Boys Like Girls singer, Taylor Swift co-wrote a Hannah Montana song
Boys Like Girls dominated the scene in the mid-2000s with their self-titled debut, but in the midst of rocking out, they also paused to partner up with one of the biggest names in pop to pen a track for the Hannah Montana movie.
Fresh off the success of the 2006 scene staple “The Great Escape” and loads of touring, BLG frontman Martin Johnson began expanding his resume. Johnson joined forces with Taylor Swift to co-write ”You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home” for the 2009 Miley Cyrus-led Hannah Montana: The Movie.
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Apparently a little known fact, one Twitter user expressed what we’re all thinking.
“I was today years old when I found out this song was written by Taylor Swift and Martin Johnson from Boys Like Girls,” she says.
i was today years old when I found out this song was written by taylor swift & martin johnson from boys like girls pic.twitter.com/meZgD788JV
— helen chatham showalter (@helenchathams) October 2, 2018
Honestly, same. The fact was also pointed out in a reddit thread earlier this year.
Swift sings original song “Crazier” in the film, which appears on the soundtrack. She’s peak country-pop at the time as evidenced in the film’s clip.
This wouldn’t be the first time Swift and Johnson worked together as they reunited on BLG’s sophomore LP, Love Drunk. Swift appears on single “Two Is Better Than One,” which is so 2009 it hurts.
Johnson spoke about working with Swift in an interview with ArtisanNewsService in 2010, where he revealed he was surprised the duet worked out despite Swift being a fan.
“A couple years back, Taylor mentioned that one of her favorite songs at the moment was ‘Hero/Heroine’ in the Wall Street Journal when she was just first nominated for a Grammy,” Johnson says. “I was obsessed with her record at that time. Her lyrical writing reminded me of how I wrote lyrics—off the cuff and like a journal, just really personal. I was inspired by that, and I was inspired by her record.
Wanting to thank her for the mention, Johnson got in contact with Swift. The duo ended up writing some tracks together (presumably among them the Hannah Montana one), and BLG drummer John Keefe played on Swift’s LP Fearless. The collabs opened the door for BLG‘s next single.
“When it came time to do ‘Two Is Better Than One,’ it was missing this important element, and we couldn‘t figure it out,” he continues. “We realized it was the female vocal because it’s the lyric ‘two is better than one’ thing. Of course, she was the first person who came to mind. It was a longshot because she’s the biggest superstar right now.”
Read more: Taylor Swift loved the Academy Is… and Boys Like Girls just as much as you did in 2008
Taylor Swift may have started her career in country music, but, believe it or not, even while she crooned about “Tim McGraw” and strutted across the stage in sequin cowboy boots, she was a rubber-bracelet-wearing, Hot Topic-graphic-tee-buying teen who was actually into bands from the Warped Tour scene.
During fall 2008, around the release of her sophomore album Fearless, 19-year-old Swift started documenting her crazy touring life, recording and editing video blogs to post on her MySpace page. Naturally, she used her favorite songs at the time to soundtrack the videos including the Academy Is…
Also in 2008, during an episode of MTV’s short-lived reality series Once Upon A Prom, Swift and her best friend Abigail wore Boys Like Girls merch: Abigail donning a light-pink graphic tee and Swift rocking a purple and gold BLG logo zip-up.
In short, Swift loves the scene, and it led to more collaborations than “Two Is Better Than One.”
While Boys Like Girls have since parted ways, Johnson still makes music under the name the Night Game. He recently released his self-titled LP, which can be checked out here.
What do you think of this collaboration? Sound off in the comments!
