“It’s an Emotional Song for Me”: Brad Paisley Embraces Mental Health With Gripping New Song “Raining Inside” (Exclusive)

Music fans got a high-profile glimpse of Brad Paisley and rock band Dawes last month when they opened the Grammy Awards with Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” alongside an all-star band that included Sheryl Crow, Brittany Howard, John Legend, and St. Vincent.

Now Paisley and Dawes are tackling the mental health crisis in new song “Raining Inside.” Paisley and the band’s lead singer Taylor Goldsmith co-wrote it with Lee Thomas Miller long before the Grammy’s collaboration.

“The song also exists from the standpoint of, ‘You can’t really put your finger on what it is that is wrong with you,’” Paisley said. “You don’t know what got you in this funk, and I think it’s an epidemic right now. It’s not only the dull sort of normal situations that people are getting depressed about. But there are extremes like (a Nashville publisher who committed suicide) who was here when we wrote this, or tWitch on Ellen.”

Lyrics include: Now I don’t even need a reason| No one’s sick, and no one died| No one’s left, and no one’s leaving| But it’s raining inside| The bottom’s falling out| It’s raining inside

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Brad Paisley: “It’s an Emotional Song for Me”

“It’s an emotional song for me,” Paisley said. “The theme can be taken a lot of ways. I have people who have been through situations in their life that this is where they’re at.”

Paisley and Goldsmith wrote “Raining Inside” around the time that Ellen DeGeneres’ sidekick  tWitch killed himself. The loss hit Paisley hard as he had recently hosted the Ellen DeGeneres Show and tWitch was terrific.

“He was such a bright light when I worked with him that day. I had to play off him as the host,” Paisley said.

Then I was shocked because all of our conversations that day, I would have never known.”
Paisley describes the track as a throwback to California 70s rock. He and Goldsmith play dueling electric guitar parts very similar to their favorite bands.

When they saw each other at the Grammys this year, the men decided there was no better time to release “Raining Inside.”

“I continue to see reasons why I wanted to stay this right now,” Paisley said. “This isn’t something that’s a risk or anything. But I do think that it’s timely. It’s an interesting idea to do a song that’s kind of like blue blues for no reason. There’s a lot of people that can’t shake it no matter what good happens to them. We see it all the time.”

(Photo by Mickey Bernal/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

“Truck Still Works World Tour” schedule

5-21 Idaho Falls, ID Mountain America Center #
5-22 Bonner, MT KettleHouse Amphitheater #
5-24 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre *#
5-29 Bend, OR Hayden Homes Amphitheater *+
5-30 Airway Heights, WA BECU Live at Northern Quest *+
5-31 Everett, WA Angel Of the Winds Arena *+
6-5 Phoenix, AZ Arizona Financial Theatre @ *#
6-6 Los Angeles, CA The Greek Theatre *#
6-7 San Diego, CA Gallagher Square at Petco Park *#
7-10 Ft. Loramie, OH Country Concert festival line up
7-12 Canandaigua, NY Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center ++ xx
7-17 Richmond, VA Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront *=
7-18 Bridgeport, CT Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater *=
7-19 Gilford, NH BankNH Pavilion *=
7-24 Wilmington, NC Live Oak Bank Pavilion @ *=
7-25 Simpsonville, SC CCNB Amphitheatre *=
8-1 Savannah, GA Enmarket Arena *
8-2 St. Augustine, FL The St. Augustine Amphitheatre *=
8-3 Clearwater, FL The Baycare Sound @ *= ++
8-8 Arcadia, WI Ashley For the Arts festival line up

• Walker Hayes
• Avery Anna
• Mae Estes
  = Alexandra Kay
  @ No Citi & Verizon pre sale
  ++ non Live Nation show
  xx Dylan Scott & Alexandra Kay