Not a want but a need.

In honor of Veterans Day, Cody Johnson finally released his official studio cover of “Travelin’ Soldier,” which fans have been begging him to do for years at this point. You’ve probably seen the mega-viral video of Cody’s acoustic performance of the song, which first went viral back in June of 2020, during the height of the pandemic, when CoJo did a live stream with his backing band.

He eventually released an acoustic cover on his YouTube channel in March of 2022, and it exploded from there. Once Johnson released it as a single, it exploded on streaming platforms as well, becoming the highest charting song of Johnson’s career, debuting at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, which encompasses all musical genres. It also got nearly 15 million global streams in its first week, making it the No. 1 streamed country song for the week and placing it at No. 11 across all genres. The track also debuted in the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Country Chart.

Cody Johnson explained that he’s known he would cut “Travelin’ Soldier” for a while, and it’s been an incredible journey getting to hear so many stories from his fans about what this song means to them:

“It’s been three years since we released an acoustic cover of ‘Travelin’ Soldier.’ The fans responded so enthusiastically and began requesting it during our live shows, so it’s remained on the set list. I had no idea that it was going to give me the opportunity to hear, see, and bring words to y’all’s stories.

I knew at some point, when the time felt right, we needed to record it in the studio.”

While “Travelin’ Soldier” was well worth the wait for a studio cut, there is another cover from Johnson that I’m hoping he has the same plans to take to the studio one day. His cover of Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman.”

Johnson recorded the cover back in 2021 as a part of his CMT Campfire Session, and it’s genuinely a flawless nod to Glen Campbell. The track was written in 1968 by Jimmy Webb for Glen Campbell and is considered one of the first existential country songs. Bob Dylan even once called “Wichita Lineman” the “greatest song ever written,” and it’s stood the test of time, making the Rolling Stone list of 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time, landing at number 206.

Webb was inspired to write the tune while driving through the Oklahoma Panhandle and seeing lines of telephone poles, putting himself in the place of one of those linemen, talking on the phone to his girlfriend. Although the Oklahoma plains inspired the tune, Webb set the song in Kansas.

“I am a lineman for the county
And I drive the main road
Searchin’ in the sun for another overload

I hear you singing in the wire
I can hear you through the whine
And the Wichita lineman
Is still on the line…”

Over the years, the track has been covered by numerous artists, including Dwight Yoakam, Midland, Drake Milligan, and more. While all those covers are excellent to say the least, something about Johnson’s silky smooth twangs and cowboy background makes the words pop a smidge more. “Wichita Lineman” represents the complex thoughts of a blue collar lineman. As Johnson delivers the lyrics while sitting around a fire, viewers are captivated by the ease with which he delivers them and by the emotion he conveys. It’s genuinely the perfect fireside performance.

Cody Johnson, this is the cover we ask you to take to the studio next. The world needs it.

If you aren’t familiar with the performance, check it out:

And without the original, we would not have this stellar version to enjoy, so fire up Glen Campbell’s version while you’re here, too: