I think we need a song called “Grandpa‘s Know Everything” now, too.
Riley Green released his song “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” in 2019 as part of his debut studio album Different ‘Round Here, and it very quickly became a fan-favorite. It was one of his first hits commercially, as it peaked at #12 on the Billboard U.S. Country Airplay chart.
He wrote it after both of his grandfathers had passed away, and I think it’s clear in the lyrics that both were important men who helped to shape Riley’s life. Obviously, the sentiment of losing a person like that, someone so influential in your life, is something pretty much anyone can relate to, and a large part of the reason it became so popular. Both Riley’s Grandaddy Buford and Grandaddy Lyndon are listed as co-writers along with Riley, and the song has since been certified Platinum.
And during an interview on TalkShop Live promoting his forthcoming album That’s Just Me, Riley talked about his songwriting process and how he keeps a list of ideas, and sometimes song titles, in his notes app on his phone. But most of the time, he starts with the idea and the song evolves from there, and he actually revealed that “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” started with a different title called “Grandpa’s Know Everything.”
In fact, the specific story from his childhood that initially sparked the idea happened when Riley had been at the beach with his family, driving a remote control car on the beach which he got into the water. Well, it stopped working because of that, and his grandpa obviously figured out right away what had happened, but Riley being a little boy at the time, didn’t want to admit it.
That memory stuck with him, as I’m sure there were many other times that phrase “grandpa’s know everything” could apply, and the song turned into a tribute to both of his granddaddy’s and their influence on his life. It’s just a beautiful sentiment, but I think he’s onto another great one with the title “Grandpa’s Know Everything,” so why not give the fans a sequel of sorts?
“The title doesn’t always come first. It’s probably the story, I guess. I mean, you have to build a story, but it’s an idea. A lot of times, I’ve got a lot of in my notes on my phone. I’ve got a lot of titles. I guess they are, but it led to a completely different title. You know, maybe it was just a part of a song, or maybe just an idea. So I remember when I wrote’ grandpa‘s never died,’ the title in my phone was ‘Grandpa‘s Know Everything.’
And that came from when I was a little kid, I had a remote control car and I was down at the beach and I was driving it, and it got a little bit in the water. And then I went back up the house and told him that it didn’t work. My granddaddy was like, ‘Maybe you got it in the ocean down there a little bit.’ I was like, ‘Oh no, I don’t think so.’ But I never got away with anything, because he was smart enough they always caught me.
And that just led to me thinking about, what are some of the things I learned from having all of my grandparents in my life, my whole life. And so yeah, you never know what’s gonna come from an idea, there’s something special about it.”
One of Riley’s most impressive qualities as an artist is his songwriting ability, and in addition to “I Wish Grandpas Never Died,” his songs “Worst Way,” “Don’t Mind If I Do,” “Jesus Saves” and “My Way” were all solo writes. It’s pretty uncommon to write completely alone these days, especially in the mainstream, but in my humble opinion, they’re some of his best. How he writes from such an authentic place, using memories from where he grew up and what his life was like, comes through so effortlessly, and it’s never more apparent than on “I Wish Grandpas Never Died.”
Turn it up:
“I Wish Grandpas Never Died”
That’s Just Me Tracklist
- “My Way”
- “That’s Just Me”
- “Don’t Come Any Closer”
- “Go Again” (feat. Hannah McFarland)
- “Imagine That”
- “Got That From You”
- “Bartender In Destin”
- “Beach Happy”
- “Think As You Drunk”
- “Well Well Whiskey” (feat. Jake Worthington)
- “P.O.S.”
- “Runs in the Family”
- “Pave All Them Dirt Roads” (feat. Brooks & Dunn)
- “Lookout Mountain” (feat. Randy Owen)
- “Seven Second Ride
- “Radio Road”
- “Ol’ Stray Dog”
- “More of a Man Than Me”
- “Ten Pairs of Boots”
