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.
High Life
Brad Paisley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Grandpa died and our ship came in
Daddy said he left momma and him more money than we'd ever seen
And just like that we were thousandaires
Had a brand new boat and a Frigidaire
And all us kids in our underwear were jumping on a trampoline
A bunch low lives living the high life
Grandpa's with Lord now, but we got a new Ford now
And we can watch the Big Orange now on a 57 inch TV, that's right
Money was gone by mid-July and we went back to just getting by
'Til momma slipped on a patch of ice outside of Chick-Fil-A
Now we knew they was a Christian bunch
So we didn't ask for all that much
Settled out of court for ten thousand bucks
And free chicken 'til I die a day
A bunch low lives living the high life
Money burning a hole right through the pockets of holey jeans
Momma's got a limp now but we all get to swim now
'Cause we got an above ground sitting out by the trampoline
We rocked, we rolled, we lived it up 'til it started running thin
We began looking for a way to spend that will again
I heard a song a couple months ago, was Carrie Underwood on the radio
Reminded me of a poem my brother wrote back in second grade
I know she didn't steal it but so what? We lawyered up and we sued her butt
These days we figured we'd pretty much get paid to go away
A bunch low lives living the high life
Money burning a hole right through the pockets of a holey jeans
This song's another one now, know I get a hot tub now
Set it next to the above ground, which is next to the trampoline
It's gonna run out some day
And that ain't gonna be a fun day
But as long as it ain't a Sunday
We can go to Chick-Fil-A and eat
Man I love those Waffle fries (I know)
That Chick-Fil-A has got some good waffle fries (I'd say, that's right)
Maybe I'll get a diet Coke,
I don't know (I wish they had beer, it'd be perfect)
I like the little trays that the food comes on (I like the Polynesian sauce)
Brad Paisley's High Life is a song that tells the story of a family from modest means who suddenly come into a lot of money after their grandpa passes away. Grandpa left Mom and Dad more money than they'd ever seen, and suddenly the family became "thousandaires," with a brand new boat and fridge. All the kids, in their underwear, were jumping on a trampoline. The song goes on to describe how the family went from low lives living the high life to just getting by, until Momma slipped on some ice and got a settlement from a lawsuit. Even after that, the family continued to spend the money until they finally ran out and went looking for a way to earn it back. They ended up suing Carrie Underwood over a song that reminded them of a poem Brad's brother wrote in second grade. The song ends with no regrets, just a love for Chick-Fil-A's waffle fries.
The song's narrative is primarily a comical take on the concept of "new money." The lyrics are very entertaining, relatable, and contain plenty of humor. It's clear that Brad Paisley is poking fun at the way we sometimes act when we suddenly come into money. We can lose our sense of what's important in life and end up spending it on frivolous things, like a trampoline and a boat. The story progresses through each verse, revealing the family's decline into an almost parody of ridiculousness.
Line by Line Meaning
I can still remember when
The singer recalls a moment in his past.
Grandpa died and our ship came in
The singer's grandfather passed away and left the family with a large sum of money.
Daddy said he left momma and him more money than we'd ever seen
The singer's father informed the family about the large amount of money they inherited from the grandfather.
And just like that we were thousandaires
The family became wealthy overnight with the grandfather's inheritance.
Had a brand new boat and a Frigidaire
The family purchased a new boat and a Frigidaire refrigerator with the inherited money.
And all us kids in our underwear were jumping on a trampoline
The family enjoyed their newfound wealth by playing and having fun on a trampoline in their backyard.
A bunch low lives living the high life
The family, who previously had financial struggles, were now living a luxurious life due to the grandfather's inheritance.
Money burning a hole right through the pockets of holey jeans
The family spent their money quickly and recklessly, as if it was burning a hole in their pockets.
Grandpa's with Lord now, but we got a new Ford now
Although the grandfather had passed away, the family used some of the inheritance money to purchase a new Ford vehicle.
And we can watch the Big Orange now on a 57 inch TV, that's right
The family was able to watch their favorite sports team, the Big Orange, on a new, large TV.
Money was gone by mid-July and we went back to just getting by
The family spent all of their inheritance money very quickly and returned to their previous financial struggles.
'Til momma slipped on a patch of ice outside of Chick-Fil-A
The mother had an accident outside of Chick-Fil-A restaurant.
Now we knew they was a Christian bunch
The family was aware that Chick-Fil-A is a Christian-oriented restaurant.
So we didn't ask for all that much
The family did not demand a large settlement from Chick-Fil-A due to their respect for the restaurant's values.
Settled out of court for ten thousand bucks
The family received a settlement of ten thousand dollars from Chick-Fil-A out of court.
And free chicken 'til I die a day
Chick-Fil-A also provided the family with free chicken meals for life as part of the settlement.
Momma's got a limp now but we all get to swim now
The mother acquired an injury from slipping on the ice, but the family was still excited about having a new above-ground swimming pool in their backyard.
'Cause we got an above ground sitting out by the trampoline
The family now had an above-ground pool along with their trampoline for backyard entertainment.
We rocked, we rolled, we lived it up 'til it started running thin
The family enjoyed their life of luxury for a while before their money started to run out.
We began looking for a way to spend that will again
The family wanted to find a new way to obtain money to continue their life of excess.
I heard a song a couple months ago, was Carrie Underwood on the radio
The artist heard a song by Carrie Underwood on the radio a few months ago.
Reminded me of a poem my brother wrote back in second grade
The song reminded the artist of a poem that his brother had written in second grade.
I know she didn't steal it but so what? We lawyered up and we sued her butt
The singer acknowledges that Carrie Underwood did not steal the poem, but the family still sued her.
These days we figured we'd pretty much get paid to go away
The family believes that they can easily receive money from suing others and then quickly leaving.
This song's another one now, know I get a hot tub now
The singer is excited about making money from Brad Paisley's new song and using it to purchase a hot tub.
Set it next to the above ground, which is next to the trampoline
The singer plans to put the hot tub next to the above-ground pool and their trampoline in the backyard.
It's gonna run out some day
The singer acknowledges that their money will eventually run out.
And that ain't gonna be a fun day
The artist is not looking forward to the day when their money runs out.
But as long as it ain't a Sunday
The artist is okay with running out of money as long as it doesn't happen on a Sunday.
We can go to Chick-Fil-A and eat
The family still enjoys going to Chick-Fil-A even after their settlement from the restaurant.
Man I love those Waffle fries (I know)
The singer really enjoys Chick-Fil-A's waffle fries.
That Chick-Fil-A has got some good waffle fries (I'd say, that's right)
The artist and his conversational partner agree that Chick-Fil-A has delicious waffle fries.
Maybe I'll get a diet Coke, I don't know (I wish they had beer, it'd be perfect)
The artist might order a diet Coke and expresses that it would be even better if Chick-Fil-A served beer.
I like the little trays that the food comes on (I like the Polynesian sauce)
The artist appreciates the small trays that Chick-Fil-A uses for their food and also enjoys the Polynesian dipping sauce.
Lyrics Ā© BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Brad Paisley, Brad Douglas Paisley, Brent Anderson, Chris Dubois, Kelley Lovelace
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheOneWifNoUsername
This is awesome! I love Brad's music so much! Praise to him and his band:3 All of you sound amazing!
@jacquelynandula563
Love this song!
@Johndenvermusicworld
Hello dear, itās nice meeting you on here
@bonniedaly9095
Brad you are the true meaning of amazing.lobe all your songs
@nascar2226
Brad Paisley is the true meaning of Country !!!!!!!!
@jeremykempthorne276
Awesome song!
@mattyonefour
Great song!!
@chadhogue6655
Heard Brent Anderson sing this in Dyersburg, TN at Songwriter Showcase and now I love it.
@bluesmike7
Me encanto
@GessynTete
Awesome song ^.^