Hit singer/songwriter Nicolle Galyon has dreamt up some of modern country music’s most beloved hits. Over the years, she’s written trademark tracks for Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, and more.
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She expanded her already impressive songbook with her first solo album, firstborn. The project, released in 2022, led Galyon to craft her intimate 2023 EP, second wife. Penned with her husband, fellow hit songsmith Rodney Clawson, the six-song release gives listeners an intimate look into their relationship.
“the grain,” one of the most surprisingly honest tracks on second wife, reflects on the couple’s special bond. Through sharp lyricism, the pair offer their own perspective on their relationship, which some on the outside once saw as unconventional. Below, in her own words, Nicolle Galyon tells American Songwriter about what inspired her to write “the grain.”
“I knew I wanted to write ‘the grain.’ as a kind of as a nod to Rodney being a farmer years before he was a songwriter. He left that life of being a farmer to go [pursue songwriting], and in a way, it was really going against the grain. Most people’s story doesn’t go that way. And then I thought, ‘Well, we go against the grain too.
I remember when we first got together, we weren’t the couple that made the most sense on paper, and it was unusual for some people. I think writing ‘the grain.’ was just a celebration of something that doesn’t meet the status quo. Something I’ve noticed over the years of living now is that you can often tell when somebody chooses for love or chooses out of convenience. Nothing about us getting together was super convenient. It was just real, and it was us.”
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