Paisley has sold over 11 million albums and has won three Grammy Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 14 Country Music Association Awards, and two American Music Awards. He has also earned country music's crowning achievement, becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry.[2] Paisley also wrote songs for Pixar's Cars franchise ("Behind the Clouds", "Find Yourself", "Collision of Worlds" (along with Robbie Williams), "Nobody's Fool", etc.).
Paisley has stated that his love of country music stems from his maternal grandfather, who gave Paisley his first guitar at age 8 and taught him how to play. At age 12, Paisley wrote his first song, and by 13 he was the opening act for country singers.
Paisley graduated from John Marshall High School in Glen Dale and enrolled at Belmont University (from 1993 to 1995). While in college, he met Frank Rogers, a fellow student who went on to serve as his producer. Paisley also met Kelley Lovelace, who became his songwriting partner.
After graduating from Belmont, Paisley signed a songwriting contract with EMI Music Publishing. His debut as a singer was with the label Arista Nashville, with the song, "Who Needs Pictures" (released February 22, 1999). In May of that same year, he made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. Seven months later he had his first #1 hit with, ""He Didn't Have To Be."
In 2000, Paisley made an appearance on the nationally televised special, "Route 66: Main Street America" featured on TLC (TV channel) and later that same year he won the Country Music Association's (CMA) Horizon Award and the Academy of Country Music's best new male vocalist trophy. He received his first Grammy Award nomination a year later. On February 17, 2001, after forty appearances on the show, he was inducted into the Opry Hall of Fame.
In 2002, he won the CMA Music Video of the Year for ""I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)." Several celebrities made notable guest appearances in the video, inluding Little Jimmy Dickens, Kimberly Williams (Paisley), Dan Patrick, and Jerry Springer.
Paisley released his third album, Mud on the Tires (2003), following Who Needs Pictures and Part II. The album features the hit song "Celebrity," the video of which parodies reality shows such as Fear Factor and American Idol and included such celebrities as Jason Alexander, Little Jimmy Dickens, Trista Rehn, and William Shatner. The album's title track, "Mud on the Tires," reached Billboard #1 in 2004.
In 2005, after touring with Reba McEntire and Terri Clark on the critically acclaimed "Two Hats and a Redhead Tour," he released Time Well Wasted, containing 15 tracks, including "Alcohol", a duet ("When I Get Where I'm Going") with Dolly Parton, another ("Out in the Parking Lot") with Alan Jackson, and a bonus track, "Cornography".
Brad Paisley was the 2008 CMA and ACM Male Vocalist of the Year winner. Starting with the release of his 1999 album Who Needs Pictures, Paisley has recorded seven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashville label, with all of his albums certified gold or higher by the RIAA. In addition, he has charted 25 singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, 15 of which have reached #1 with a record 10 consecutive singles reaching the top spot on the charts. On November 10, 2010, Paisley won the coveted Entertainer of the Year award at the 44th annual CMA Awards.
In 2009 he released American Saturday Night which has his first single Then.
His song "High Life," on the 2014 album Moonshine in the Trunk, refers to suing Carrie Underwood after hearing that one of Carrie's songs "reminded me of a poem my brother wrote back in second grade." This was a subtle joke about an actual lawsuit from a songwriter who accused Brad of using her material. (In real life, the lawsuit was won by Paisley in 2016.)
Paisley released "Without a Fight", a duet with Demi Lovato, on May 13, 2016. It was to have served as the lead single to his eleventh studio album, but due to poor chart performance it did not make the album's final cut. He was selected as one of thirty artists to perform on "Forever Country", a mash-up track of "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "On the Road Again" and "I Will Always Love You" which celebrates 50 years of the CMA Awards. The second single "Today" was released on October 6, 2016, which gave Paisley his first Country Digital Song Sales #1, opening at the top of the chart with 41,000 first-week downloads. The single landed in the #1 spot on the Country Aircheck/Mediabase charts, marking Paisley's 24th #1 song. On November 11, Paisley announced on Twitter that the title of the album would be Love and War, which was released in April 2017.
Love and War features several collaborations with iconic artists, including Timbaland, John Fogerty, Bill Anderson, and Mick Jagger, as well as a songwriting credit with Johnny Cash.
On October 4, 2018, Paisley and his wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley partnered with Belmont University and opened a free referral-based grocery store in Nashville to help the community in need. The Board of Trustees for The Store include Brad Paisley, President; Megan Zarling, Chair; Pete Fisher, Vice-Chair; Doug Paisley, Secretary and Elaine Bryan, Treasurer. Other board members include Sarah Cates, Jaynee Day, Hope Fisher, David Minnigan, John Zarling, Olivia Munn, John Schario, Scott Scovill, Michael Stagg, Becca Stevens and Kimberly Williams-Paisley. Executive Director is Gina Hancock.
In November 2018, Paisley released "Bucked Off", the lead single from his upcoming studio album. On March 11, 2019, Paisley released "My Miracle".
In 2021, Paisley released his own Bourbon brand called "America Highway Reserve." As this whiskey was aged in barrels in the "Rolling Rickhouse" semi-trailer that followed Paisley's 2019 concert tour, Paisley collaborated with Bardstown Bourbon Company to create this Bourbon.
Flowers
Brad Paisley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Created by the good Lord
Cut down in the prime of their lives
Boxed up, wrapped in paper
Delivered to your front door
Just to wind up in your garbage can outside
[Chorus]
Before you give this love another try
I've asked you to forgive me at least 9 dozen times
Tell me how many flowers have to die
I'm crazy and I'm desperate
I had you and I blew it
And right now I've got nothing left to lose
I've got a Visa in my wallet
And I'm not afraid to use it
How long the needless violence lasts
Is really up to you
[Chorus]
Stop the senseless killing
Can't you hear the roses cry
Baby how many flowers have to die
Tell me how many flowers have to die
The opening lines of Brad Paisley's "Flowers" describe a paradoxical situation where the beauty of flowers, created by God himself, is being mowed down en masse, wrapped, and delivered with precision, only to end up in the garbage outside. The irony lies in the fact that these long-stemmed beauties were meant to symbolize love and affection, but now they have become mere disposables. In a way, Paisley is calling for a change in perspective, urging us to rethink the value of these fragile creations.
The chorus delves deep into the emotional turmoil of a person who has hurt someone they love and is struggling to make amends. The singer is at his wit's end, having apologized countless times to no avail. He is now appealing to his lover to give him another chance before more flowers have to die. The repetition of the line "Tell me how many flowers have to die" creates an unsettling sense of urgency as it seems to suggest that every wasted flower is a wasted chance to mend a broken relationship.
The second verse further tears down the singer as he paints himself as crazy and desperate, having lost the best thing that ever happened to him. He feels that he has nothing left to lose as he holds in his hand the means to end this senseless war, using a visa in his wallet. Still, it is up to his lover to decide how long this needless violence goes on.
Overall, "Flowers" is a powerful call to action that encourages us to value the beauty around us and cherish the love that we have. The song draws attention to the fact that if we don't change our current mindset, we will continue to waste precious things that are irreplaceable.
Line by Line Meaning
Long stem things of beauty
Beautiful flowers with long stems
Created by the good Lord
Divine creation of these flowers
Cut down in the prime of their lives
Flowers being cut at their prime stage
Boxed up, wrapped in paper
Packaging of flowers for delivery
Delivered to your front door
Flowers being delivered to the recipient's doorstep
Just to wind up in your garbage can outside
Flowers being disposed of without any value
[Chorus]
The repetitive question of how many flowers have to die
Tell me how many flowers have to die
Questioning the number of flowers that have to be wasted before giving love another chance
I've asked you to forgive me at least 9 dozen times
Repetitive apologies, indicating the sincerity of wanting to reconcile
I'm crazy and I'm desperate
The desperation to reconcile and make amends
I had you and I blew it
Acknowledging the mistake of losing the loved one
And right now I've got nothing left to lose
Willingness to take risks to get the loved one back
I've got a Visa in my wallet
Having a means to do something about the situation
And I'm not afraid to use it
Being fearless and bold in taking action
How long the needless violence lasts
The unnecessary pain and heartbreak
Is really up to you
The decision to reconcile and stop the pain is in the hands of the loved one
[Chorus]
A final plea to stop the wastage of flowers, symbolizing the waste of love
Stop the senseless killing
Putting an end to the destruction of love and reconciliation
Can't you hear the roses cry
The flowers symbolize the plea for forgiveness and love
Baby how many flowers have to die
A final question, hoping to convince the loved one to give the relationship another chance
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LEE THOMAS MILLER, BRAD DOUGLAS PAISLEY, CHARLES CHRISTOPHER DUBOIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind