Morgan Dawson recently released her debut EP, titled This Ain't War. The EP contains 5 songs, ranging from uptempo rockers like the closer "Rebel Child," to empowering songs like "Walking Through the Fire" and of course, some good ol' country ballads. "Lyin'" is one of those, and it is also the best song on the EP. Morgan took the time to answer some questions about the inspiration and making of this incredible song.
Writers: Morgan Dawson, Maile Misajon and Mike Mobley
Producer: Jeremy Stover from Red Creative Group
Inspiration for the song:
"Well, there was a guy that I had totally fallen for (he didn’t know this of course). We started off as best friends in college and that friendship grew into a mutual liking for one another. We would always “talk," as people now days put it but it was hard to make anything official due to him transferring schools. Long story short, we started seeing other people but the thought of seeing him with another girl hurt…like physical heartache. I thankfully never saw them together but this song “Lyin” is how I imagined myself acting in public if we were to run into each other. I’d put on a smile, ask him how he’s been, act like it didn’t hurt when in reality I couldn’t imagine anything more heartbreaking."
The process of writing the song:
"This song was actually pretty fun and easy to write. I had come in with a chorus melody and a few chorus lines with the song title. With Mike Mobley's crazy guitar skills and lyrics and Maile Misajon's melodic/lyrical vision to really come full circle with this story, this song quickly became my personal favorite. Between the 3 of us we fed off of each others ideas and ended up writing a pretty killer song in only a couple hours. For me, it is amazing hearing one of my real life stories and experiences come to life."
Specific influences on the production of the track:
Growing up, I definitely loved all styles of music so I knew I wanted something fun and modern but still wanted to keep my country roots close in the music.
Favorite lyric:
"'Told you how I felt so I don’t have to feel this silent heartache, cause as far as you know' would definitely be my favorite lyric because it is something so true. For the longest time, I would say to my friends, 'I’m so in love with him and he doesn’t even know it.' So to be able to put something so real and raw that I’ve said so many times before was definitely a good feeling."
What this song means to Morgan:
"“Lyin” is my personal favorite [on the EP] because I think so many of us in our day to day lives put on a brave face and play this perfect part when in reality we’re all just lying about the hurt or the hard times we may be going through. This song really lays out the truth so many of us know and doesn’t hold back."
Producer: Jeremy Stover from Red Creative Group
Inspiration for the song:
"Well, there was a guy that I had totally fallen for (he didn’t know this of course). We started off as best friends in college and that friendship grew into a mutual liking for one another. We would always “talk," as people now days put it but it was hard to make anything official due to him transferring schools. Long story short, we started seeing other people but the thought of seeing him with another girl hurt…like physical heartache. I thankfully never saw them together but this song “Lyin” is how I imagined myself acting in public if we were to run into each other. I’d put on a smile, ask him how he’s been, act like it didn’t hurt when in reality I couldn’t imagine anything more heartbreaking."
The process of writing the song:
"This song was actually pretty fun and easy to write. I had come in with a chorus melody and a few chorus lines with the song title. With Mike Mobley's crazy guitar skills and lyrics and Maile Misajon's melodic/lyrical vision to really come full circle with this story, this song quickly became my personal favorite. Between the 3 of us we fed off of each others ideas and ended up writing a pretty killer song in only a couple hours. For me, it is amazing hearing one of my real life stories and experiences come to life."
Specific influences on the production of the track:
Growing up, I definitely loved all styles of music so I knew I wanted something fun and modern but still wanted to keep my country roots close in the music.
Favorite lyric:
"'Told you how I felt so I don’t have to feel this silent heartache, cause as far as you know' would definitely be my favorite lyric because it is something so true. For the longest time, I would say to my friends, 'I’m so in love with him and he doesn’t even know it.' So to be able to put something so real and raw that I’ve said so many times before was definitely a good feeling."
What this song means to Morgan:
"“Lyin” is my personal favorite [on the EP] because I think so many of us in our day to day lives put on a brave face and play this perfect part when in reality we’re all just lying about the hurt or the hard times we may be going through. This song really lays out the truth so many of us know and doesn’t hold back."