Brad Paisley has another new song out. After the release of the poignant — and powerful — “Same Here” song, featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the West Virginia native is back with “So Many Summers.” The feel-good track, written by Paisley along with Ross Copperman and Lee Thomas Miller, is from his upcoming Son of The Mountains album, marking his first on Universal Music Group.
“I see it as sort of me talking to me saying, ‘Hey, it’s gonna be a cold September. This relationship’s not gonna last past August, so go pick her up (laughs) and go have a date and don’t be late tonight,'” Paisley shared with Everything Nash and other outlets at a recent media event.
“So Many Summers” was inspired by Paisley thinking about things that will someday end, especially if the end date is unclear.
“It’s only time and perspective that really does make you go, ‘Oh wow! That’s over now,” says the singer. “I remember the day I realized I couldn’t lift Huck anymore. It was not possible to carry him anymore. And that happens overnight. There’s a day where it’s like you realize, ‘Oh, I’m not gonna be able to lift him.’”
Paisley traveled to Ukraine earlier this year to perform “Same Here” ” in St. Michael’s Square in Kyiv, and visit with President Zelenskyy.
“I wrote my kids and wife letters before I left saying why I’m doing this,” Paisley recalled. “I just said, ‘I hope you know why I’m going, which is that I believe in this, and I believe that I’m helping. And I hope when you grow up and you have opportunities to make a difference, even if it’s scary, or seems like a risk, it’s worth it.’”
Paisley was well aware of the risks of visiting Ukraine in the middle of their war, but even the dangers weren’t enough to deter him from going.
“There was nothing you could have done, I think, to stop me once I was invited,” Paisley shared. “When I did the Zoom with President Zelensky, to record his lines for the song, he invited me. It was 45 minutes on the line, which was really a lot of time to talk to him.
“And we, of course, went into a lot of things that aren’t in the song, but fascinating when you break into the small talk with someone who’s fighting a war,” he continued. “It’s a fascinating thing because next thing you know, we’re talking about his kids and his wife, and my kids and my wife, and commonalities that seem so strange to talk about when there’s a country fighting for its survival.”
No word yet when Son of The Mountains will be released. Paisley will headline Nashville’s free Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th, taking place on the Jack Daniel’s Broadway Stage. He first headlined the event in 2021.
Find all of Paisley’s music and upcoming shows at BradPaisley.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of UMG Nashville / Jim Shea
