Cody Johnson officially has the No. 1 song in the country. The father of two is celebrating his third No. 1 single with “Dirt Cheap.” The song, which follows his previous chart-topping single, “The Painter.,” is from Johnson’s latest Leather album, released last November.
Written by Josh Phillips, Johnson felt an immediate affinity and connection to the song, the first time he heard it.
“I personally relate to this song because I have a ranch at home that I have memories with my daughters growing up with, memories with my wife and my horses and my dogs and my cows and things that mean a lot to a guy like me,” the Texan tells his record label. “So, when you hear that, know that that one comes from the bottom of my heart.”
The video for “Dirt Cheap,” which undoubtedly helped propel the song to the top of the charts, starred Johnson, along with country music legend Red Steagall.
“That’s one of my favorites,” Johnson told Yahoo, speaking of “Dirt Cheap.” “The first time I heard it I cried because I’m a cattle rancher. I breed roping horses and we work on a ranch in Texas and it is a lot. I’ve made a joke ever since we bought this ranch. I told my wife, ‘I hope you love this house because I’m never moving. I’ve already got the oak tree picked out where I’m going to be buried.’
“Being on that cattle ranch and having those places you hold dearly, to have the memories of your kids and your horses and dogs and your wife, that’s a big deal,” he continued. “So I really related to that song. I took that song to the first five toughest guys I know and played it for them, and they all cried, so I said, “Well we’ve got a winner here.”
Johnson’s first No. 1 single was “‘Til You Can’t,” released in 2021. In addition to his string of hit singles, the 37-year-old is also headlining his massive, and largely sold-out, Leather Tour, with fellow hitmaker Ashley McBryde joining him on dates this fall. It’s just part of Johnson’s proof that his unstoppable work ethic is working in his favor.
“This year has been incredible,” Johnson recently told the Country Music Association. “I think every time you have a big year, the ripples from the big year cause another big year, if you stay at it. If you stay on the ground, if you stay with your work ethic at its peak, and you stay driven, then the ripples of a big year always go into the next big year. For me, this year I’ve had so many moments with people singing the words to songs, and showing up almost by the 100,000, all over the place.
“They’re singing the songs, and I’m going, ‘Wow,’” he continues. “I was the guy that was told I wasn’t going to be on radio, but radio has done such a good job of playing it. Look at all these new fans. After 18 years of hard work, look at these new fans. I think that’s the biggest takeaway.”
Find “Dirt Cheap” and all of Johnson’s music and upcoming shows at CodyJohnsonMusic.com.