Congratulations to Cody Johnson and Carrie Underwood! The two just claimed the top spot on the charts, with their “I’m Gonna Love You” duet. The song is from Johnson’s latest Leather Deluxe Edition album.
“I’m incredibly grateful to country radio for making ‘I’m Gonna Love You’ my fourth #1 single!” Johnson writes on social media. “Sharing this milestone with the amazing Carrie Underwood makes it even more meaningful. Thank you Chris Stevens, [Kelly Archer and Travis Denning] for writing this incredible song that I get to sing with the best fans in the world every night on tour.”
Denning commented on the photo, saying, “Grateful just doesn’t come close. Thank y’all for making this song a dream come true.”
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Denning originally wanted to record “I’m Gonna Love You” himself, either as a solo, or with Underwood. But when pitched to Underwood, the superstar gently declined.
“I thought it was a beautiful song, but I felt like it might be better for a male artist to sing,” Underwood tells Billboard. “Plus it didn’t really fit with the direction of where my new album at the time was going.”
“They gave me the nicest answer of ‘no’ ever,” Denning recalls of Underwood turning down his offer of a collaboration.
When the song was, years later, pitched to Johnson, he agreed to do the song, but only if he could do it with Underwood.
I get the song and as soon as I hear it, I went ‘Carrie Underwood,'” Johnson recounts. “And they’re like, ‘Well, what about this person, what about this person.’ I’m like, ‘Nope, it’s Carrie Underwood.’ So then, once Carrie and I are in the studio, she’s like, ‘You know, I had this song. This is the second time it’s come into my life’ and I’m like, ‘Well, that’s if that’s not meant to be. I don’t know what is.'”
It was Underwood who picked the key that the two sang “I’m Gonna Love You In,” finding a spot that worked perfectly for both of their voices.
“We found a spot right in the middle to where she could really do something that she doesn’t normally get to do,” Johnson explains. “It’s that soulful, sultry, sexy kind of low end thing, and it left my vocal right in the middle, it blended better with the harmonies, but she still gets to show off who she is.”
It was also Underwood who suggested the two sing “I’m Gonna Love You” together live in the studio, even though that wasn’t the original intention.
“I did my part; I did my vocal part, and we had it done,” Johnson says. “When she came into the studio, she did her part, and we’re listening back to it. We both kind of had this look like it just didn’t hit you. It didn’t slap you in the face like I thought it would.”
“She’s like, ‘I think we should sing it live. Let’s just go in and sing it live together,'” he remembers. “So, glass between the two microphones. Well now, we’re singing in church.”
Find “I’m Gonna Love You” at CodyJohnsonMusic.com.