The most erotic song on Maren Morris's recently released album is “Push Me Over.” Featuring vocals from the members of the band Mona, whom Maren refers to as her “gay masters,” it gives a glimpse into what Morris is trying to convey in the lyrics: surrendering to the pleasures of finally dating a woman.
Morris discussed the new tune in an interview with Billboard , where the singer said her real life is reflected in all the songs on her new EP, “Intermission” — both in the more somber songs that address her recent divorce and the more sassy “Push Me Over,” her first real musical expression of her recently revealed bisexuality.
After suffering from what she described as “bipolar panic”, Morris said the trio offered her advice and support in her love life while they worked on the song.
“I remember I was on a date with this girl, and the date was great, but I couldn't handle it. So a lot “I had questions for Mona the next day,” Morris said. “I really felt like I was a student and I was with Jay’s teachers. They were so supportive, and that made this song the easiest to write. It gave me a boost and I feel like I couldn’t have written it without them.”
The new song's lyrics include lines like: “The necklace resting on your collarbone / Makes me wanna know / How your perfume will smell on me later / Can you take control? Show me where to go / I've never been here before / I don't know what it is, but I like the flavor.” Later, in the group verse, she sings: “I want you in my bed / 'Cause I don't need no more friends / The closer you get / I want you to push me / Sitting on the fence / It feels good between my legs / The closer you get / I want you to push me.”
Morris came out as gay in June when she posted on Instagram from a Pride event, writing: “Happy to be the B in LGBTQ+. Happy Pride.”
In an interview with Billboard , Morris admitted she wasn’t sure if this was the right way to tell her fans. “I think it was one of those things where I was like, ‘Does this really require an Instagram post?’ I didn’t feel like, ‘Oh, this is going to be a big bomb,’” she said. “I just think for any kind of artist who’s in a public-facing situation, telling people about it is a total no-no. Also, I feel like I’m not hiding any part of myself anymore. And it makes me sleep better at night.”
Morris has been outspoken as an LGBTQ+ ally in the past, including appearing at GLAAD events.
Perhaps it was her support for this community that led to a turning point with the mainstream country music industry. When country star Jason Aldean’s wife, Brittany Aldean, posted an Instagram post making fun of transgender youth, Morris jumped into the fray to denounce her, sparking a mini-culture war that made headlines within the country music world. Morris later announced that she would be backing out of country music awards shows and events as she decided how to move forward with her career.
She then announced her split from her husband, Ryan Hurd (who was vocally supportive of her stance during the Aldean fight). Her divorce serves as the inspiration for some of the other songs on her new album, “Intermission.” She says in a Billboard article that working on the EP “was an amazing distraction from the dumpster fire that was my life last fall. I know a lot of these songs helped me get through that.”
