Cody Johnson is one of modern country music’s brightest stars, but it took a long road to get there. The singer spent more than a decade cutting his teeth in the Texas music scene before making his way to Nashville where he’s released two hit albums and won over hoards of new fans with beloved songs “‘Til You Can’t,” “Dear Rodeo” and others. In addition to writing his own songs, Johnson has also made an impression as a songwriter by penning songs for other artists. One theme is consistent in the songs Johnson writes: it’s true country.
Videos by American Songwriter
1. “Broken Song” by Chris Carmack (Nashville)
Written by Cody Johnson, Tony Long, and Travis Meadows
Long before he was topping the charts, Johnson scored a major cut when one of the songs he co-wrote appeared in the ABC series, Nashville. During a season three episode, Chris Carmack, who plays gay country singer Will Lexington, can be seen singing “Broken Song.” I’m a busted cowboy looking for a horse to ride / I’m a gust of wind looking for another sky / I got moving in these worn out boots / A restless in my bones / I’m a broken guitar workin’ on a broken song, he croons.
“Broken Song” is featured on The Music of Nashville: Season 3, Vol. 2. The album hit No. 3 on both the Billboard Top Country Albums and Soundtrack Albums charts, as well as No. 28 on the all-genre Billboard 200.
2. “Over and Over Again” by Kyle Park
Written by Cody Johnson and Kyle Park
Johnson is a proud Texan. In 2018, he teamed up with fellow Texas country artist Kyle Park to pen “Over and Over Again,” a single off Park’s album Don’t Forget Where You’ve Come From.
“This song is about a rodeo cowboy who has endured tough times on the road, but it’s also full of metaphors about my life as a musician,” Park explained to Taste of Country at the time. “Wherever I go on the road, it always feels like home each time I step onto the stage. But as an artist who’s constantly traveling, trying to spread my music to fans across America and beyond, there are times I struggle with the hardships that come with the profession.”
[RELATED: The Meaning Behind “Dear Rodeo” by Cody Johnson and Reba McEntire]
3. “The Weekend” by Kevin Fowler
Written by Cody Johnson and Kevin Fowler
Like Johnson, Kevin Fowler is also a country artist from Texas who’s made his way into the Nashville scene. Thus far, Fowler has released eight studio albums in addition to penning Montgomery Gentry’s Top 25 hit, “Long Line of Losers,” Sammy Kershaw’s “Beer, Bait & Ammo,” and Mark Chesnutt’s “The Lord Loves the Drinkin’ Man.”
Over the years, the two Texans have served as collaborators, including writing “The Weekend” off Fowler’s 2014 album, How Country Are Ya? Fowler says he and Johnson were riding four-wheelers on his ranch when the lyrics of the chorus came to Johnson.
“This song almost wrote itself,” Fowler told Taste of Country. “I love his style of music and our thing is very similar…we seem to click together really well.”
Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images
