Cody Johnson spent years working as a prison guard for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice before he became a country star. That job teaches a man how to spot a fake from a mile away. He knows that if a song does not feel real, the audience will know it too. To make sure he stays true to his roots, he uses a secret trick involving a little white lie.
He wants to know if a song fits him so well that his own mother or wife would believe the words came from his own heart.
When he finds a new song he likes, he does not tell his family who wrote it. Instead, he picks up his guitar and plays it for them at home. And what he does the next, he reveals it in his interview with On the Record.
Cody Johnson: On the Record
This test is important because it keeps his music from sounding like a generic radio hit. Many songwriters in Nashville try to write songs that sound like Cody, but he says those often feel like they are trying too hard. He prefers to look for the “orphaned” songs that other artists did not want. These are the tracks that have been sitting around and waiting for the right voice to bring them to life. By the time he finishes his test, he is sure the song is straight up and down his alley.
Sharing these personal stories is how Cody connects the dots between his past as a bull rider and his future on the stage. He views his transition from the rodeo to the music charts as a journey of finding where he truly belongs. Just as he looks for honesty in his songwriting, he looks for deep meaning in every note he plays. This search for truth led him to a very special song that almost felt like it was more than just music.
Cody Johnson – The Fall (Behind The Deep Dive)
That song is called “The Fall,” and it hit Cody like a ton of bricks the first time he heard the demo. It is a story about falling down and getting back up, which is something every cowboy understands. He worked very hard with his producer to make sure the recording stayed raw and did not lose its edge. Fans say they can hear the grit in his voice because he lived through the struggles the lyrics describe. It is a perfect example of a song that passed his “honesty test” with flying colors.
Cody Johnson is a man who keeps his hat on straight and his heart on his sleeve. He does not care about being a pop star or following the latest trends in the city. He only cares about being the same man on stage that he is when he is at home with his kids. His journey from the prison walls to the bright lights shows that staying true to yourself is the only way to win. Follow Cody Johnson on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to see more of his cowboy way of life.