The song was inspired by John D. Foley (March 1, 1918 – December 21, 1999), who served in the United States Army Air Forces as a gunner during World War II and was popularly known as Johnny Zero.
After graduating from Baylor in 1928, she married fellow singer Travis Johnson and they moved to New York to get into the music business.
Margaret did modeling before in 1936, she played Honey Chile on the Bob Hope radio show.
The Johnsons started The Song Spinners to perform background vocals on a radio show called "The Wayside Cottage".
During the 1942–44 musicians' strike, Decca Records hired Margaret to arrange and perform vocal accompaniment for Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, the Dick Haymes hit "You'll Never Know" and "Comin' In on a Wing and a Prayer".