Maren Morris talks about the songs on her album Hero.

  “Sugar”
“The day we wrote ‘Sugar’ it was just a title that sounded cool, and I didn’t know what it would be about but we knew we wanted it to be really fun. I think I wanted to open the record with ‘Sugar’ because we open the shows with it a lot of times, and it’s just such a fun note to start off on…and sort of like the woman taking charge in the relationship and being forthcoming, so that’s how that song came to be.”

  “Rich”
“Rich was initially intended to be sort of a heart breaking moment on the record, and I feel like the day we wrote it, it was going to be a really sad song. ‘If I had a dime every time you’ve ripped my heart out, I would be rich.’ But then I don’t know it was just so catchy and clever that we had to make it really fun and funky so that was a really fun write that day because it’s like you never know where the song is going to end up until your there, but it’s one of my favorite moments on the record.”

  “My Church”
“My song ‘My Church’ has, I mean where do I even begin, it’s just, it’s changed my life in so many ways because you know I’m a new artist getting to hear their song on the radio. I’m getting to see the reaction of the audience when I start that first chord of it, and you know, it’s given me a job basically, it’s given me a career, and a platform, and I feel like I’ve gotten to reach so many more people because of the emotional resonance of that song, and so it’s changed my life in so many ways.”

   “I Could Use a Love Song”
“With that song once we were finished with it, it just felt so satisfying and fun to listen back to because it just touches on so many concepts of…it’s not exactly like a love loss song only, it’s really just about getting in your car and driving, and scanning the radio to find something that will maybe remind you that love is possible again. It’s this really beautiful moment of desperation on the record, and it’s one of my favorites.”

  “80’s Mercedes”
“Even non 90’s babies have told me that they love that song because it’s just so fun, and I liked that that day I was sort of equating myself to this car like ‘Ain’t made for practicality, yeah I guess she’s just like me.’ I feel like that day it was just fun for me to really dive in, and write the song from a different perspective, but if you’re driving a Jetta or a Pinto it’s like for that three minute moment of the song you’re in a freaking Mercedes. So, I think that’s the headspace I was in the day we wrote it, but I didn’t grow up around cool cars. (laugh)”

  “Drunk Girls Don’t Cry”
“The song ‘Drunk Girls Don’t Cry’ was inspired by a true story, a true conversation I had with a friend that kept dating this looser, and he just didn’t treat her right. I feel like it’s a really fun way of saying please get your act together, for the love of God. So I hope that people can get a kick and a laugh out of it, but also kind of look at themselves in the mirror and see wow I deserve a lot better than this.”

  “How it’s Done”
“’How it’s Done’ was inspired by something I was experiencing personally around that time and it was just a guy friend that I had really strong feelings for that was going through his own emotional downswing, and I just felt like I’m going to be your hero today, and it ended up being just a really sexy, confident way of a women saying I’m going to make it better.”

   “Just Another Thing”
“The day that we wrote ‘Just Another Thing’ I was with my friend Shane McAnally, who I love, and then Matt Dragstrem, who is hilarious, and they’re both so talented. We were in the studio that day and I think Shane and I were just talking about building this chorus in a way where it’s like the girl is definitely the mess in this song, and keeps going back this really comforting almost drug sort of type of love.”

  “I Wish I Was”
“’I Wish I Was’ plainly states that I’m not the hero in the story and that song really set the wheels in motion for this album being made, and me having the guts to become an artist from a songwriter. So, from that day being the bad guy and admitting it, piece by piece I’ve gotten to gain more of myself back and become a hero in the process. And so, it just seemed obvious to name the album after that part of the song, and so that song is definitely the heart of this record.”

  “Second Wind”
“The message behind ‘Second Wind’ is basically getting over this fear that you’re being forgotten about, and basically taking charge and saying you wish you could forget about me, just wait until you see what I’m about to do, I’m about to catch my second wind. I think that really is so relatable because it’s such an empowering song, but it’s not preachy at all, it’s like a very heroic moment on the record, so it just made so much sense for me to do my own version of it.”

  “Once”
“I think ‘Once’ fits so well on Hero because it really is the last statement on a very heartbreaking story I had to go through to make this album, and have the guts to, so, I feel like even though it’s a really, really hard part of my life to revisit, and it was hard to write that day as cathartic as it was, and necessary and therapeutic as that was, I don’t know this person will ever hear it or ever want to hear but I knew that I had to say it for my own heart and well-being.”