Sunrise

Album: One Thing At A Time (2023)
Charted: 30
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Songfacts®:

  • Morgan Wallen's ex is long gone, but dang if she don't keep poppin' up in his mind like the sunrise, from mornin' till night when he finally lays down to sleep.
  • Wallen recorded this John Byron and Blake Pendergrass-penned song for One Thing at a Time. Byron co-penned nine tracks on the album, including the smash hit "Last Night." Pendergrass contributed to eight tracks in total, including the similarly rap-influenced songs "Ain't That Some" and "180 (Lifestyle)."
  • Joey Moi and Jacob Durrett's production bolsters the lyrics with handclaps and swelling synth programming.
  • The use of a sunrise in a heartbreak song is an unusual approach. Songwriters more frequently use the rising sun as a metaphor for a fiery, burning, passionate love. Some examples:

    "Sunrise" by Norah Jones: Jones compares the eyes of her lover to the morning sun.

    "Sunrise" by Simply Red: Likewise, as singer Mick Hucknall looks into his lover's eyes, he sees the sunrise.

    "Sunrise" by Rascal Flatts: Lead vocalist Gary LeVox supports a heartbroken soul telling them, "We're gonna change your life. One sunrise at a time."

    "Mykonos" by Fleet Foxes is closer in theme to Wallen's song. While not explicitly about a former lover, it describes the pain of nostalgia and memories that continue to resurface like a sunrise that never fades.

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