You Can

Album: Single Release Only (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Jamey Johnson penned this love song with frequent Kip Moore collaborator Dan Couch back in the mid-2000s. He never felt like it was the right time to release the tune until February 2015 when he made it available to his fans on iTunes. "I still had a bunch of songs that didn't seem to fit this record or that one," he told Rolling Stone Country, "but some of them are my favorite songs."
  • Johnson released the song through his own label, Big Gassed Records, which he founded in 2014. "What I'm looking to do is supply my music to my fans. That way we don't have to keep 'em waiting four years for another album," he explained. "We don't have to figure out where we can slide in the line. We just do it."
  • The song finds Johnson likening the power his woman has over him to various unachievable feats.

    I can't win a fight just by puttin' down your mother
    Can't make a baby just by looking at each other
    Can't go to sleep unless I close my eyes
    And can't nobody make a grown man cry like you can


    "I just started off these lines and batted a few at [Dan], and we found we were loaded with 'em," Johnson recalled. "We had enough to write this one down quick."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

Actors With Hit Songs

Actors With Hit SongsMusic Quiz

Many actors have attempted music, but only a few have managed a hit. Do you know which of these thespians charted?

Grunge Bands Quiz

Grunge Bands QuizMusic Quiz

If the name Citizen Dick means anything to you, there's a chance you'll get some of these right.

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.

Eric Clapton

Eric ClaptonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really write "Cocaine" while on cocaine? This question and more in the Clapton edition of Fact or Fiction.