Florence + The Machine and Ethel Cain Release Live 'Morning Elvis' Duet

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Recorded live from Denver's Ball Arena, the soulful singers croon over a swelling crowd, distilling a powerful performance.

"'Morning Elvis' is a song about the power of performance," Florence said in a statement. “Of rock and roll tragedy and transcendence. And it’s a sign of a truly special artist when they make a cover their own."

The pair's shared occult-Americana sound adds even more magic to "Morning Elvis."

"When Hayden sang this song it felt like it was hers, she really gave it that outlaw energy, like witches of the Wild West," said head witch Florence. "I even threw more lines at her on the day because her tone and cadence was so perfect I wanted to hear more. And she did not miss a line even with only an hour to rehearse. I truly think I have found a kindred spirit aesthetically and artistically. And now every show I sing 'Morning Elvis' with an Ethel Cain inflection."

Florence is up for Best Alternative Music Performance at the Grammys in February for her live performance of “King." Her onstage star power is matched only by Ethel’s ethereal presence.

“I was giggling when we rehearsed the song just the two of us before the show because Florence told me that ‘Morning Elvis’ was her channeling her inner Southern rocker, and I told her I couldn’t stop myself from emulating her British accent on certain words,” says Ethel. “It felt like a holy convergence happening in a basketball arena.”

Related | Ethel Cain: All-American Girl

The two first sang together when Ethel Cain, whose real name is Hayden Silas Anhedonia, was attending a Florence + The Machine concert as a front-row fan; their shared stage time gives Ethel’s inner fangirl the redemption arch it deserves.

“Florence’s dressing room smelled like powder and sage and we were both dressed in white, singing our lines back and forth to each other, and I felt like I was back in choir practice, but with an actual angel this time,” Ethel gushed. “She’s never not smiling, and if you would have told me we were the only two people in the entire venue while we sang it in the middle of her set, I would have believed you.”

The track feels just as intimate, bringing listeners into their lyrical embrace. Even if we never got to see Elvis, at least we get to hear Florence and Ethel sing “Morning Elvis” live.

Photo Courtesy of BFA/ River Callaway