Megan Moroney Wants to Get Inside Girls’ Brains

Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

May 25th, 2023 12:10 PM

Megan Moroney’s “Tennessee Orange” is in the top five on the country charts this week, and it could very well be Megan’s first chart-topper in country music.

Moroney’s told us in a recent interview that musically, her influences are Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, and Taylor Swift.

She said of Swift, “She’s one that I forget she influenced me because she’s just always been around, and she’s always been in my brain. I look at Taylor Swift, and I’m like, ‘How did she know exactly how I feel?'”

Megan is looking to do the same with her fan base. She notes, “I’m hoping that when people listen to this record, younger girls, they will have the same thought like, ‘How did she know this? Is she up here (point to her brain)?’ Just be very relatable and honest, and I definitely think that Taylor Swift had a huge impact on my music.”

Moroney explains how her songwriting process goes. She said, “When I am going through something, I know that I have the ability to write songs somehow, and I try to be as honest with myself and how I feel and why I feel that way as I can. And then put it in a way that is digestible to other people. It’s therapeutic to me, and that’s the number one reason that I do it because I just need an outlet to get my feelings out.”

She concludes, “If I am going through a heartbreak, I need to really sit down and find out why I feel this way and why this happened and that kind of stuff because I can use my words to help people with what they are going through.”

RELATED: Megan Moroney's 'Tennessee Orange' Video Almost Didn't Happen

Moroney’s debut album Lucky was released earlier this month (5/5), featuring the hit song “Tennesee Orange.” Megan told us, “I’ve wanted to release my debut album since I moved to town. Now that it’s done, I’m just so proud of the songs. I’ve been working on it for a lot longer than people think I have been.”

One song that stands out in the new album is a song she co-wrote called “I’m Not Pretty.” Moroney shared with us how the song came about saying, “It was 2 am, and one of my ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriends accidentally liked one of my photos from 2016 in Panama City. It’s still on my Instagram. You can go look for it.”

Taylor Swift’s 13 Finest Country Songs

• 13. “Fearless” (2010)

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  Taylor wrote "Fearless" while traveling on tour to promote her self-titled debut studio album (2006) in regard to the fearlessness of falling in love and eventually titled her second studio album after the song. The song narrates a perfect first date.

• 12. “Picture to Burn” (2008)

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  Classic Swift. The first album's single was chosen as a single based on the audience's reaction to it in concert. The lyrics concern setting fire to photographs of a former boyfriend.

• 11. “Back to December” (2011)

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  Taylor said that "Back to December" is an apology to a past lover in the form of a song. She said, "I've never felt the need to apologize in a song before. But in the last two years, I've experienced a lot, including a lot of different kinds of learning lessons. And sometimes you learn a lesson too late, and at that point, you need to apologize because you were careless."
• 10. “Love Story” (2008)

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  Another early career single. This song was huge for Swift receiving widespread critical praise, with many complimenting her writing style and the song's catchiness. The single peaked atop the chart in Australia, where it was certified ten times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). It reached the top five on charts in Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, and the U.K., and was one of the best-selling singles of 2009 worldwide.

• 9. “Mean” (2011)

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  The banjo in this song is infectious. A song Taylor wrote in response to people who criticize whatever she does. She said, "there's constructive criticism, there's professional criticism, and then there's just being mean. And there's a line that you cross when you just start to attack everything about a person."

• 8. “Highway Don’t Care” (with Tim McGraw featuring Keith Urban) (2013)

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  A great collaboration with the man who she wrote her very first single, "Tim McGraw," about. Adding Keith Urban's guitar to this makes it close to a masterpiece.
• 7. “That’s When” (with Keith Urban) (2021)

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  A song from Taylor that, with the addition of Keith Urban, makes it country in my book. From Taylor's "Vault." Keith said he listened to the song while sitting in a mall food court and "loved it."

• 6. “You Belong with Me” (2009)

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  Another classic. "You Belong with Me" was ranked among the greatest songs of the 2000s decade by both CMT and VH1. The song's music video features Swift portraying two characters: an ordinary girl (the protagonist and narrator) and a popular girl (the antagonist and girlfriend).

• 5. “I Bet You Think About Me” (featuring Chris Stapleton) (2021)

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  As usual, Stapleton's voice adds so much to this song. From Taylor's Red (Taylor's Version) album.
• 4. “Tim McGraw” (2006)

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  The song that started it all. The moment a young teenage Taylor singing the song on the ACM Awards show and went into the audience to sing it directly to McGraw himself is legendary. She wrote "Tim McGraw" during her freshman year of high school, knowing that she and her senior boyfriend would break up at the end of the year when he left for college.

• 3. “Our Song” (2007)

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  One of Taylor's finest songs, and is on her debut album. Swift wrote "Our Song" for a high school talent show during her freshman year; the lyrics are about a young couple using the regular events in their lives to create their own song. She persuaded Big Machine Records to include the song on her debut album because it was popular among her classmates.

• 2. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (2012)

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  This is scarily catchy, and so good. Music critics praised the track for its catchy melody and radio-friendly sound. The song appeared in year-end lists by Rolling Stone, Time, and The Village Voice.
• 1. “Better Man” (2021)

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  A huge hit and Grammy-winning song for Little Big Town. The song also won Song of the Year and was nominated for Single of the Year and Music Video of the Year at the 2017 CMA Awards for Little Big Town. The lyrics are powerful. Taylor's version is just, well, the best, and that's why it tops the list.

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Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

Category:

• Country 103.7
• Music

Tags:

Megan Moroney,Taylor Swift