Pug Johnson released his debut album, Throwed Off and Glad in 2022. The 12-track collection was packed with semi-autobiographical songs about a hard-living musician. Last year, he introduced his sophomore album and the spiritual sequel to his debut, El Cabron with the title track. Today, American Songwriter is proud to premiere the second single from Johnson’s forthcoming album. Watch the official video starring Pug and his wife Mindy below.
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Johnson’s debut album painted him as an untamed young man surrounded by hard drugs and fast women. El Cabron sees the Texas-based singer/songwriter relaying tales of maturing, slowing down, and falling in love. While, narratively, the story continues with the album’s title track “Believer” is a look at where things changed for Johnson in real life. Ahead of the single’s release, he sat down with American Songwriter to share the story behind the sweet love song.
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Pug Johnson on the Life-Changing First Date That Inspired “Believer”
“Believer” is a page out of a story that is as old as time itself. A young man living recklessly finds a good woman and, in her, he finds a reason to slow down and live right. For Pug Johnson that woman is his wife Mindy who now doubles as his full-time manager. The song follows their relationship from their first date to their eventual marriage.
“Believer” sees Johnson shifting gears both lyrically and sonically. While most of El Cabron is straightforward country music, this track slows things down. He also worked some swampy pop-leaning sounds into the track to pay tribute to his wife, Mindy’s Louisiana upbringing. Additionally, it features a horn arrangement by Paul Deemer.
“I was thinking about it just the other day. When I met her the first time there was a feeling of ‘Oh, sh*t. My life is about to change.’ You could just feel it,” Johnson recalled. He wasn’t shy about his initial feelings on their first date nor did he try to hide his flaws.
“I didn’t want her to just be a friend that I see out at the bars and we talk on occasion. So, on our first date, I just kind of laid out everything that was wrong with me. I was like I’ve got a coc*ine problem and I’ve been trying to fix it,” he said. “I think I asked her for a couple of weeks to try to dry out. And I let her know I wanted to date her. I told her, ‘I want a relationship with you or I don’t want to know you at all.’”
Honesty Was the Best Policy
However, he didn’t stop at telling her about his addiction issues. Johnson also laid out his plans for the future. “I told her I’m a musician and I’m going to do this. I had already devoted most of my life to this and I’m not qualified to do anything else at this point. So, I’m well prepared to die a pauper if I get to write songs and sing for a living,” he recalled. Where many would have asked for the check and walked away, Mindy was intrigued by his honesty.
“She kind of laid out her rules and regulations there on the first date. Then, we ended up talking about our families. It was the best and most honest first date I’ve ever had,” Johnson said of the night that changed his life.
During our conversation, Johnson revealed that he didn’t need two weeks to kick his habit. “I think I called her the next day and I was like ‘I think if I’ve got you around, I don’t need c*caine,’” he recalled.
How a Hurricane Pushed Pug and Mindy Johnson Together
They hadn’t planned on moving in together so soon. However, when Hurricane Harvey tore through Texas in 2017, it destroyed both of their homes. As a result, they decided to take things to the next level and bought a house in Beaumont, Texas.
“I wound up getting a job at a glass shop. Really the only reason I took the job is so I could save up and buy a ring,” Pug Johnson recalled. “Mindy was working for Exxon as an engineer. That Beaumont plant wasn’t the work environment she really wanted. She had been with the company for ten years and was tired of it. I was getting pretty worn out because I wasn’t really traveling outside of Beaumont and playing. I was basically playing the same places around town. It was three and four-hour gigs and I’d play two or three a week,” he added. They were both unhappy in their job but found solace in one another and their new home.
Shortly after they moved into their new home, Johnson was able to get the ring he was saving for and popped the question. Today, they’re happily married thanks to their shared honesty and a little grace.
Featured Image by Lyza Renee
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