Cody Johnson’s Love Songs: Honoring Classic Country With Modern Romance

Love themes are a common thread in many country music songs, and you can hear the raw emotion of love, life, and spirituality in many of Cody Johnson's songs. While he embraces the themes of love, he also addresses the challenge of maintaining strong relationships amidst life's difficulties. With his smoky baritone and blistering guitar riffs, Johnson, affectionately known as CoJo, is a favorite among country music enthusiasts, with songs such as “Monday Morning Merle” and “Human.” Fans can relate to his songs about small-town life, raising families, and the importance of community values.

Johnson was born in 1987 in Sebastopol, Texas, a tiny town on the shores of the Trinity River, about two hours north of Houston. This farming and ranching community is home to hardworking people who enjoy socializing at local gathering places to listen to songs by country music legends such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and George Strait.

Sebastopol is known for its spiritual community, and Johnson was influenced by his exposure to gospel music. His father played drums in the local congregation, and Johnson also learned to play the drums and eventually the guitar. While his love of music and playing grew by playing with a band in small venues, he also ventured into another one of his passions, bull riding.

Being a bull rider has its challenges, especially on the rider's body, and Johnson eventually decided he'd had enough of the sport and decided to pursue his musical career full time. Today, he lives on a ranch in East Texas with his wife and two children, where he also teaches competitive team roping. With his Texas roots, strong family values, relatable lyrics, and traditional style, Johnson is one of the faces and sounds of modern country music.

From his early roots playing in the church to founding the Cody Johnson Band in 2006, Johnson is no stranger to playing live. However, it wasn't until 2011 and the release of his album A Different Day that he was able to support himself and his family by making music.

His song “Diamond In My Pocket” described his life as a rising star in the country music industry with the support of his love interest, and fans loved it for the easy-going lyrics and distinct toe-tapping steel guitar sound. In 2018, Johnson signed with Warner Music Nashville and released the album Ain't Nothin' to It in 2019. His first single from the album, “On My Way to You,” was a hit with relatable lyrics, blistering guitar work, and the theme of ultimately finding love.

Traditional country music has a distinct sound characterized by fiddles, steel guitars, and twangy voices, with lyrics about country life, having a beer with your friends, and raising a family. In the 1970s, outlaw country music dominated, with artists such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Waylon Jennings singing songs of rebellion with a touch of rock and roll.

By the 1980s, traditional country music was being infiltrated by pop and R&B, and many fans became disappointed by the shift in sound. Country artist George Strait brought back traditional sounds with a modern twist, creating a new genre of country music: neotraditional.

Johnson embraces the neotraditional style with modern lyrics that resonate with contemporary society, while keeping those themes of love, family, having a beer, and being a cowboy in the songs. Johnson shies away from pop elements in his music, and that's one of the reasons he has such a huge following of fans who adore and appreciate traditional country music with a modern sound.

Not only is Cody Johnson a prolific songwriter, but he has also collaborated with other country music superstars to write and sing love songs, such as his 2024 duet with Carrie Underwood, “I'm Gonna Love You.” This sweet song is about falling in love and getting married, and it's already a favorite at weddings.

In early 2025, Cody collaborated with Mexican singer/songwriter Carín León on the song “She Hurts Like Tequila,” with its steel guitar and distinctly Latin influence highlighting the blending of these two cultures and musical genres. This love song portrays how passion can be uplifting and, at times, painful.

While not a traditional country love song, Johnson's collaboration with Jelly Roll, “Whiskey Bent,” has lyrics that talk about the destruction of relationships due to overindulgence in alcohol. However, with the love of a supportive partner, there is hope for restoring a hurt relationship and achieving sobriety. The 2020 duet with Reba McEntire, “Dear Rodeo,” is a love song about passion for doing what you love, in this case, bull riding and the rodeo.

Family values are a strong and recurring theme in Johnson's music. In his romantic song “The Painter,” he sings about how wonderful and supportive his wife is, and how she has made him see the world in a better way.

In “Dirt Cheap,” Johnson highlights how an elderly couple hangs on to their property because of the memories they have of raising a family there and how much the land means to them. The tongue-in-cheek song about a father with wild ways who tries to tell his son why he can't settle down, “Son of a Ramblin' Man,” written by Vince Gill, is a funny yet poignant song. While satirical, it still highlights how humans can fall, no matter the cost.

Johnson's neotraditional style of country music is evident in his use of acoustic and electric guitars, steel guitar, staggered drumbeats, and country dance hall rhythms. Many of his songs have a toe-tapping quality that begs the listener to get up and dance. His newest releases, such as “Leather,” which talks about the life of a cowboy, and “The Fall,” about life's ups and downs, show Johnson's understanding of human nature and that, with love, forgiveness, and spirituality, anyone can redeem themselves.