#162 - Lori McKenna (Writer of Girl Crush - Little Big Town + Humble and Kind - Tim McGraw + More)

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Speaker 1: Welcome to Episode one sixty two with Lori mckenneff. You just so you comment with my little big town sign that I haven't here and I only have I like them all, but well one sticks out to me for some reason because he has right you are. You are the writer of Girl Crush. I only have um signs in this room that I because I don't doing my job. People. We'll go, Here's a plaque for everything. Song songs I've never heard, Here's black. Yeah, you know, people just want to give you some No, it's not about that. People will like, hey, if I give you something now, maybe you'll do me a favor later. That kind of thing, right, you know, you get sometimes I think that happens, but sometimes people just like you. I don't know that. My point is, there's only like six in here, six or seven, and the Girl Crush was one because I love that song and that in my story of being in Nashville. That's the first like song that I got in trouble for me and it was a real like uh like I had to pop the film of because we just went through different in different ways. You mean you wrote the freaking song? Yeah, I don't know, you know, what. I am not educated on the how any of this works still, and I didn't know you got in trouble until I think I heard you talking about it on one of these podcasts, like maybe with Karen or something, you know what I mean, Like I think like there was mentioned it, But I just I don't know how radio works. It's so confusing to me. I don't tell me that I don't. I don't know really how it works either. I just kind of do it my own way. That's why I get in trouble so much. Well, people love it. I mean that's good for all of us if you get in trouble, because if you get in trouble, then you're you're playing songs that you know people wouldn't hear otherwise than right, Isn't that the point? Yeah? You know they're like they're super quick. Version is before the record came out, the whole album. I think they were on Uh Day Drinking was was the first single from that record, if I'm if I'm recalling. And I was with Kimberly the night before we were in New York, and she said, Uh, You're gonna love this girl crushed songs for the record, hadn't even come out. So the record of that day and I play it and everybody gets so upset because it was the lesbian song. And so one I also like people get upset because it means it's reacting, not as long as it's not like homophobic or racist, and that that that the ever kind of upset. But if people are upset because of an emotion, I'm like, Okay, there's something here, like I've scratched something yea. And so people were upset, and I thought, well, first of all, it's a great song. I I didn't even know you. Then it's fun, you know um. And then my company goes, WHOA, everybody's pissed. We have to test the song. We've never done this in research. We have tested just for your sake. And so they did all this research on me and the song and it came back mostly positive. And then that's kind of where the will started out. Then I became just belligerent and then and then it all happened, and then I sat back, and then then you know, Karen Kimberly, Jimmy Philip took over and the rest is history. But that's why it's in here, because that to me, it's set a precedent in my company that it was this guy's nutty and if he has a song that he loves, he's just gonna play. Because it wasn't a single when I start of playing it. No, I mean maybe they weren't even ready for a single yet. I don't know, and who knows. You know, it's all relvisionist history at this point, because this song has lived a wonderful life. But I learned about that song is everybody has a has like they'll attached there with they're most passionate about, too, a story when it when it is a story that applies to lots of different people, and that song too, I think us as writers, our thing was people aren't listening, Like you don't listen to the whole song anymore, you know what I mean? Like are we only giving a song a verse and a chorus? You know? And in some songs, you know, you have to you know, I know you love songs like that, you know what I mean that you have to like unwind and sort of listen to the whole thing before you know what's going on. And I think the judgments that that song got were from people that weren't giving it of true listen to say, oh, wait a minute, they trying to. I think even there was no listen. I think it was title even oh maybe so maybe so because you hear a girl crush and then a female voice singing it, and you go, oh, we're talking about it's gonna be a lesbian song. I never even thought of that, where if Jimmy comes on or Phillip comes on and start to sing it and it's oh god, I think it's a whole different ballgame. So and again this is also the environment when things started to shift where just in my landscape of you know, I just wanted to play good songs and I was playing songs that weren't singles, and that was weird for everybody, for all for all things. Anyway, we were talking about that be four it came it's so good to see you, like one of my favorite people in the whole world. You're so good to me, and I appreciate that I'm good to you. I just really, do you listen to what I do? I also I love your music as an artist. You know, every time you come to town, I'm like, if you have something, come play on my show. It's amazing. I mean, Luke Layard was just talking to me about that the other day. We did a writer's around and he said, you should do I want Crazy because remember when you did it on Bobby I did like the housewive version of like the Course, Mike, I can't play that song, and he's like, you did it on Bobby Show. Is so cool. You're one of the only people who because a lot everybody comes through my show right to play it. And so but whenever I say that you're coming through, I have friends that reach out and go, hey, no, I haven't talking four months, but can I come send the studio? And the last time you were in there was there were two on the couch and I was so and everyone else is like, who you are the artists? Artists? Good? That's not I mean. I'm the luckiest person you've ever met, is what I am. I don't really get lucky that many times in a row. Well, now that I know so many um great writers. So back to girl Crush for one minute, all I did was said that I said that title to Liz Rose and Hillary Lindsay, and Hillary Lindsay sang the first four line into that song and just as they are exactly how they and she said, you mean like that, and to listen, I looked at each other like that was that was like that was had nothing to do with me other than me saying I want to write a song called girl crust. But had you not said the words girl crushed, the inspiration wouldn't have fallen over to Hillary. So you're saying you're lucky, You're just bouncing it off. Well, I think what's happened is I've put in the work and I and um and then and so now when I come to Nashville, because I write, you know, alone at home a lot. But when I come to Nashville, I'm in the I get to be in the room with great writers and this so many obviously in this town. But I get to be with great writers then understand what I like and you know what I mean. And so so I find myself a little bit more in those moments where I can be lucky like that, so humble, so humble. You know, I guess right before, because I would say we if you and I see each other, we definitely stop and talk like I I'd say, we have a pretty good professional friendship, even more so the professional like we will actually have a conversation, a good talk. But before that happened, I remember Tim McGraw going, Bobby, you're gonna hear this song from Lauren McKenna on my record, and I was like, all right, everybody says it, right, everybody. Everybody has something that they're like, it's the next thing. And he's like, no, I'm not kidding. And I'm like, because Tim doesn't say that often, he won't go, you know, this is the thing. And he was like, He's like, I promise. He goes, it's not even a single right now, because he had another single. He goes, this is the song that's gonna change it for me. And I'm like, okay, okay, Tim, and then freaking humble and kind it changed the whole thing. I mean, another perfect example of me being lucky, though, I mean because faith. The reason I have a job in this town is because of faith, and because I put a record out and she heard it through Missy Gallimore and and Melanie Howard um Well. Actually my friend Mary Gauche, who I grew up in the Boston community playing shows with, and we would I didn't leave my house with music until I was like or something like that. And Mary's just a little bit older than me, and I would chew up an open mic and Mary would be there and we'd be like ten years older than everybody else in the room, and I'm like this, like How's wife and and uh and everyone else is like in college. You know. Mary and I would be like two old ladies there and we kind of came out together. Yeah, but you know when everyone else is like fifteen, it seems that way. And so um, Mary played you know, my stuff for Melanie Howard. Melanie Howard played it for Missy Galamore, and then Missy played it for Faith. And that's why, you know how I got a publishing deal. It's like the looking back now that I know a little bit how it works. It was like I won the lottery, you know what I mean, And so you know, the songwriting lottery that I had an inn like that right away in this town and then but Faith and Tim have just been like champions for me ever since. That's wild the Faith thing. Your first cut was a Faith cut, right, Yeah, first ever cut was well, she cut for Firefly. She cut four songs, and um, three of them made the record. Woman was like a bonus track, but it was Fireflies and Stealing Kisses, which I think it was a single, and then if you ask, and then she cut a song called Lone Star that was like a bonus track. I've had a lot of buster when you get the target exclusive rights, talking about that like we made the Target exclusive which and this is it, this is to have all of them. I've got the whole library. Pull Sometimes I'm just leading you into things because I got it ready for it. So so this gets introduced to Faith and she says, hey, I love your song, Like, how does that first conversation happen? So what happened was I, Um, I put out this record called Bitter Town. And the reason I know these dates is rare because I never know dates, but my son David was born May two thousand four, so I know it's two thousand and four. And I put this record called Bitter Time out and it had most of those songs on it, and Mary over the summer, I think at some point played it for Melanie Howard. Melanie called me like August and said, I want to pitch your songs around town? Is that cool? And I had been here once. I did a round at the Bluebird and it was probably like two years earlier, like two thousand and three maybe, and never listen to country music. I didn't grow up listening to country music. I didn't know much about it. And my husband and I came home and like a month after that first trip, I was like, hey, man, are you listening to like the country radio station? And he's like, like it just it's like got us. Both of us were like hooked from kind of that moment on and M and she called, She's like, you know, I'd love to put your songs around town, and I was like, that would be brilliant. I don't know what that means, you know, pitch your away. And then by Thanksgiving, Faith had cut the songs. So I don't know, I think Faith the story I heard. By that point, Faith had cut a bunch of songs for that record. UM. That record came out the following UM August, so body, you know, two thousand five, and you know it was called Firefu Eyes and all you know for those songs to be on there. It was the first song I heard, you know, coming out of face mouth was Fireflies. I went to Missy's house and she played you know, I sat down and she played it for me. And I didn't. I was not emotionally prepared for what it did to me. It literally and looking back now that I kind of understand where I was at that point. You know, my husband, I had five kids, and I'm just like, still I still do this. I'm doing little shows, making records, and you know, he's a plumber, he works for the gas company, and we get all these kids. And I swear when I heard her, I heard her sing fireflies, I just broke open. And it was really my first experience of of just like tears of joy. But it seems so sad, like it looks sad, I think on the on the surface, but it was just like this weight had been lifted off my shoulder. And I knew, like I could keep making music. So you're making music and they hear your record a bit, did you want to be an artists and moved to town. I didn't want. I did have a record deal because that because because of faith. You know, I did end up making a record on Warner Brothers. But I kind of always knew that I wasn't probably gonna move here and my kids were all in school. You know, my husband's job, my family. I'm super tight with my family, and so I didn't think I would ever move here. And I knew I didn't want to be in the road the way you know these artists they you know, you know, I mean, it is a hard life and and I just, you know, I just didn't. I knew I couldn't do that. When when Tim and Faith did Solda Soul in two thousand seven, I went out with them for about five weeks and I had three of the kids with me, and I loved that. You know, I knew I could do it in little, tiny little pockets, but I couldn't. I couldn't put in with these artists, you know, give every night to to to their to their art. You know. I just the songwriting part of it is like I'll be doing that until you know, they peel me feel the guitar away from me. A lot of my friends were all right with you. They'll and they'll go up to near Boston where you love. They're I gonna go all right with Laurie and so and you just stay go to your house. Yeah, we just sit in the basement. So walk me through that. So you can knock on the door, can you answer? And we have guitar on you're already writing. Well, how how does that work? Just have a g corp playing as the door opens? Um, no, yeah, we we you know, as long as you like children and guitars and dogs. Basically we have so many dogs right now. But um, we just sit in the basement and write. I don't write when I'm by myself. I don't write in the basement. But I have a little writing room in the basement. And what I found was people. I think, if you write in Nashville every day and you're such a part of this community, which you know, I come once or twice a month, and I love it, love it, love it, love it. But if you did, if I did that every day, I think I would, you know, want to take a trip somewhere else and sit in a different room too. But um, I think people up there playing up in my neck of the woods will come by, or if sometimes I'm really lucky and I'll just have someone that will come up for two or three days and just you know, we write, literally, um you know, write songs, panera bread, go to dinner, drop them out with their hotel next day, write songs. It's like all we have. So it's like we just write and write until they have to take a plane home. Anytime that either my group or I do comedy, it's some we'll be opening and we'd go up to into the Northeast or even to Boston a couple of more. Come Lorie, I'll see you tonight. We're back from the show. I was like, all right, good luck. That's awesome. And you know you talk about writing alone, which you and I think that maybe you've said this. People said, it's like you started like writing a little prayer, like like alone in the kitchen. Is that what it is? When the kids were little, I would just like pick while they were you know, putting them in a bed. I would for years I sat a strange want to think about. I would just sit in their rooms. We the for the first house we lived in, the three oldest boys all slept in the same bedroom. It was just like there was. It was a two bedroom house, but one of the bedrooms was really big, so all the boys were in there and I would just sit and play guitar until they all fell asleep. I don't know how they ever did it, to be honest, I don't think about it. And then you know, it's like your life changes, like my pattern of writing changes for a while when they were all in school, Like I'd have better, easier time in the morning, like start off right after I dropped them up at school and then sort of work through the day when I still do that sometimes to my two younger at homeschooling right now. So it's a little different, but Humbling Kind for example, it was like I just sat in the same chair from like eight in the morning until you know, probably eight at night, and I just pick away. When I'm writing by myself, it's best for me to like work on it, like do a load of laundry, come back on it. My husband's coming out, like sing it, dude, you know, and then make dinner and and my brain works kind of well that way. I love your version of humble and kind. Love it so much. My gram made that song so much better. He really did his. It's funny because he always credits me for the phrasing. And we did this talk together, the two of us, in front of an audience, and they played the work tape, which neither one of us had listened to it a lot time, and he had just gotten through like saying, I just copy the work tape and then we listened to it. I'm looking at him like, no, you did it. This is I copy him? Now it's funny. Can you play some of her so good? You don't see it? Don't she? And don't you got always stay? Did you record this version that I'm hearing right now before after tim after after, because that was on The Bird and the Rifle, which is a great record, by the way, thank you, thank you, And but I the version McGraw has is just my iPhone is just and I had just written it, and it takes me a minute sometimes to get phrasing and to sing into the song and to sort of like I actually changed the line. His version of the last line says, you know, when you get where you're going, don't forget turned back around. And by the time I got to it, I realized I couldn't fit all those words. Some mine just says turned right back around. Um, but small little detail. But that's for a long time. When I wrote a song, I would even have to play it to an audience a lot before I really I don't know it's for I really knew the song, or sometimes it still happens where I'll play if it's a new song, I'll have to play it for an audience and then sort of find out if I like it or not. Sometimes you need to play it to them to see if you like it. Sometimes some what are you looking for the when when you're playing something for you to see if you like it? I think it's like I actually, when I thought about this, like years ago, I think if I was to describe that, I was like, oh, i'ld sort of be looking for their approval, And now I think what it is is, I'm just sort of looking for my comfort level in the song. Like it, am I comfortable singing every word of this song to these you know, in front of somebody versus just by yourself. It's a very different thing. So it takes me a little bit to wrap my head around them. Sometimes with art, obviously impossible to predict any sort of success or failure. I think it's a beauty and art you never know with humble and kind and with Tim cutting it, did you feel like that there was something special to his version and what he was saying about the song, Because again he comes to me before the records even out, and it's like, Bobby, this song is gonna be a massive. Did you feel like I could do that? It's funny because I didn't know exactly. I didn't know that he was going to cut it, to be honest, for a little bit. And it's funny because I think he had it for like a month. And then I don't know if I saw him or I don't know exactly what happened, but he was like, yeah, I'm coming that song. It's like, oh, thanks, I didn't know, you know, nobody told me. And then then once it was cut, Um there he was going to make the video, And when the video came out, they sent me like a rough of the video, and I thought, what is going on? Like how how did he How can this possibly be the video? You know, because it's so worldly and so and that's you know. I always tease and say I should give him some some co writing credit on that song, because he really sees it and brought it to a way different place than I. I still see it as such a simple little It's a very simple song. Everywhere every line has to run with Kant. It's like the easiest rhyme. It's a very simple form. You know, each verse ends in the same line, and um, I still see it as like this tiny little thing, you know, that that I wrote for the kids. And I do remember when I was writing it at one point questioning myself like, oh is this preachy? And then I thought, well, well, who cares if it's preachy. I'm writing it for five children, So if anybody thinks it's preachy, I'm just gonna say, well, I wasn't talking to you asking of my kids. Um. But he just saw it in such a bigger way. And when the video, when they showed me the video, I was like, I don't know if this is gonna work. Like there he's you know, this is a real far reach for the song, and he he just did it. It was amazing to me. It's amazing to me what I really feel like, it's almost two different songs when we sing it. Do you and are you able to see, as they would say, the force from the trees? Because you're so close to it. You wrote it, You've been in the process watching Tim grow with it. But have you been able to see it affects like a massive amount of people as just a message. Yeah? But I mean that's the thing about music is and again that whole luck thing that I'm talking about It's like I feel like any sort of creates hivity probably people of all like you said, all kinds of art, all kinds of art if you are if you keep yourself plugged into it and you like believe that you can do the work if it lands on you. Whenever I look at like all your songs, like my favorite, I think one of my favorite songs you've ever written is the Brandy Clark song three Kids Love It. This is like, you know why? And I was thinking about this, like why certain songs hit me. I think because like my mom raised me alone for a long part of her life and she had two kids, and that's it. And I hear this song from Brandy Clark and I know you wrote it with I was just like this this song like at my core, you can just almost grab your foundation and just shake it a little bit. This one does that, Lorie, Oh well, I love this song. I'm so proud of this song because what happened was, Um, we were writing at Universal that day and I was in the middle of this room and I got there early and I was waiting for Brandy and I hadn't seen her in a while, so I was just like totally stalking her online. And I just like opened up YouTube or something and was just watching Brandy Clark videos, you know, from people in the audience, film and things and um. And she was in. She was in a writer's round and she was introducing one of her songs. I forget what song it was, and she was describing the woman that she wrote a song about. And she's like, you know, She's like, you know, like I think it was funny because whoever it was, strangely enough, had five kids. Because because what she said was, you know, I like the da da da dad, this girl five kids, no husband, and she went on and I was like, oh my god. And so she walked in. I was like, Hi, we have to write a song called five kids, no husband. But it can't be five kids because I have five kids, and then everyone would think I divorced my husband, so it has to be like a different number. Um. And then we didn't realize that both we both had really close friends that had three kids and no husband. UM. So I love that character though, Like that that's another gift of music. Like you write a song all day, you know, with your friend like that, and you developed that character, right, like she's not exactly a specific person, but we both loved her by the end of it, you know what I mean. And I felt like I knew her, yeah, from listening to the song and also from knowing like, that's that's my people, that's who I grew up with. Yeah, and there there's so many people. And Brandy is so smart because she's the one that said, um, I forget the very ending of it. Um, I'll sing the whole thing back and one when she said, you know, like, how like these people, what's the very end of it? She's a she's a mom and a daddy and a taxi driver. How's it go? The end? Mine is just it's all Brandy. And it was like at first when she said it, I was like, oh my god, I wouldn't have thought that. And it's but those women get so many people to this world and it's so and and dad's too. You know, I grew up a single dad, you know what I mean. But but it's like the single parent thing is no joke. And I think we both loved that character. By the end of it, you find the line he's a mom and a dad and a taxi driver. What's after that? When the baby six. She's an up all nighter, a hand in his shoulder in a referee, A real life hero if you ask me, A real life hero if you ask thank you. And Brandy said that, and I was like, oh, good Lord, Like that's it, Like there's nothing better than that in the whole world. Like you've just explained it, you know, like you know, it's like, you guys wrote a song about my mom for part of her life. And when I heard it, I was like, I told Brandy too, I like hugged her and I was like, this is and I love Brandy too, So it's also loving Brandy and how it's like pure Brandy is and then hearing her sing such a pure song. Yeah that, And then I'm a huge Jillian Jacqueline fan Man love her, lover her again talking about someone who was as authentic as can be. And two of my favorite songs, one of her last songs on her last part sad Girls, you guys wrote this, Yeah, that was a moment. You know. We wrote that with Toe for Brown and um both those songs God bless Us Mess and in that song Uh for the like the first two songs the three of us wrote together and she is, um, because what happened with this song is, you know, I remember saying like, you know, and you can't jump out of the car. And it's like when someone just repeat, like, we'll just say that you can't jump out of the car right now, you know what I mean. It's like that's always the best thing, rather than trying to fluff it up or find a different way to say it. And I love it when song is a conversational like that, and she just she's very she's so honest, um. And and then of course her voice is just amazing. Yeah. When I look because I knew a lot of your massive hits, massive hits like but when I started to look through, I started to go all my favorite people have all my favorite songs with Lori as well, that just weren't like big radio songs, you know, songs that I would listen to because for me, I hear things on the radio all the time. You don't think, here's some the ten thousand times, it just starts to be white noise at a point. You know, a song that I love that I felt kind of got robbed was when someone Stops loving You. I don't know why that didn't work I don't know either. It was Grammy nominated. It was as you know, but um, yeah that um and just being able to hear jim you know, Jimmy has one of the best voices you know, in the in the whole world. And obviously I love those people so much and they are like real dear friends to all of us now, and and to to just have I wrote that song with Chase McGill and Hillary Lindsay and that was like the second song of the day. I forget what the first one was, but that was the second song of the day. And again it was like I said the title and it Chase was like, I hear, I hear what that song is supposed to sound like. And um, just to have them, you know, sing it and have someone that you love so much sing that song. And we were shocked, to be honest, that it was nominated for a Grammy, but we were just we had a ball going out there and and uh and it was nice to be there knowing that you wouldn't have to make a speech because we knew, you know that there Casey space cowboy, you know what's so great? No, we knew we would like I also, I actually felt like it would be a little bit of of of a shock if if we did. But we were so thankful to be there and um spend time with a little big town and um and Chase was there for um break up in the end as well. But you know, so great about going to the Grammys with your Nashville community is the pre telent cash. You know, there's no seating, there's no sign seating, and they all sit together. It's the best thing, Like the Americana and the Country people like all sit together and like and Shane and Luke who won for Casey wasn't there because I think she was in rehearsals. But that one for Space Cowboy, we're like right in front of us, and then you know, they run up and Luke makes his speech and we all they both did a great speech and and Hillary cried for like ten minutes after, like we're genuinely so happy for for them, and everybody was. It's just that there's something crazy special about this town. And I know I don't live here, so I can't I can't be a true judge of it because I'm an outsider. But it's really I don't see it happening anywhere else, but here the community here. When I go and work in Los Angeles, if I'm doing some television projects, first of all, like I think here, I'm normally nice, right, yeah, everybody's everybody. You know, I'm not Mr Rogers, but nice guy. But that would say, actually, get a nice guy award and just a dude. I go to Los Angeles, I'm freaking Pope, Bobby. They think I'm the nicest human ever. Oh my god. So for of all, there's a sensibility that we are taught and grow up with that is normal to us. But I don't know if we appreciate how like gracious and nice we really are until we get around people that aren't right. And so this is the point one of this is when I would go out to Los Angeles, would be like, everybody natural is so nice. Everybody from that comes from. And we had a country music night on the dance show that I did, and Lauren Atlanta and Cole at Lanco and like all of us just hung out together the whole time, and they're like, you guys all know each other, you're you all hang out And I'm like, you guys don't understand, Like we're like this group it's kind of like us against the world, we feel like but in a in a great way, but we kind of feel like we're all in this thing together. Is that what the feeling? I don't know where how it developed. I don't know how you all got like I don't know that's just but but it's all. I've been part of that too, where you go out and it's just like, oh, well, we're a little different than everybody else, but we like that about us, and and here we are, you know. So yeah, when when I go out, especially West, they're like, what's wrong with you? Why are you so nice? And I'm like, back home, I'm just a normal dude. Yeah, I know. I'm the nicest guy though. That's good, you know. And so was Blake, like the second nicest guy out there, probably the one of the biggest, the biggest. And you know what when I used to do pop and hip hop, cause I did that before I came over the country. You did, Oh, that's right. Yeah, that's how I started. I built a syndication company inside of doing pop and hip hop and what happened hip hop? But I didn't know, okay, and so and I, you know, found this technology that would allow me to work on multiple stations at one time. And it's kind of a science experiment, right that that went right, and I invested any money that I had it all into this and kept building it. But what had happened was I would stick Dirk's on the air and imagine Dirk smtly on like a pop and hip hop station. Right, Everyone'll be like, what's happening. Willie would come through, I'll put Eli Young band on. They would come and people will go, what are you Well, Now, I'm here doing country and at Sharon comes by or Pharrell comes by, and it's the same thing, but people are like, what what are you doing? That's so different? But it's always the same thing. Like, I've never been someone who is so inclusive to just thinking of format exists for the sake of a format, you know where you know, with me, it's been always about just let me just get on good music. And that's kind of how I ended here. And you talk about you didn't come from country, but you were doing the same thing you're making. You're making vulnerable, authentic music. Well, to you, it's all about the song. To me, it's all about yes, this is what I mean that's the best thing, you know. I think um songs are just one of those things where you can you can be a person that loves this genre of music and hear a song from another genre and it just blows you away. Still. I mean, it's just a song as a song genres. I don't know what that means anymore. Nobody wants them, nobody wants to but you know, for classification purposes only. I think that's the only reason. Now, even the instrumentation, Like I look back, because I would consider myself a novice historian of even country music. My grandmother man raised me on like old Andy Good with gospel records, like the old old school stuff. And for me, I'm from Arkansas, and Johnny Cash was big, not because he was Johnny Cash, but because he was in our Kansan and there weren't a lot of people from Arkansas who launched on a national scene. So to her, he was everything. And she would tell me stories about how he would play nearby and people would pick at the shows because that wasn't country music, because that was rock and roll. That's not country music. And then you look and I would have a conversation with someone like um My Garth, and he would go, people, you should tell me all the time, I'm not country music. Like I came to town, he would say. They they would tell me what I was doing wasn't country music because instrumentation, vocal style, it wasn't the same as it was before. And it happens again now it's happening now. People are saying, you know, in so whomever X y Z is not country music. And as much as you want to feel that way, my thing is, okay, let's just in a small bubble. You may feel that way now, but look at every single bubble over the past six seven decades, when it's all exactly the same and the same people have the same argument. Here's the thing in common is that country music always changing, and no one's ever and if anyone ever becomes satisfied with it, then it's probably done. Yeah, that's true. That's true. Well, I mean, I guess that's what music does, is is it. I think there's less of you know, an artist makes a different kind of sounding record and people freak out. I think there's less of that. People sort of expect it more. I feel like think because again we're not based regionally anymore. You know, once Napster kind of hit, the world changed. Yeah, because we can just hit a button and have all the music we wanted, and I mean not good for people like you whould write songs and you wouldn't get paid for those songs because Naster was amazing and free. But um, you know, once Napster hit, we kind of had everything at our fingertips. Where if you grew up like me in Arkansas, all the music stores had eight percent country and then just the biggest and the biggest of the other formats where limited your scope as to what you could actually consume. Yeah, now there's no limited scope. Yeah, and country music now is I think I think you talk about the songs more about the message. Yeah, it's more about stories in language that um you know, I love pop music too, but sometimes those if you just read those words, it would be very different than reading you know, most of the writers I know, like we just did this today, Like you you read the lyric down and does it tell the story? You know what I mean? And when you get in the room with like Barry Dean or Tom Douglas or somebody that has one of those great voices and they read the lyric like that's when you got it. Like, don't play or sing anything from it. Let's just read the lyric and see if it what it says to us. And I think country music still has a lot of I mean, it's almost all that way. I thought a commercial real quick. It's a situation no one wants to experience during tax season, right But with the breaches in the last couple of years, your information may already be exposed, and that could lead to an unfortunate discovery finding out that a cyber criminal story your identity and filed for your tax return. The good thing is there's life Flock with Norton to help you protect against things that can happen to your identity and your devices. If you become a victim of identity theft, well at tax related or not, life Flock will work to fix it, but they dedicated identity restoration specialist who's assigned to your case from beginning to end. Plus with the addition of Norton Security, you'll also have protection that block cyber criminals from stealing from your devices. And of course, no one can prevent all identity theft or cybercrime or monitor all transactions at all businesses, but you can join right now and get ten percent off your first year. I have it. I love it. It's helped me out before many times. Actually, just head to life flog dot com or called one LifeLock, enter the promo code bones. That's bones for ten percent off your first year. Okay, So all of that when we're talking about format and music and not really having a doesn't music doesn't have to have a home, right I say all that because your song right now as a like number two from the Stars Born soundtrack, that's crazy, right, No, it's not crazy. It's not crazy at all. Oh, I go, this is such a crazy week. If he saw the way we wrote, if you would know it was crazy. It was. It was crazy that I actually ended up on anything on that, To be honest, it was so hard. It was so hard and so different and not what I do that. Um, it was such a blessing. So what happened I don't I don't understand what what was so different about it? Well I've never so what happened was, Um, Dave Cobb was working on that wreck, on that movie with I think Bradley Cooper had reached out to him, and I remember I was we were making the Tree, uh, and which Dave Cobb produced my last two records, and he was out in his track and like the in the parking lot at r C A like talking to Bradley Cooper on the in his car, you know, and uh. And I remember like teasing him about something being late or something kidding around and he's like, well, I had to talk to Bradley Cooper about this thing. And then a couple of months go by and he calls and he's like, I'm gonna go out and do this this film, and um, you know you should come and help write the songs, which I had never done before. I've like, I've read scripts before, but and I think I've always sort of been rejected when I try to write something for something I'm not that good at it. But um, but this was a writing camp in a studio with Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga in a full band, you know what I mean. And it's like, write the song. This is how this happened. So you knew what the movie in mind, what you were writing for. Well, they were changing the script like this. The script changed so many times, just even from when I left that writing camp the ending, I mean it's pretty much the same, but it's very different than where it was going when we were in the room. But but what happened was Dave called me and Hillary, Lindsay, Natalie Hemby and Aaron ray Tier and we went out there, um to write, you know, for the movie. For the movie was with Bradley, and I didn't write with Bradley, but I think Aaron did, and UM and Lady Gaga and Hillary had had worked with Lady Gaga on her on the Joan record and um, you know, saying with her a bunch, and so Hillary was was familiar with the way she works. But to what the rest of us was like this, you know, we had never met her and and Um, and it was just for me, it's hard to once you start a song, it's hard for me not to stop it until it's almost complete or I feel like, oh, I've done everything I know how to do with this. And this was more like write an idea and then somebody, you know, because she's going from room to room and the bands there and it was just kind of wild. It's a different way to be creative. But I hadn't had much experience doing that before, so I didn't know when I left, I didn't know that I had, you know, anything that would that actually make the you know, the film at that point, because there was so much still more to do, the script that changed so many times, the band had changed, the they everyone I left before everybody else. Um, but it was just such a blessing and the song came out so good. It's funny because I remember writing that song and um, We're in this famous studio and the Food Fighters were there. We were totally friends with the Food Fighters for like a whole week. Oh they were there. They were in the lounge beside us, and they would like come over and see if we had better cookies, and they did, like literally, like I don't think like they knew any of our names, but we totally were friends for like so like the nicest I'm a massive fan like Pat Smir, Taylor Hawkins, Dave Girl. They were the nicest people you ever. The only problem I have a Dave Girl is he because I say my name is Laurie because I'm from Boston, and he was like, what is your name? So he thinks my name is Larry. But um, but literally we were like best friends with the Food Fighters for a little while and and we were just write and write all day long, and then they would bring in food and um, and when you wrote the you know, always remember us this way. There was like crying involved. There was like, you know, she got a lady guy who got so emotional with the lyrics of that song, and she was so in it that it was one of those moments where I left. I didn't know if it was going to make it, but I like just prayed to God that they would let something that vulnerable in because she had been she sort of just laid it all out, you know what I mean, Like she had put herself into that character so much, and it was clear even then, and they hadn't even started filming it, so it was kind of amazing. You sing background vocals on this song. No, you're not on the song at don't know who does. Yeah. When you hear the song the first time, is it during the movie or do you get a track first? It's been during the movie when she performs by herself the first time on stage. Um, but there isn't anything. I don't think there's any hints of it before that in the film. What do you think about it? I thought it was amazing. I mean, but it was like one of those things where like my kids and my husband, you know, to the movie when it came because I didn't missed the premiere. Um I was out in l A when the premiere here happened, so I missed it. But so I made the kids, um, I'll come and and we all sat there and uh and watched it together. It was it was great, you know what I mean. I thought the film was amazing. I thought, like, I just loved everything about it. Do your kids think you're cool? Hell no, they don't. Even you're writing songs a Lady Gaga, You're I cannot impress these children, Like I literally the you know when when Tim mcgrass saying something that I've you know, been part of, that's the only way they'll listen to it more than Yeah. They just all grew up with me, like somewhere in the background, like you know, you know how it is writing a song. You have to sing the same part over and over and over again, and they're just like over it. They're like when did she gonna cook us? Do you get to take them old places that're like okay, mom. Sometimes I'll be like this is cool, mom, Yeah, they definitely you know, um, they've definitely benefited from the you know, the blessings of of the music industry and um. And and two of my kids are songwriters. You know, really how old are the older ones? My oldest is twenty nine and um, he's a songwriter. And my third, Christopher is um he just moved to town like days ago. Is there pressure that they put on themselves? No, I don't think so. I don't think so. What they do is very different. It's not really you know, it's more pop and um, and they're in a band together and um, and what they do is very I think that they've they've I think what they learned from watching my husband, whose name's Jean, you know, Geen and me, is that because my husband moves always like, look at what you've done. You've ruined these kids, and it's gonna they're never gonna make any money. They're just gonna you know, chase their dreams. But when you see someone come home every day and have a hard day, you know, my husband has a you know, he's a plumber. He works for the gas company, and like you know, like anything else, some of those days are going to be really hard. And when you see someone else sits over there rhyming and like like answering the door at the like you said, you know, it's like they're like, it's not really me chasing my dreams that made them follow me. It's more watching him and being like, I don't want to do that. So I think, um, you know, we'll see what the young the young ones end up doing. But um, but I think, you know, they've all grown up so much with music. Like sometimes there's there'll be a writer in the basement and I'll be like, dude, you know that, and they don't nothing, they don't care. But it's just normal. Luke Laard's down there, he said, twenty three number one songs, and they're like, yo, what they can't be impressed. They can't. I've never ever introduced I don't think my kids to you know. Once in one year we were at the A C. M S and we brought them to like the Luke Bryant party. You know, me, nothing, what do they like? What? What? What are your kids like? They like country music, they really did, but they I just think they keep it all in check. And plus they're a little sick of listening to me, so it all goes together. You know what song you have that I really like that you guys, maybe you just didn't write if you just put it out speaking of Luke was Gone and country music and Luke you wrote that together, right? And yeah? And that was that. This is emotional this one. So this, this is a George Straight song. Now how does it get to George? Do you know you're writing it for George? I have so many questions about a George Straight song. How does this start? Are you just in a room and you to come up with the concept first? So do you know George's looking? Um? I think that for the most part, the publishers all in town know all that stuff. And um, So I write for Creative Nation. Luke Laird's wife, Beth Laird runs Creative Nation. So I and Luke and Barry and I are dear friends. And so I have a day with Barry and Luke and and we're sitting up in Luke's office and I know that probably Luke, you know, they send the lists, you know, like these are the people that are looking, these are the these are the producers, this is when they'll cut. But George streets list of songs. Some my listeners know this because I've seen I've seen it. But there's you're telling me there's a list of people who are currently looking for songs, and you can go, Okay, well we can write something. Maybe sensibly this person would like a song like this, So why don't we aim at this direction. Well, it doesn't tell you what the song is like. It just tells you what the artist like. Yeah, yeah, this is the artist, this is a producer. This is when they should be cutting UM. And then those have always been around since, um, since I came to town. UM. And sometimes they'll have more information, But for the most part, I don't even open those emails because I'm not really good at trying to go for an artist, especially if it's someone like George Street that I've never met, Like, I don't really know how to do it. I have to kind of write UM from like a very self centered I guess part. I wouldn't say self center. I would say knowledge of self. Thank you. That's a way better way to say that. Yeah, so we but the three of us had a date and UM, and again everybody all songwriters have a list of titles in their phone. And I'm sitting there with Barry and Luke and um, and I said, I have this title, but I have no I know. I said, I don't know how to do it or what it means. And I said, you know, God and country music. And and Barry was sitting with his computer on his lap, and Luke was at his little rig with his guitar in his hand, and um, and Barry does this thing sometimes he'll just start typing away and he disappears for a moment, not a long time, and you just sort of when Barry does that, we all sort of know to wait a minute. And and he said, well, you it could be. I'm like, I don't know. I don't like, I don't even know why I wrote it down. I don't know where, like what it means and what to do with it. And He's like, well it could be, you know, like you know, God and country music, you know, like whiskey in a prayer. Again, I swear to God, these crazy things happened to me. And like Johnny Cash his arm around Billy Graham. So in Barry's office at his house, he has that famous picture of Johnny Cashed in with Billy Graham. And it's one of you know, it's a. It's a very special photograph for him. Um. And as soon as you said that, Luke just swung around his chair and started playing chords and and he said, just do it again, but sing it. And he's saying saying the verse. At one point during during the day, I'm pretty sure Luke said, God, you know, it would be crazy, you know, it would be amazing if we could get this to George straight. And so I don't know how they all did it, but um, that's all getting that cut and knowing how much everybody loves George but a special my friend Barry Dean and my friend Luc Lear and how important that that cut is to them, and and because we love the song and and we love each other. It's like when we heard that voice sing those words, it was like, you know, you can't, you can't. You just kind of like thank your lucky stars for something like that to happen. You know, that's so cool, especially because it's you appreciate it. God, you know. I mean it's like I have to watch myself. I'll just start balling all the time. I mean, I just can't walk around balling all the time. I would watch Luc Laard's it's a story. And you know, they people playing this when they came out, and we were playing it on my show too, And I knew it was special to him because he posted it like three times, three different and I was like, oh, Luke loves that that George Straight. Who who wouldn't loved the George Straight singing your song? You know what I mean? Yeah, well who wouldn't. Absolutely? And but but for for that, for the two of them, and they're besties, you know, they're best friends, and for the two of them, um to have that moment to you know, together, me sort of be able to watch them, you know, be so thankful for that song and and and where it landed is it's gonna I can tell it's just gonna be a fun ride. That's so cool. Yeah. When I like your music and I just listen to listen to your stuff. Um, if I had to pick a song because I was thinking about this, because I figure, because I'll post your songs on my answer story too and be like, did everybody should listen to this song? And I'll play on my shows. I like, well, people when people get get all came out, I thought I was such a I don't think it matters what age you are, like you feel this song. You could be sixteen and feel this song because there's a part of you that goes I'm watching all this stuff like I'm thirty eight right now and I'm going, oh, she's talking about me. In my age, people get old and it's just about how your life's all growing and changing and everything around to you. I love this song. I love wreck You. Oh cool. Yeah. I wrote that with Felix Motigue like and that song was cut a couple of times for me. Yeah. Heidi Newfield cut that song and David Now cut that song, and David didn't put it out because Heidi did. She put it on a record, so David didn't put it out. But god, I love his voice and I love both of them, but um, that song I ended up cutting it. It was like eight years old by the time I put it on The Burden the Rifle. But because it just it was just one of those songs that just always came up as um like people would ask me to sing it or something. It like just kind of wouldn't go away. It just wanted its own time, and I was happy to have it part of that record. The Humble and kind you wrote by yourself, right, yes, so you're sitting I think that it that's like one of the only songs in a lot. Maybe Taylor slowed her hours by herself, Like there's only a couple of songs and like the past ten or fifteen years that it won't number one that were written by a single person. That's pretty freaking cool. Well that that is cool and and it's funny because you would think it does happen more often. But I think, um, I think that the part of the reason I love this town and I've I don't explain this very well, but you know, I was I had maybe three three or four maybe more records out before I started coming I guess three records up before I started coming to Nashville to write songs. So I had never co written a song, Like I just came up writing songs by myself. And at that time in the Boston community, there wasn't a ton of people that co wrote, so I didn't know how to do it, and I didn't know like it just seems so weird to me, like how do you pour your heart out? And like with someone else sitting on the other, you know, side of the room just staring at you, like how does that work? It seems crazy, And but I will say that this that's how where I found my community. Like that's where I found like so I always explained it as some people are really great musicians, really great singers that can like playing anything, sing anything, know everybody's songs and and and they can like jump on stage and help you sing your song, help you like you know, you know tons of people like this. You're probably like this, like you can harmonize, you can you know, just start playing along. And you know jac Owen is the best at that, right, Craig Campbell, Guys that can it doesn't matter what you're doing anytime, you can do it. And that that's a big part of the Boston acoustic live scene. Uh. There's a venue they're called Passing where we've all come up. It's like my home venue. And you see a ton of that. You just see like friends walking into the show and the next thing they're on stage and they're all playing together, and it's a it's this really nurturing part of music. It's really like where people, you know, the people that make the music really can connect that way. I've never been I want to do that. I still don't know how to harmonize unless Hillary Lindsay teaches me how to do it, and um and and so I'm really bad like that. So I was missing. I knew I was wrong. I knew I wasn't set, you know, like and all these things that everybody else was. Um. And then when I found co writing, I was like, oh, okay, So I can't harmonize to your song unless you teach me. But I can help you, right like I can sit here with you and and try to help you write the best song that you can today, or the best or the song that needs to come out of you, you know what I mean, or the song that no one's gonna hear, but you and I are like better for the experience of writing it, just because we got something off our heart or whatever. Because as you know, like we all write a Brazilian songs nobody hears, but you have to be thankful for them because they get you to the one, you know, the one in a hundred that somebody will here. And that's where I really found my community. I think that's partly why I love this town so much, because I I really that's where I connected with with my co writer. So as much as I do write, I do like writing alone still. Um And sometimes I will have a title that I feel like, I just nobody, Nobody's gonna like this title. I'll just do it by myself. But sometimes I just really can't do it alone, I mean by myself anymore. And I enjoy, you know, I enjoy that, the pulling it apart with a group, you know, within it with two or three people. It's great. I was sent the list just now of other number ones in country music that have been written by one person. There are only a few. Taylor Ours, Patsy Klein Crazy, didn you wrote that little trivia? Do you know he wrote Patsy? Yeah, Johnny Cash, a boy named Sue written by and Dolly Parton. Dolly wrote by herself. Are those are the only other country songs? It's not true? Is that true? Mike just sent me this. I think that's all the big ones there. Maybe a couple more. Yeah. Yeah. Well the thing is about this town. I mean you can't really you can't really blame them because at any you know, any given moment, know, like we could go down the street to a Starbucks, will probably bump into a great songwriter, So why not try to wrestle together when you write. This is kind of a nerdy songwriting question for you because I'll get into roos of topes of people. And there are a couple of kind of writers that are writers that will go they're very lyric based and very melody based and sometimes and so for example, I have one friend who writes on melody first, so uh, somebody will either play or track will be built to write and she'll goot do to do batt dude, And then you insert the words to the melody that's just been or so it comes down with a bunch of lyrics and it's like, this is my idea. These are some of the couple that's I have. This is where I want to go, and then you build the melody around that. How do you walk in approach or right when it's just you? Are you lyric or melody? I think I like to have a title. I love to have a title. I love titles, and I know some people don't like that, but I do love titles, and I think that's why, Um, you know a lot of us have just a list in our phone. But I think, honestly, the best thing in the world is if you can find them both at the same time, if you can find the melody in the lyric at the same time, and they just pop out of your face. You know what I mean? That does sound easy. If I can just on both and they pop out. Lord, this must be so easy for you, Like, you know, if you just have a number one fall out of your mouth. That's that's what what I would recommend. I think that's the way first. No, but but I do. I guess I have to start. If I'm by myself, I have to start with words. But what I will do at home is I maybe that's not true, because what I do at home is I just play chords and I blah blah like your your friend and and then you'll usually find the words that you know. And if I can't this day, is that I just you know, I'll try, like I'll try for an hour and I can't. I just end up hating myself, so I'll just put it away. I'm not an every day writer. I couldn't write every day like, oh god, I'm not that smart man. I have friends, a grind and two songs to day. You're talking about, you know, four hours minimally twice a day at least. Phil Barton here hero that guy you know, and and he's been to my house many times. And the thing about Phil is he I don't every time I picture him, he has a guitar and and he's just playing another thing. And so I mean, I think, you know, for the most part, I need to have a a starting point lyrically in my head. I do love writing with track people where they'll play you something. And but what what I always ask myself is what does that feel like? What does it feel like? It wants that sounds weird? But what does that feel like? It wants to say? Like? Is it like nostalgic? Is it does it sound sad? Doesn't you know? Um? God, That's why we love it. It's like you never know what you're gonna get into. It's funny you bring up Phili Barton. A couple of spends off of Phil. One filing, I wrote I have but a Kid's record and I have a number one kids song, and Phil and I wrote it together where he passed like call when I grow up? Yeah, okay, and he plays it and he'll go and do it. Writer arounds and he plays and people will always send me and I love Phil like that's so much energy. So but did you guys write the Eli Young band song together? Um with Mike Yeah Sen Yeah yeah, and that started. I think there was like a little bit of lyrics, you know what I mean, And that did start lyrically, but um, yeah, those the Phils always you know when you just the thing about co writing is and I always say this is like say the three of us in the in the room. You know, some days you have an artist, so you know you're you're hoping the artists is the artist, and you'll be the therapist or the best friend, or the cheerleader or the editor, you know what I mean. Like, the thing that I love most about co writing is you just never know in the room that day which hat you're gonna have to wear. Like I write a lot with Hillary Lindsay and Liz Rose. And even if we were we're writing several songs a day sometimes because we just camp out and spend like three days together. And sometimes even the song like one song, Hilary be the artist and I'll be the you know what I mean, And and well I'll take the next song like we have something to eat and a glass of wine, and all of a sudden, next song is like, it's totally different. And and Liz is an artist, and you know what I mean, And we're trying to serve Liz and what she needs to have come out of her. And um, that's how I love about it. That's my favorite part. Let me run through some of these songs real quick. I feel like we could talk all day, but I want to make sure some of these are highlighted. Let's see. I want crazy Hunter Hayes. Look at this broth, this cool one right now, so many. I mean literally, I'm looking at fifty songs here. I don't think I even have this is all listen to your songs to have right here, all my little sheet. It's whatever I want to go to. You can cry pretty. That was a joy. Yeah, that was a joy. She is one hell of a songwriter. Carry Underwood, Oh my god. And of course I was love Junkies. That was me and Liz and Hillary and Carrie came in and she was just I love Junkie for a couple of days and we wrote a few songs. And and when you see somebody, especially like you know somebody that an artist that big when you when you and I've met her a couple of times before and she had cut another love junkie song, and she's been so good to us. But when she comes, when someone like that comes in, that talented and that um, you know, sort of exposed to the public and is that honest, it's it's just like, man, thank god, you know like she and she's a she's a. Just listening to her in the room, especially with Hillary, because their voices, you know, are so beautiful. Sing the crap out of words, both of them. They sing the crap out of words. It's just like crazy. My favorite Jillian Jacqueline song, God bless Us Mess. It's my favorite song from one of my favorite artists. She's amazing. Yeah, let's see how about I Love Happy People felt like got the Shaft? I don't know what and I tell I would, I don't know that. Every part of the song was fantastic. I tell you, I don't know what. What radio people do, I don't know. And I literally have the biggest radio show in the history of the format of country music, and I have no idea what it works, like the radio part of it, like the how the honestly, I don't like, I know, I see you just do your thing, You just do you. I kind of love that that because I don't really know how the bustic business work. I brain might get messed up if we learned too much about it. I feel like if I learned the rules, then I played by them, okay. And so there's some that I kind have to pick up along the way. But like at that, how that song didn't work? Happy people? Whatever makes you happy people? And all the kids and all everybody dance and every part of that was wonderful. Video is great. I wrote that with Hayley Winners, who's amazing and she's an artist and just check her out because she is amazing. And that was her idea. She showed up at my house. Never met her. Well maybe i'd met her like for a second, you know, so you know, like you said, knock on the door and open the door, and she said, I want to write a song called happy People, and I was like, let's do it. You know. That was her vision and um and it was a wonderful song. Let me say yeah, number one in my heart, thank you? Oh yeah yeah, tell me about that real quick. That was amazing. I went to be on the Oprah Show because Faith pulled me in and Um, she was going to be on the show anyway, and the record was coming out Fireflies, and she said, why don't have my friend Laurie come up and we'll tell the story about you know, sort of this those being you know, those songs coming from you know, this housewife Massachusetts and UM, and sort of got to UM. What happened was, UM, I was scared out of my mind. I was getting used to Faith that you know, I'd only been around Faith a handful of times at that point. UM and it but it was really UM. It was right after Katrina that that UM. They taped that show, so there was a lot of things happening in the background because Oprah was was going to do a show down there and she was doing all this fundraising and all this stuff. So there was a ton of watching. UM sort of these people pull all together and and help you know, people in need and U and it was just it was, you know, we went to rehearsal the night before. Faith sang this UM, this gospel song called I Surrender All I believe It's called and we all just cried like babies, like cried like babies like Faith. Hill is one of the most soulful people I've ever had the experience to know. And I've seen her. I've seen her in Monroe, Louisiana sing a gospel song for a group of you know, thousands of people that have been standing in a field for you know, all day. It's a dry county, you know what I mean, They're just standing there, and she just shuts down the band for a second and start singing, and everybody goes to church like she is remarkable like that. So that's that was my takeaway. I had a couple of moments with Oprah just being so spiritual and and so like sort of just bighearted and watching them both communicate and how they were going to help people and um, New Orleans and it was great. It was great. Well, you'll, you know, deflect, but you are so beloved in this town. It's because I don't live here. That's I just don't think that's true. I don't think that's true. I'm gonna say, I'm so happy that you came. We got we've done it. We've done an hour, and uh, you know, you're one of my favorites. I'll tell you that. You know, that's true, and tell your husband us Hello, I well here, he had a couple of things you wanted me to talk to you about. My mother in law says, hello, this is a big deal for the Mechanic family. What what did he want you to talk to about? Something on microoff? Well, no, it was just like I was telling I left my ride and I was like, I'm hitting over to Bobby's. Well, he's in a new house. That's that's true. That's true, that's true. And I'm like, well do you know that? It's just so funny. He's like, but I hope it's comfortable there. I'm very comfortable. You should be. I'm very comfortable. Thanks for having I'm so happy listen. Um, I could I have a lot of other We could do eight hours of this, but how you come back and we'll do it again. They go over all your next set of number one and all the songs you've written my favorite artist, and I'm like, I can't believe this wasn't number one because it's so good. I know, and then you can we can still not know anything about Howly like, but do you know? No, I don't know yet. All right. This is episode one sixty two Laurie McKenna and you can follow Laurie on Instagram like I do, um, what is it? Just your name? It's Laura McKenna, m A from Massachusetts? What it is? And my kids call me by the way, not I know, I say l O R I Laurie is how I'm from the south would spelled. I'd say it wrong. Do you love Aarro Smith from Boston? Because I feel like a local local field to you? Yeah, pretty much. I think they're like really nice guys like seven Tyler, super nice. I told you if my husband works for the gas company and he's like every now and it'd be like he'll have to change a meter, He's like, I'm changing the meet Steven Tyler's house, you wouldn't believe it. I mean, I think that they're very um, sort of regular, you know, part of the community people. I've never met any of them, but everyone loves them. New kids on the block. I don't know them either, but I bet they're super nice. Hm. I just wonder who who's Who's like the big Boston group that you grew up listening to that was like the home team that made it, oh jeez, like the home that like they like my grandmother was Johnny Cash in Arkansas. When Bill Clinton made it was a big deal to us because it was somebody from like small town Arkansas was president who from around your your your hood. I cannot think, I cannot. Maybe it's you. Maybe everyone waited for Larry McCanns. I mean, it's gotta be new kids on the block, right, I mean it's gotta be that. I mean they're coming. I mean they're all over the place right now. Well again now they're like, it's the Wallburgs. It's the wallburg The Wallburgs are super nice. I think too. Kay No, But I was in the t s A line with the brother that owns a restaurant once and I was watching him with his kids and he seemed like a super nice That's how I judge people. But kay, Hanley do Okay, Hanley is letters Cleo. Okay Hanley. She's out in l A now and she does a bunch of stuff. But it's a rock band. Check it out. They're they're really there there there. It's probably nineties likely, Miss Cleo. This she's not from your head. But those wall Bergs are hard to beat, you know, I would we will settle on that the Wallburgs are the most famous people to come from your head. I think the Kennedy's and of course alright Episode one sixty two with Loria McKenna Laurie, thank you, thank you,