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Cody Johnson Marks Anniversary of Special Song

There comes a time in every country artist’s career when they release that special song, the song they will be known for, and they wait to perform till the end…

Cody Johnson performing in a cowboy hat and blue blazer.
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There comes a time in every country artist's career when they release that special song, the song they will be known for, and they wait to perform till the end of their nightly shows.

For Cody Johnson, that song is "The Painter." The song is already a year old, and Cody marked the occasion on his Instagram.

He posted a video clip of him performing the song and the crowd singing back every word as loud as can be. He wrote over the video, "It's been a year since The Painter was released… It's crazy to hear you sing it this loud." Cody captioned the post, "This Painter came out one year ago yesterday. Thank you #COJONation for loving it and making it such a special moment every time we play it for y'all!"

Many fans reacted to the post, including one who wrote, "You so deserve all this success, Cody. Have loved you for years." Another fan from CoJo Nation commented, "Beautiful song."

"The Painter" was the first single from Johnson's Leather album. The song is written by Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, and Ryan Larkins.

Even though Cody did not write the song himself, it's about his marriage. He told us when it was released, "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."

The long-awaited music video for his hit song "The Painter" was released in January. The video starts with a couple meeting for the first time in a bar, and he asks her to dance.

After they dance to a few Cody Johnson songs, the guy asks her to marry him. She says, "You're crazy." Cody then appears in black and white, singing the song outside. The video continues to show Johnson singing and cuts to the couple dancing and then their life moments together throughout the clip. As the song continues, Johnson's black and white scenes of him singing slowly turn to color as his wife Brandi joins him in the video.

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.