Riley Green’s Acoustic Version of ‘I Wish Grandpas Never Died’ Cuts Deep
Riley Green feels every lyric of "I Wish Grandpas Never Died" during this acoustic version of his song. The newest Taste of Country RISER nearly disappears into his emotions as he pushes through a message really inspired by his own two grandfathers.
The Alabama native released the song to radio after a video of him performing it alone went viral. The response from fans and media was immediate and passionate — even Brad Paisley stopped his show for a cover last summer.
"I wish even cars had truck beds / And every road was named Copperhead / And coolers never run out of cold Bud Light," he sings at the chorus. "And I wish high school home teams never lost / And back road drinkin' kids never got caught / And 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."
The "There Was This Girl" hitmaker tells Taste of Country how his two grandfathers, Lendon Bonds and Buford Green, inspired "I Wish Grandpas Never Died" to the point that he included them as songwriters posthumously.
“My grandaddy Buford was a really witty guy," Green shares. "He was really into poems. I think I got a lot of my wit from him, coming up with things and he had a really good way with words. I think he would have enjoyed songwriting had I been into that when he was still alive.”
Knowing he couldn't have written the song without the lessons both men taught him, Green gave them credit officially with help from his publisher. It's a gesture that wasn't lost on his family, but don't go thinking he made his two grandmothers weepy listening to "I Wish Grandpas Never Died."
"I don't know if you can make my grandmother cry," he says smiling. "I’ve never seen either one of my grandmothers cry. They’re tough ladies, for sure."
Watch: Riley Green's Cover of "Cold Beer With Your Name On It"
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