Riley Green is catching the attention of fans far and wide with the release of his emotional new single, “I Wish Grandpas Never Died.” One person who can’t seem to get enough of the heartwrenching tune is Brad Paisley.
After sharing a cover of “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” on Instagram earlier this month, the superstar joined Green on stage in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Sunday (Aug. 11) to perform the song he calls a “monster hit.”
“I’m just in awe… I love your new song and I thought I’d like to play it with you,” Paisley told Green prior to their impromptu duet.
Green, who cites Paisley as one of his music heroes, tried to downplay the compliment, telling the crowd, “This is a nobody from Alabama playing a song I wrote about my two granddaddies with an idol of mine, Mr. Brad Paisley.”
The pair then joined forces on the song, with Green taking the lead and Paisley on guitar and harmonies.
“I Wish Grandpas Never Died” was written by Green with posthumous writing credits given to his two grandfathers, Lendon Bonds and Buford Green. The song finds the Alabama native confessing his various wishes about life.
“I wish even cars had truck beds / Every road was named Copperhead/ And coolers never run out of cold Bud Light / I wish high school home teams never lost / And backroad-drinking kids never got caught / I wish the price of gas was low and cotton was high / I wish honky-tonks didn’t have no closing time / And I wish grandpas never died,” he sings in the chorus.
“I Wish Grandpas Never Died” will be included on Green’s debut album, Different ‘Round Here, which is slated for a September 20 release.
The rising star recently sat down with Country Now to chat about his rise to fame, his rapidly growing fan base and much more. Check out The Profile with Riley Green HERE.
