Jamey Johnson on New Song ‘Smoke’ with Riley Green: ‘Riley’s Idea’

When two country stars like Jamey Johnson and Riley Green team up, fans know they’re in for something good. Their new track, “Smoke,” is soulful and full of Southern swagger. But according to Johnson, the credit goes to Green.   

Co-written by Johnson, Green, and Erik Dylan, the breakup song talks about “smoke” in the beginning in the literal sense (“She's hot, she's steaming / She's packing up and she's / Gone gone gone / Was that white cloud from her tailpipes”) and as a metaphor toward the end, (“This fog, this haze / Got me turning my give a damn / On and off”).  

Johnson and Green’s track perfectly shows the emotions a man goes through after realizing the demise of his relationship, and rather than facing the heartbreak, he tries to deny and pretend that he did not see her go because of all the “smoke.”  

“I couldn't see which way she went / Or which way I went wrong / I couldn't see why she left so early / Or why she stayed so long / There was something burning my eyes / And turning my head to stone / I bet it woulda hurt to watch her go / Well it's a good thing I can't see through all this smoke,” the chorus goes.   

Johnson said of the song via Country Now, “It was just a blast getting to write with Riley and Erik and a great song to get to record with Kyle and Moose at the helm.”  

He added, “He called me and we booked some time to get together with Erik Dylan. We sat down and scribbled it out over the course of about an hour. It has an interesting sound to it, with one part going down while the other part is going up. I like the whole concept of this guy not being too upset about whatever she is mad at. That smoke probably has a lot to do with it.”  

Green said, “Writing this song with Jamey was a lot of fun. After spending time on the road together earlier this year, it just felt natural to get in the studio and make some country music together.”  

After writing the track, Johnson recorded it and called Green after: “I guess I should have talked to him before I ran into the studio and recorded it. But I did what I did! I called and said, ‘Hey, where are you? I just recorded it.’ If he was thinking about recording it and putting it on his record, I guess I ruined that! My apologies to Riley Green.” He joked, “I probably owe Riley a song!”