Lemmy Kilmister started writing the outlaw country song “The Mask” in 1979 — the same year he put out the screaming, hard-rock albums Overkill and Bomber with his band Motörhead — but didn’t finish it until three decades later. Now, a decade after that – and a couple of years after his death – the song is finally seeing the light of day.
Kilmister completed the song in 2009 with country singer Lynda Kay, who plays herself on the Amazon Prime series Goliath. The recording was thought to be lost but was recently rediscovered. It features Kilmister singing in a way that shows off his full voice, as opposed to the gruff grunts of Motörhead, and it is now the lead single off Kay’s upcoming album Black & Gold. A rare heart-on-sleeve love song by Kilmister, the lyrics concern a couple whose “love was doomed.” The LP is due out today, August 23rd.
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