“Smoking Gun” by Lia Marie Johnson
There was a time when Lia Marie Johnson was considered one of the hottest young stars on internet television. The years that followed, by her own admittance, were less than ideal socially, as she got mixed up in a life of hard drugs and partying.
She also unfortunately fell in love with a toxic partner, someone who Lia revealed had strangled her at least once. In other words, he was physically abusive towards her. And it may well be that relationship which served as the basis of this song.
“Smoking Gun”
As implied the addressee is a romantic interest, i.e. the vocalist’s ex. And basically, what she’s accusing him of is being too volatile or “a runaway train”, as the singer puts it. That is to say that he can suddenly become abusive, such as during the times where the two of them spend the day “drinking and driving to the shooting range”.
Also the addressee is presented such that he has no remorse afterwards, considering his mistreatment of Lia as a form of entertainment. Furthermore as sorta implied in the chorus and bridge, it may be that he’s one of those boyfriends who’s trying to unscrupulously use her celebrity to increase his own notoriety.
One way of trying to make sense of the title is by connecting it to that idea. The term “smoking gun” is one you commonly come across in fields like law and journalism. What it points to is there being solid evidence that an individual committed the act they are accused of, such as finding a firearm with smoke coming out of it in someone’s possession right after a shooting.
The issue though is it not being abundantly clear why Lia is referring to this person as her “smoking gun”. Perhaps what she’s trying to say is that the way he behaves is proof that her claiming to be the victim of domestic violence at his hands is indeed true. And it does appear as if she did tolerate this treatment for a time. But now by the looks of things, even if still reeling emotionally, it seems that the vocalist has at least been able to dump the addressee.
Release Date and Credits
American actress and singer Lia Marie released “Smoking Gun” on January 6 of 2023.
“Smoking Gun” was composed by Lia Marie herself with some assistance from Charlie Hudson, an English musician and songwriter. Production credits for the song have been credited to Lia Marie and Joey Walker.
