Mark Wills has teamed up with Home Free for one epic — and very important — collaboration. The all-vocal group joins Wills for a new version of “Don’t Laugh at Me.” The song, which was written by Steve Seskin and Allen Chamblin, was originally released by Wills in 1998, and included on his sophomore Wish You Were Here record.
Wills appears in the video along with Home Free, with Wills’ daughter providing background vocals. The video centers around a storyline featuring people with Down syndrome, including 21 Pineapples CEO, Nate Simon.
“October is Anti-Bullying Month and it’s a cause that is very near and dear to our hearts,” Tim Foust says after the song ends. “That’s why we have partnered with Mark Wills and 21 Pineapples to help raise money and awareness to fight bullying. Please check out HomeFreeMusic.com, MarkWills.com and 21Pineapples.com.”
Wills recently revealed that the pivotal song has continued to resonate with fans, even more than two decades later.
I always knew "Don't Laugh At Me" would hold a special place in my heart, but I never could have imagined how it would touch all of y’alls hearts too. Thank you for 20 MILLION views on the music video for “Don’t Laugh At Me” and thank you for supporting my music! pic.twitter.com/IU8kGFDfq0
— Mark Wills (@MarkWillsMusic) September 28, 2022
The “Don’t Laugh at Me” video comes less than a month before the release of Home Free’s forthcoming new album, So Long, Dixie. The record includes their current single, “What’s Left Of My Heart,” out now.
“Downtime these past couple years combined with inspiration from touring again, got Tim [Foust] and Austin [Brown] writing,” Home Free announced. “We all listened and had an idea. We thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do something different and uniquely ours. This collection of songs we feel not only tells great stories, but still holds true to our style you all know and love.”
Home Free is currently on heir Road Sweet Road Tour, which will be followed by their ambitious Home Free Family Christmas Tour. The holiday tour, playing 23 dates across the country, features a steller liineup of opening acts, including Texas Hill, Caroline Jones, Brooke Eden, Abby Anderson and Ernie Halter.
Home Free just released special Don’t Laugh at Me t-shirts, with all proceeds going directly to support Down syndrome causes and organizations. Purchase the t-shirt here.