The daughter of singer George Morgan, she made her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry at age thirteen, performing Marie Osmond's "Paper Roses." Her father died when she was sixteen.
When her father died in 1975, she took over his band and began leading the group through various club gigs. Within a few years she disbanded the group, and in 1977 she went on to play with the Little Roy Wiggins band. She then became a receptionist and demo singer at Acuff-Rose, where she also wrote songs.
In 1978, she had one minor hit single; the following year another minor hit with "I'm Completely Satisfied", an electronically dubbed duet with her late father. She began touring Nashville nightclubs and opened for a number of acts, including Jack Greene, Billy Thunderkloud, and Jeannie Seely. She toured as a duet partner with George Jones and spent two years as part of the Opryland USA bluegrass show and as a regular singer on TNN's Nashville Now.
In 1983, TNN was launched as the first cable network devoted to country music. Morgan was a regular on the show Nashville Now, singing towards the end of each show.
In 1984, Morgan scored a minor hit with "Don't Go Changing". That year she became the youngest singer ever to join the Grand Ole Opry.
In 1988, Morgan was signed with RCA Records, her first major label.
In 1989, Morgan's first album Leave the Light On was released; "Trainwreck of Emotion" became her first Top 20 hit, followed by her first major hit with "Dear Me".
In 1990, Morgan had her first number one single, "Five Minutes". That song was also featured in her album Leave the Light On, which went gold.
In 1991, Morgan's second album Something in Red went platinum. Morgan married her third husband Brad Thompson, bus driver of Clint Black.
In 1992, Morgan's third album Watch Me was released on RCA's newest label, BNA Records, spawning the number one single "What Part of No".
In 1993, Morgan was the first female country artist to have three albums in a row to be certified platinum. Morgan's romantic life gained tabloid attention with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman following her third divorce.
In 1994, Morgan was voted Female Vocalist of the Year by the fans in TNN's Music City News awards. She would earn this honor again in 1996, 1997 and 1998. She also appeared on Frank Sinatra's Duets II album, singing a version of "How Do You Keep the Music Playing" intertwined with Sinatra's "My Funny Valentine".
In 1995, Morgan had another number one song on the Country Charts called "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" from her Greatest Hits CD.
In 1996, Morgan was featured on the Beach Boys' now out-of-print album Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 performing a cover of their 1964 hit "Don't Worry Baby". The Beach Boys provided the harmonies and backing vocals.
Personal life
======================
Morgan is known for her turbulent personal life -- she told Larry King in an interview that "drama is something that lets you know you're still alive." As of 2006, she is married to singer Sammy Kershaw; they were separated at one point but apparently have since reconciled. Kershaw is her fifth husband; she was married to country singer Keith Whitley from 1986 until his death in 1989. They had one child together, a son, Jesse Keith Whitley, born in 1987. She also has a daughter Morgan from her first marriage. Prior to Kershaw she was involved in a lengthy relationship with Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Troy Aikman.
[edit] U.S. Senator Fred Thompson and Lorrie Morgan (1994-1996)
Morgan was also romantically linked from 1994 to 1996 with actor, lobbyist, former U.S. Senator from Tennessee (and former Hendersonville, Tennessee resident), and possible 2008 Republican Presidential candidate Fred Dalton Thompson.
In her book Forever Yours, Faithfully: My Love Story, Morgan states that:
It was great to go out with an older man [Fred Thompson] who was very successful on his own. I felt very secure with him, and he became a wonderful friend, a caring, inspirational man who would encourage me not to doubt myself (which, maybe you can tell by now, is one of my best things).
Fred is an extremely generous man. He wined and dined me and bought me presents --- furs, earrings, Chanel shoes with real high heels.
For a while, I enjoyed my first exposure to politics. It was interesting to hear about political conversations, and people even began talking about Fred as a potential president. It was inevitable that I would be sitting at a glamorous party and would have the flickering thought, So, this is what it's like to be a First Lady. Hell, I could handle that. Then I would say, "Oops, better drop the 'hell'"
I put myself to the task of being a great companion to a stimulating and important man, and as a result I become boring. I lost my spunk, my spontaneity, I had to stop and think about the political implications of everything before I uttered a word in public. Was this a Democratic issue? Was this a Republican issue? I could not trust my best asset, my gut instincts. In other words, I could not be myself.
Fred let me know that it was important how I dressed. Sedate was in. Even if I felt like a little flair that night, forget it --- we might be with men who had big wallets and insecure wives, wives who were a little older than I was. So get that basic black dress out of the closet. And no cleavage, baby.
Fred's senator buddies loved me, and some of my friends said that they never seen me happier. For a while, I wanted to marry Fred, but I knew he could not accept me as I am.
Forever Yours, Faithfully: My Love Story. pp. 262-263. Lorrie Morgan with George Vecsey. 1997. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-41297-4
The Hard Part Was Easy
Lorrie Morgan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You thought the hard part would be telling me goodbye
But compared to life without my love, I can guarantee
The hard part was easy
You should have known it had to be more complicated
You should have known it was the calm before the storm
But compared to all those nights alone, baby, you will see
The hard part wasn't leaving
The hard part wasn't tears
It's knowing that the grass
Is not as green as it appears
You must have thought the heartache
Was really no big deal
And I guess if you'd been smarter
You'd have known how bad you'd feel
You thought the hard part would be over in an instant
You thought the fun would start as soon as you were free
But compared to what's in store for you living without me
The hard part was easy
The hard part wasn't leaving
The hard part wasn't tears
It's knowing that the grass
Is not as green as it appears
You must have thought the heartache
Was really no big deal
And I guess if you'd been smarter
You'd have known how bad you'd feel
Yeah, compared to life without my love, I can guarantee
The hard part was easy
(The hard part was easy)
In Lorrie Morgan's song "The Hard Part Was Easy," she reflects on a breakup and the aftermath of it. The lyrics suggest that the person who broke up with her thought that the hardest part would be saying goodbye, but the reality is that living without her love is much harder. The singer suggests that her ex should have known that leaving would be more complicated than just saying goodbye, and that it was only the calm before a storm of loneliness and heartache.
The song suggests that the hardest part of the breakup is not the actual leaving, but rather the aftermath of it. It's the heartache, loneliness, and realization that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. The singer acknowledges that her ex probably didn't think that the heartache would be that big of a deal, but suggests that if they had been smarter, they would have known how bad they would feel.
Overall, "The Hard Part Was Easy" is a reflection on the aftermath of a breakup and the realization that living without love is much harder than just saying goodbye. It's a reminder that sometimes the hardest part of a breakup is not the leaving, but rather what comes after.
Line by Line Meaning
You thought the hard part would be saying that it's over
You believed that breaking up would be the most difficult aspect of our relationship ending
You thought the hard part would be telling me goodbye
You assumed that saying farewell to me would be the toughest part of our separation
But compared to life without my love, I can guarantee
The hard part was easy
However, now that you experience a life devoid of my love, you can comprehend that what you thought was hard seems effortless
You should have known it had to be more complicated
You should have known that our relationship was complex and intricate
You should have known it was the calm before the storm
You should have known that it was a peaceful period that preceded and implies an oncoming stormy and turbulent time
But compared to all those nights alone, baby, you will see
The hard part was easy
However, now as you spend endless and lonely nights without me, you realize that what you thought was a challenge seems effortless
The hard part wasn't leaving
The most difficult part was not departing from me
The hard part wasn't tears
The most difficult part was not shedding tears while breaking up with me
It's knowing that the grass
Is not as green as it appears
It's understanding that what you thought was better or preferable than what you now have is not as great as it initially seems
You must have thought the heartache
Was really no big deal
You seemingly assumed that the pain of breaking up would not have a prolonged impact on you
And I guess if you'd been smarter
You'd have known how bad you'd feel
If you had acted wiser, you would have realized how severe the consequences of our breakup would be
You thought the hard part would be over in an instant
You believed that the breakover process would be rapid and immediate
You thought the fun would start as soon as you were free
You assumed that separating from me would be the start of an exciting or enjoyable experience
But compared to what's in store for you living without me
The hard part was easy
However, now that you face an unhappy life without me, you realize that what you thought was difficult is now effortless
Yeah, compared to life without my love, I can guarantee
The hard part was easy
In conclusion, comparing what you perceive as robust challenges to life without my affection, I can assure you that those challenges were minute and insignificant
(The hard part was easy)
The most challenging part was easy, so it seems
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARY S BURR, REED NIELSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind