About That Song: Caitlin Cannon
About That Song #72
In our special series, singer-songwriter Sarah Morris interviews artists about the songs that shaped them.
Hi! I’m Sarah Morris. I’m wildly in love with songs and the people who write them. There have been a few songs in my life that have been total gamechangers—songs that made me want to be a songwriter and songs I’ve written that made me feel like I am a songwriter. About That Song is a space where I can learn more about those pivotal songs in other writers’ lives.
For our 72nd edition, I was happy to connect with Caitlin Cannon! We talked about the songs and songwriters that had a big impact on her own writing, and we explored some singles off her upcoming record.
Caitlin Cannon. Photo credit: Stacie Huckeba.
Sarah: Hi Caitlin Cannon!! It's so lovely to connect with you here (or anytime). While you’re based in Tennessee, I've had the pleasure of sharing a show with you in Minnesota, and then spending some time on a ranch with you in Texas as part of Songwriter Serenade, where you won first place (YES!), and we all kind of won, too—because there was stellar BBQ, a lot of heartbreakingly good songs to hear, and deeply kind humans to interact with.
You just released a brand-new single and music video, “Love Addict,” which is the title track to your new album coming out on May 9th. It feels like a good excuse to reach out and talk to you about your songwriter journey! Do you remember the song you heard that made you want to be a songwriter? Tell us about that song.
Caitlin: Yes! It was “I Drink” by Mary Gauthier. I’d certainly loved songs deeply and had relationships with them, but this was the first one I heard that made me want to express myself that way. She took such a big hard thing that was personal to me and made it easy and palatable; at the same time, it took my breath away.
Sarah: Oh goodness, yes, that song also hits me a little like the best John Prine. It’s so conversational, so melodically accessible, and then just gut-wrenching in its truth.
Once you began writing, did you feel like a writer immediately? It took me a few years of writing before I believed it. Was there a song that gave you that “a-HA! I AM a songwriter!” moment? Tell us about that song.
Caitlin: I was SO bad at it. And it was very humbling, because I was supposed to be so good at something at that point in my life. But it was very important for me to allow myself to do it anyway, even though I felt I was bad at it (and believe me, I was right). And now I know how precious that time is when you’re endeavoring to do something with more passion than knowledge at a humbling pace. It’s an important time, and now I look back on it fondly because I know how essential it was.
Sarah: I appreciate your appreciation for that growing period. And that you had the deep love for the process to keep keeping at it. In the title track of your new album, “Love Addict,” you have the line “I think you may be the best drug in Tennessee.” I am a sucker for a lyric with Tennessee in it, and this goes down as one of my favorites. Can you tell us about that song?
Caitlin: Yeah, I’ve been to those meetings. The original title was Oxi—short for oxytocin, and it was a sexy science lesson. Honestly, I can get addicted to anything that feels good in the moment. The band really nailed the mood and groove which epitomizes that intoxicating feeling. Maybe that’s why we couldn’t stop, and the track ended up pushing five minutes. I like that about it.
Sarah: Pushing it to five minutes ALSO gave you extra time to lavish on that amazing music video you just released—congrats! “I’m in it for life, whatever that looks like”—this lyric opens the chorus of your song “My Own Company.” Sung to a melody with a wide swoop and sway, it hit me as an invitation to take up a little space (metaphorically, literally, who knows!). What can you tell us about that song?
Caitlin: I wrote this tune with my friend Kiely Connell around the time we lost Naomi Judd. And though the title gives it away, the lyrics don’t reveal that it’s about a relationship to oneself until the second verse. So, the meaning of “in it for life” changes from the traditional romantic partnership context to being about making a choice to live i.e. emphasis on life. I was listening to a lot of classic country during that time—old Leeann Womack records and Dawn Sears songs. I think you can definitely hear this influence in the production which wouldn’t be what it is without the lush string arrangements by Matt Combs.
Caitlin Cannon. Photo credit: Stacie Huckeba.
Sarah: Kiely recorded a version for her 2024 album as well—and I can see why. It’s so good. You close the new album with “Waiting,” a stunner of a song. I remember hearing you sing that in Texas and just falling in song-love. Can you tell us about that song?
Caitlin: Thank you, Sarah. I told this song from the perspective of my brother as a juvenile life-without-parole offender. He was incarcerated at 17, and continues to serve a life sentence at an Alabama state prison at 52 years old. When I told my brother I was going to write it, he asked me not to write about the possibility of his getting out, but to write about his best friend and high school sweetheart.
When I played it at the 30A Songwriters Festival, the song inspired a partnership with Jennifer Steele and the Cultural Arts Alliance to launch a prison songwriting program, called “Beyond Bars.” It’s now in residency at Walton Correctional Institution in Walton County, Florida.
Sarah: I’ve seen you post about that program online—it seems pretty incredible. Congratulations on that good, good work.
Do you have any upcoming Midwest shows where we might hear you sing that song?
Caitlin: I wish! Putting out records leaves little time for booking, but I do hope I’ll get to tour up that way later in 2025. Please pre-save the album so that when it comes out I can bring you a show!
Sarah: Done! Thank you so much for chatting with me today. Wishing you all the very best things with the release of Love Addict!
Pre-save Caitlin Cannon’s new album Love Addict, which comes out May 9, 2025!
Watch & listen to “Love Addict”
Love Addict Album Credits
Caitlin Cannon– vocalist, acoustic guitar, background vocalist, claps
Kree Harrison– background vocalist
Misa Arriaga– background vocalist, acoustic guitar, high strung, baritone, electric guitar, electric/tic tac, electric/baritone, percussion, claps, armadillo, piano, mellotron, vibes
Taylor Floreth– drums, percussion, triangle
Tommy Perkinson– drums, percussion
Jon Murray– bass guitar
Adam Meisterhans– electric guitar, electric/12 string, electric/tic tac, acoustic guitar, baritone
Eddy Dunlap– pedal steel, electric guitar, dobro
Ryan A. Keith– keys, rhodes, piano, claps
Matt Combs– strings
Nathaniel Smith– strings
Ilya Portnov– harmonica
Chris Gelbuda– background vocalist, acoustic guitar
Nate Heffron– horns, horns arranger
Ben Clark– horns
Luke Munday– background vocalist, banjo
Detailed credits available at www.caitlincannonmusic.com
All songs performed by Caitlin Cannon (BMI)
All songs produced, engineered and mixed by Misa Arriaga (BMI)
Recorded at Music City Studio B in wonderful Nashville, TN
Mastered at The Insanery by Casey Wood
Executive Producer – Kent Koefler
Graphic Design – Keith Brogden
Photography – Indi Pattinson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Morris. Photo credit: Tom Smouse.
Sarah Morris is a superfan of songs and the people who write them, and a believer that certain songs can change your life. A singer-songwriter / mama / bread maker / coffee drinker who recently released her fifth album of original material, she’s been known to joyfully sing with people in her Big Green Bathroom.
