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.
Hold Me in Your Arms
Brad Paisley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hold me in your arms
Just see how it feels
Don't make we wait forever
Just because you know I will
Don't leave me hangin', wishin', waitin'
Hopin' that you'll call
Darlin' hold me, in your arms, and let me fall
You've got reservations
Well darlin' so do I
But mine are at a restaurant
Six-thirty Friday night
I swear you won't regret it
If you agree to go
Just do me one small favor
Before you tell me no
[Chorus]
When you go out shoppin'
You try on brand new clothes
To see if something fits or not
There's just one way to know
Why is it any different
When someone asked you out
You might as well just try me on
Before you turn me down
[Chorus]
Yeah darlin' hold me in your arms
And let me fall
Brad Paisley's song "Hold Me In Your Arms" is an emotional plea by the singer to their loved one to accept their love and not keep them waiting forever. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "hold me in your arms," which is symbolic of the singer's desire for physical and emotional connection with their loved one. The singer sings about the reservations that their loved one may have about being with them, but emphasizes that they also have reservations and that they should take a chance and see how it feels.
The first verse of the song describes the singer's frustration with their loved one's indecisiveness. The singer sings about how they are constantly "hangin', wishin', waitin'" for their loved one to make a move and commit to being with them. In the second verse, the singer draws a comparison between trying on new clothes and giving someone a chance to be with them. They encourage their loved one to "try me on" and see if it fits before rejecting them.
The bridge of the song features a guitar solo that adds to the emotional intensity of the lyrics. The final chorus repeats the phrase "hold me in your arms" four times, emphasizing the singer's desperation for physical and emotional connection.
Overall, "Hold Me In Your Arms" is a heartfelt plea from the singer to their loved one to take a chance on love and not keep them waiting forever. It highlights the importance of emotional and physical connection in a romantic relationship and encourages taking the risk of being vulnerable.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold me in your arms
Embrace me and show me that you care
Just see how it feels
Experience the comfort and love that holding me will bring
Don't make we wait forever
Don't keep me in suspense, give me an answer soon
Just because you know I will
Don't take advantage of the fact that I will wait for you
Don't leave me hangin', wishin', waitin'
Don't leave me in a state of uncertainty and hopelessness
Hopin' that you'll call
I don't want to have to wait for you to make the first move
Darlin' hold me, in your arms, and let me fall
Hold me close and let me surrender myself fully to you
You've got reservations
You may have concerns or hesitations about us
Well darlin' so do I
But I also have my own reservations
But mine are at a restaurant
My reservations are about where we will go for dinner
Six-thirty Friday night
This is the time and day that I have made reservations for
I swear you won't regret it
I promise that you will have a good time
If you agree to go
If you are willing to give us a chance
Just do me one small favor
This is a simple request that I have for you
Before you tell me no
Please hear me out and consider this opportunity
When you go out shoppin'
When you are trying on new clothes
You try on brand new clothes
You experiment with different styles and sizes
To see if something fits or not
You want to know if it works for you
There's just one way to know
The only way to truly find out is to try it on
Why is it any different
Why shouldn't this apply to relationships as well?
When someone asked you out
When someone wants to go on a date with you
You might as well just try me on
Give me a chance and see if it works between us
Before you turn me down
Don't dismiss the possibility without giving us a chance first
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRAD PAISLEY, CHRIS DUBOIS, KELLEY LOVELACE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind