John Morgan Calls Out Jason Aldean For 'Friends Like That' Radio Single: 'How Much Fun Is It Now When Two Friends Sing Together?'

Alone in his house, surrounded by friends.

This is the contradictory situation presented in John Morgan's first radio single, a collaboration with Jason Aldean called “Friends Like That.” The two singers are definitely friends on a professional level, as Morgan wrote three of Aldean's recent hits and is signed to Aldean's record label, Night Train, which is affiliated with BBR Music Group.

But the pals in “Friends Like That” are a bit more showy: pranks and voices telling the protagonist he's better off alone than burdened by the woman who just walked out on him. Broken hearts aren't usually pleasant, though the breezy melody and throbbing guitars on “Friends Like That” make the loneliness sound appealing.

“That was kind of the point,” says Morgan, “to relieve a heavy subject.”

Mission accomplished — with a little help from some friends.

Morgan wrote “Friends Like That” in September 2020 — at the height of the pandemic — at Cornman Music in Nashville, where songwriter Will Bundy (“Half Of Me,” “Brown Eyes Baby”) maintains an office. They were joined by Lydia Vaughan (“If I Didn't Love You”, “Out Of That Truck”) and Brent Anderson (“Cab In A Solo”, “Lonely Tonight”), seemingly a team of writers who were interacting between them in different combinations for several years.

The day began – as it did for so many Americans during this time period – rather without direction. No one had any ideas they were passionate about, so they chatted and pitched and thought for a while until something caught their eye. This something was a mysterious guitar riff that sounded like it was leading somewhere. It was perfect for an intro and interesting enough that Vaughan insisted they make it part of the melody later in the song. It became the basis for the pre-chorus, setting the tone for the chorus, which they attacked before they even knew where they were going.

“A lot of times the pre-chorus is just a transition piece to get you from A to B,” Anderson says. “The fact that, as far as I know, that song started with that track is probably why it stands out.”

His co-writers are convinced Anderson is spitting out the title “Friends Like That,” though none of them know how he got there. It was clear, however, that they were writing a breakup song, with the singer heeding his friends' advice to pull himself together and move on. The discussions of the song, however, took place in front of a fire at home. Friends were music (Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings) and alcohol (Jack Daniel's), and staying home with them talked a lot.

“When something like this happens to you, a lot of people write about the bar,” says Morgan. But having the character stay at home “was more real to me, because when I'm upset or whenever something happens, I just don't want to talk to anybody.”

Buoyed by “Willie,” “Jack” and “Waylon,” the singer addresses his absent ex with a dismissive payoff at the end of the chorus: “Who needs you when I've got friends like this?”

As smug as the guy is trying to sound at that point, he showed a problematic view when the writers started filling in the blanks in the first verse. They set the scene with much of that opening stanza – it's after sunset, with the ex's keys on the table. By the time they got to that transitioning pre-chorus, the lyrics refocused on his “friends,” changing the feel from lonely vibe to party central.

In the second verse, the singer recalled the pair's better days, reiterated that he didn't need her anymore and – when the pro-voice returned – boasted that he “got the buds to get me over it”. It may take several listens to realize that while “buds” is short for “buddies,” it might as well just be “buds.”

“It walks me a fine line where it's not completely hidden,” Bundy says of the weed report. “It's kind of camouflaged in a nice way.”

The bridge becomes extremely cheerful, with a call-and-response element, while the villains start talking to the protagonist, “telling me I don't need you anymore.” “It's a great time for monotone,” notes Vaughan. “I just thought it was really catchy. I don't know that it necessarily revealed anything new about the story that wasn't already there, but we all loved it.”

Aldean and two of his band members, bassist Tully Kennedy and guitarist Kurt Allison, produced “Friends Like That” at Nashville's Sound Emporium with Kennedy's adventurous bass and Mike Johnson's haunting steel adding some sonic burn in the piece. Morgan played the opening riff and guitar solo, but was particularly impressed by the crew. He brought up a driving rhythm element to Tom Petty's “Running Down A Dream” when they got to the bridge, and guitarist Rob McNelly immediately locked onto it. “Seeing how professional these guys are is incredible,” says Morgan.

Bundy produced Morgan's final vocal session on Ocean Way. Morgan didn't need much direction – the song was written to fit his voice – but he certainly paid attention when Buddy gave him notes. “It's like driving a Mercedes when you record John's vocals,” says Bundy. “The great thing about John is that we're also such good friends that I can criticize him and be hard on him, and he takes it and runs with it. You know it's going to make it better.”

Morgan's solo version of “Friends Like That” became his most played song, amassing 23 million streams on Spotify after its release on September 30, 2022. Aldean thought they should take it to radio. He also suggested that maybe he should add his voice to it, providing a little extra promotional incentive for developers to add it.

Originally, Aldean wanted to just sing the second verse. Eventually, Morgan convinced him to do more – including a call-and-response segment on the bridge and a background in the closing moments. Aldean also makes subtle melodic changes, adding a bluesy note here or there that creates a little extra grit. “That's what's so bad about him,” Anderson says. “He did it from the beginning.”

Night Train and Broken Bow released the Morgan/Aldean remix to country radio via PlayMPE on April 8th and set April 22nd as its official drop date. “The song itself is called 'Friends Like That' — how fun is it now that two friends sing it together?” Vaughn asks.

In the end, “Friends Like That” will sink or swim in the lead vocals, dynamic outlaw references, and the delusion that lurks just beneath the surface of the song's relentless beat. The recently dumped guy in the song is a character everyone knows.

“There's some bitterness in there, but also some sarcasm,” says Morgan. “Also, you know, [he’s] lying through his teeth.'