Megan Moroney Talks About What Inspired Her Track ‘Why Johnny’
When Megan Moroney writes a song, you can bet it’s going to be smart, sharp, and raw. Released in 2023 as part of her debut album, Lucky, her track “Why Johnny” started trending…
When Megan Moroney writes a song, you can bet it’s going to be smart, sharp, and raw. Released in 2023 as part of her debut album, Lucky, her track “Why Johnny” started trending when she posted an acoustic version on TikTok.
Megan Moroney’s 'Why Johnny'
Knowing that the song was inspired by Johnny Cash and June Carter’s relationship, it’s easy to understand the lyrics: “How many times did he break your heart? / From what I'm readin' / Why didn't you leave him / When he came home late on booze and pills / Lyin' through that perfume smell comin' off his shirt? / What made you wanna make it work? / Did you always know he'd come around / Change his ways and settle down? / Did your friends call you crazy too?”
The next verse reveals the singer to be in the same boat as Carter and asks how she managed to survive the relationship and get him to change his ways: “Did you know deep down inside your bones / He'd be yours and yours alone? / Or were you just hoping / And how did you keep hoping? / I think I've got a Johnny of my own / But will he change? Hell if I know / Yes, I'm just hopin' / But how do I keep hopin'”
'Wasn’t Like All Sunshine and Rainbows'
Co-written with Conor Matthews, the “Tennessee Orange” singer said of the inspiration behind the track (via Whiskey Riff), “And so we looked into the timeline of the relationship. I didn’t realize that they were married to two different people when they met backstage at the Opry, so immediately I was like, ‘Oh, that’s new.’”
She added that they started to read about Johnny and June’s relationship, “Obviously, Johnny Cash struggled with substance abuse and alcohol abuse, and I just like, after doing research, it wasn’t like all sunshine and rainbows, their relationship. And so that’s when I was like, I can’t write ‘Why did you shut the bar so high?’ I kind of had empathy for June, and I was like, June, how did you do that, you know? And so that song is a letter commending her for her strength because she stuck around.”
Listen to Moroney’s acoustic version of the song below.
