re here for peace, love, unity and great sportsmanship,” he added. A perfect message to take on the road!
