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Cody Johnson’s ‘Pure And Happy’ Christmas Memory

Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

Cody Johnson and his family gathered to make a Christmas special that will air on CMT tomorrow night (12/13).  The special will feature lots of music, personal memories, and favorite traditions for Cody and his family.

Johnson told us recently about one special holiday memory from years ago. He said, “My wife and I got married in early December, and by the time I blinked my eye, Christmas was there, and there we were, newlyweds with hardly any money, living in a one-bedroom apartment.”

He added, “I don’t know how, but we were just so happy back then. We didn’t have anything, and somehow, we had it all. I remember that very first Christmas of us being married, and we were broke as a joke, and somehow we were just like that old Alan Jackson song ‘Livin’ On Love.’ There was something pure and happy about that.”

CMT PRESENTS: A Cody Johnson Christmas will air Wednesday, December 13, at 9 PM ET.

RELATED: ‘A Cody Johnson Christmas’ Special To Air On ‘CMT’

Cody’s latest single, “The Painter,” sits in the top twenty on the country charts this week, moving North. The song was written by Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, and Ryan Larkins.

Even though Johnson did not write the song himself, it’s about his marriage. He said, “My favorite lyric in ‘The Painter’ is ‘For every wall I built, she saw a canvas.’ If there’s anything that describes my marriage with my wife, Brandi, it’s that line. And that’s why we’ve been together for 15 years.”

He added, “I hope my fans are encouraged to take the time to appreciate the people they have around them. The ones who make their life beautiful and bring all the beautiful colors to their world when it could just be black and white and dark. Remember them and tell them you love them.”

5 Cody Johnson Songs That Made Him A Star

  • "On My Way to You" (2018)

    This was Johnson’s first song released by his then-new label home, Warner Nashville. The song cracked the top 15, peaking at number 13 on the Billboard Hot Country Song chart. The lyrics include, “All the stars I’ve seen/ All the songs I’ve sung / All the beers I’ve drank / All the damage done / I was just passin’ time / Kinda just passin’ through / On my way to you.”

  • "'Til You Can't" (2021)

    This amazing song won the Country Music Association Award for Single of the Year and Video of the Year at the 56th Annual Country Music Association Awards in 2022 and the Grammy Award for Best Country Song at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in 2023. Johnson did not write the song but told the message in it, “In our world today, we could use more positivity.”

  • "Human" (2022)

    While Johnson did not write this song either, he said that it is his most autobiographical song. It was released in 2011 and made the Billboard Country Airplay chart’s top ten, peaking at eight. It is also the title track to his double Human album, which was also released in 2021.

  • "Dear Rodeo" featuring Reba McEntire (2020)

    Cody teamed up with Reba McEntire for a duet version of his song “Dear Rodeo.” Johnson wrote the song as a very personal tribute to his previous career in bull riding, which struck a chord with Reba, who grew up on a family ranch competing in barrel racing.

    Reba said then, “It was a thrill to sing ‘Dear Rodeo’ with Cody because we’re both from the rodeo world. I grew up in a rodeo family; I’m a third-generation rodeo brat. So, the song means a lot to me because I did leave rodeo to be in the country music business. I sure miss it.”

  • "The Painter" (2023)

    This song is bound to be a big hit. Even though Johnson did not write the song himself, it’s about his marriage. He said, “My favorite lyric in ‘The Painter’ is ‘For every wall I built, she saw a canvas.’ If there’s anything that describes my marriage with my wife, Brandi, it’s that line. And that’s why we’ve been together for 15 years.”

    Johnson added, “I hope my fans are encouraged to take the time to appreciate the people they have around them. The ones who make their life beautiful and bring all the beautiful colors to their world when it could just be black and white and dark. Remember them and tell them you love them.”

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.

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Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group
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