It was the song "Tennessee Orange" that gave Megan Moroney her first number-one hit. However, as the singer-songwriter explained on a recent episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers, the single angered some college football fans after its release.
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What Is 'Tennessee Orange' About?
Moroney, who co-wrote "Tennessee Orange" with Ben Williams, David Fanning, and Paul Jenkins, is a die-hard Georgia Bulldogs fan, making the topic an odd one for the singer.
The song itself plays out like a Romeo and Juliet story set amid college football rivalries. Here, a Bulldogs fan falls in love with a Tennessee Volunteer, going so far as to wear her boyfriend's orange-and-white cap. Still, the narrator insists her loyalty remains with Georgia, wanting "the Dawgs to win." Fortunately, unlike the classic tragedy, no one dies at the end.
As we reported in 2023, Moroney shared the story behind the song:
"There was a day that I found myself wearing a Tennessee shirt...and I was like...My mom would kill me if she saw me wearing this Tennessee shirt. And so I thought of the hook, 'In Georgia, they call it a sin, I'm wearing Tennessee Orange for him.'
"And I knew if I felt consciously about feeling bad that I had a Tennessee shirt on, I could write a song about it. I thought it was a clever take on being from the South and the SEC rivalry. And I'm not great at writing love songs, but I thought it would be a good way to squeeze one in there."
Adding to the intrigue, fans speculated that "Tennessee Orange" was inspired by Morgan Wallen, sparking rumors of a relationship between the two—though this remains unconfirmed.
Megan Moroney Added More to the Story
To show just how deep those college football rivalries run, Moroney recounted the song's story during her appearance with Seth Meyers.
"I found myself wearing a Volunteers shirt," she said. "And I remember looking in the mirror, going, 'My mom would absolutely kill me right now if she saw me in this gaudy orange."
"And so then I thought, that would make a really good love song. I like this dude enough to not wear Georgia red. And yeah, I got death threats over that song."
