Jana Kramer, ‘Why Ya Wanna’ – Lyrics Uncovered

It’s almost as if Jana Kramer‘s ‘Why Ya Wanna’ lyrics were written especially for her, as she has said many times that she has lived every single word of the song. But at the time it was penned, songwriters Ashley Gorley, Catt Gravitt and Chris DeStefano were just getting together for their first tiple co-write to see what kind of magic they could create next.

“We wrote ‘Why Ya Wanna’ last year,” Gorley tells Taste of Country. “It was the first time the three of us had worked together. I love the dynamic of new co-writing combinations … you never know what will happen. I had worked with Chris on some pop projects but this was our first country song … the first of many!”

“Chris started playing a great groove on the mandolin, and it called for an emotional lyric,” Gorley continues. “We discussed a few concepts and settled on running into an ex, pretending not to still have feelings for them, wishing you didn’t still care for them, but knowing you do.”

“Out of all of the places in this little town / Yeah, you had to come walking in here and sit down / I’m hiding and hoping my face ain’t too red / Since we been over, been trying like crazy to get you out of my head,” they wrote in the opening lyrics to ‘Why Ya Wanna.’

“The chorus melody and lyric came fast, and we just rolled with it,” notes Gorley. “We thought it painted a great picture and had a great flow to it. At the end of the chorus, we stumbled upon the phrase, ‘Why ya wanna/ Make me keep wanting you,’ and it worked perfectly for the lyrical hook.”

“So, why ya wanna / Show up in a old t-shirt that I love / Why ya gotta tell me that I’m looking good / Don’t know what / You were thinkin’ / You were doing / Moving in for a hug / Like you don’t know I’m coming unglued / Why ya gotta / Why ya wanna / Make me keep wanting you,” they wrote in the song’s chorus.

“Once we had the idea going, the rest of the lyrics and melody came very fast,” says Gorley of the ‘Why Ya Wanna’ lyrics. “Catt and I finished it up while Chris was working on a demo track, then I had to leave. A couple of hours later they sent me an amazing demo with Catt singing it great, and it sounded awesome. She really had emotion on the demo vocal.”

“Soon after we wrote it, Catt said some people were wanting to hold the song for a new artist on Warner Bros., Jana Kramer,” Gorley adds. “She told me to trust her … that Jana was amazing and it was going to be a great project, so we never pitched it anywhere else. Thankfully a few months later Jana recorded the song and now it’s her first single. I’m glad it’s becoming a hit for her. I’m thankful we got the chance to write it. I suppose the three of us should write again!”

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