On the Nov. 8 broadcast of The Kelly Clarkson Show, its host sang fellow Texan Cody Johnson's award-winning, chart-topping heart-song "'Til You Can't." Clarkson's soprano voice turned the throwback country hit into a twanged-up power ballad.
It was yet another chance for Clarkson to fly her country fan flag in a "Kellyoke" segment and the latest prime example of the song-interpreting talent that made her the original American Idol winner.
The segment aired one day before Johnson's co-write with Ben Stennis (Tim McGraw's "Neon Church") and Matt Rogers (Jimmie Allen and Brad Paisley's "Freedom Was a Highway") won the CMA's coveted Single of the Year honor. The heartfelt hit about living life to its fullest also won Music Video of the Year.
"When I recorded the song, I thought about it as a husband, as a father," Johnson told Wide Open Country and other media outlets at the song's No. 1 party. "With two young girls, 7 and 5, I have the opportunity to shape them. Like the Bible says, 'Train up your child in the way they should go.' You have an opportunity to shape their lives.
"After the song was recorded, I really started thinking about our fanbase," he continued. "With our fanbase, I have an opportunity to be the guy that says that message and reminds them that yes, we're all at shows and drinking and partying and having fun. We're there for the moment and just letting life go for a little bit. But just a reminder, the important things are to do it while we're here because we're not always going to be here. Do all of those things that are important to you while you're here, whether it is husband, wife, child or as a parent, a son or a daughter. Whatever it is, make sure you're trying to milk your life for all that it's worth."
