Cody Johnson joins Today’s Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen for the release of his new single “The Painter.” A romantic song about lifelong love, Johnson finds strong parallels between the character in the song and his wife, Brandi.
Tune in and listen to the episode in-full this Friday (August 11th) at 7am PT / 9am CT / 10am ET or anytime on-demand at apple.co/_TodaysCountry.
Cody Johnson tells Apple Music about seeing his wife, Brandi, in ‘The Painter’
My wife, she has this uncanny memory. She’ll tell you things like, “One time, I was in the third grade and it was 68 degrees outside and it was Friday the 3rd, and I was wearing a green sweater and I was walking down Jefferson Street.” And you’re like, “I don’t remember where I played two weeks ago.” She’s one of those people that remembers everything, always remembers everybody’s name, and I’m horrible with names. I feel like the world should wear name tags. It’s like she’s got every sunset she’s ever seen memorized. As soon as I heard that, I was like, “Well, that’s Brandi.”
Cody Johnson tells Apple Music about the lyric: She reminds me that it ain’t too late to start again‘
There’s always been start agains. In my music career, you get to the point where you’re like, “I don’t know if I can do this anymore. I’ve been traveling up and down the roads making $100 a night in a van and can’t afford to put gas in it.” And she’s going, “Yes, you can. You left your steady job for a reason and yes, you can do it.” And so it’s like you start again. Okay… I’m gonna keep going. Even in our marriage… There’s been times where we’ve had to stop, regroup with each other, and go, “Hey, we’re not going anywhere, so let’s just pick this stopping point right here. Let’s start over and say, ‘We’re going to approach this together because we know that it’s what’s supposed to happen’.” I think that that’s a very vulnerable line and also, it brings to light for me how a man should take the time to stop and recognize the fact that she can make you remember what’s right and what’s wrong.
Cody Johnson tells Apple Music about his wife shutting down him getting on a bull again
I told her I would get back on a bull for charity and she’s like, “No, I don’t think so.” I’m like, “Dude, I’m in way better shape now than I was when I was riding bulls, and I could probably raise a ton of money for a really good cause.” And she’s like, “No, I don’t think so.” And then like a week later, she was talking about life insurance policies, and so I don’t know.
Cody Johnson tells Apple Music about his wife keeping him going
She’s tougher than I am, but you kind of have to be a little tough if you’re going to be with me, I think, sometimes. It’s not all frills and rainbows. But yeah, she’s definitely the motor behind a lot of this, and I admit that. There’s times where I come home and I’m like, “I am so overwhelmed. There’s so much going, and it’s all good stuff. I’m releasing a record. I’m going out of the country to go play. We’re on this award show and we’re traveling to here, and I just can’t take it anymore.” And she’s going, “Yeah, you can. You’re doing a great job.”… I swear to God, right before you called me, I was on the phone with her… She was like, “Well, you’re just making so many people’s lives happy. You’re doing a great job,” and all this. And I’m like, “Sometimes your optimism pisses me off a little bit.”
