Maren Morris has entered rarified air. She has garnered fame in country and pop music—a feat not just anyone can pull off. A large part of that dual success comes from her past songwriting cuts in both genres. Even before she started fusing her own sound, she proved she could be adept in both circuits through her work with other artists.
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Revisit three songs Morris wrote for the likes of Tim McGraw, Morgan Wallen, and more, below.
1. “Boomtown” (Nashville Cast)
Written by Maren Morris, Ryan Hurd, Rick Marty, and Gordie Sampson
Morris wrote several songs for the hit music industry drama Nashville. Moving to Music City with dreams of making it in the country circuit is something Morris knows well, so it stands to reason she would have a plethora of ideas for the fictitious singers to perform on the show.
One of her best bouts of songwriting for the show is “Boomtown.” Performed by Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) and Luke Wheeler (Will Chase), the song conflates falling in love with a gold rush. Morris and her co-writers showed they were adept at figurative language with this track.
Till that dirt runs out of gold
And the diamonds turn back to coal
So much water till the well runs out
Our hearts start to rush
And the love don’t polish up
You’re right, love, it always comes back down
Some time
This love is a boomtown
Yeah, love is a boomtown
2. “Last Turn Home” (Tim McGraw)
Written by Maren Morris, Eric Arjes, and Ryan Hurd
Soon after moving to Nashville from Texas, Morris penned “Last Turn Home” with Eric Arjes and Ryan Hurd. The song subsequently became her first cut on a major country star’s album. “It was very emotional,” she told on CBS Sunday Morning (per Songfacts). “As a songwriter, you never forget that first cut.”
Morris met her future husband, Hurd, while penning this track. They would go on to forge a songwriting partnership alongside their personal one.
“For me, it’s like I picture pulling in down this dirt road, this long dirt driveway, and getting out and your kids running to meet you and your family running to meet you,” McGraw once said of the emotional song. “It’s not just that sense of just wanting to get home and wanting to get to your safety and I think it’s a universal emotion. If you don’t have that, you want it.”
Somewhere familiar, a safe place to land
That feeling you get when you finally coming back
I got all these burdens rollin’ round in my head
Once I round that corner girl you put ’em all to rest
3. “Chain Smokin'” (Morgan Wallen)
Written by Maren Morris, Matt Dragstrem, and Rodney Clawson
Morris teamed up with hitmakers Matt Dragstrem and Rodney Clawson for “Chain Smokin'” in 2016. The song would go on to be cut by Morgan Wallen. The country star did what he does best and made this song a must-listen.
The lyrics compare the pull of a lover to that of a smoking addiction. You strike the match and I burn the lanterns, embers glowing, Wallen sings in the first verse.
Though Morris has only contributed this track to Wallen’s career, Dragstrem, and Clawson have worked closely with the star on a number of occasions. Dragstrem has penned “Whiskey’d My Way,” “Your Bartender,” “Rednecks, Red Letters, Red Dirt,” and more. Wallen has cut Clawson’s “Me on Whiskey,” “Somebody’s Problem,” and more.
Chain smokin’ your love like a pack of Lucky Strikes like
Binge drinking old fashions cherry in the ice
Push a button, watch the needle droppin in the grooves
I can’t stop… Chain chain smokin’ you
Chain, chain, chain, chain, chain smokin’ you
Chain, chain, chain, chain, chain smokin’ you
Photo by Catherine Powell/Getty Images for CMT
