Brad Paisley calls on everyone to "grab a long neck bottle or a big 'ol pint" and raises a glass to frontline workers in his new single, "No I In Beer."
With the global coronavirus pandemic keeping most of us at home and putting frontline workers at risk, Paisley has recently surprised people by dropping by video conference calls in his "virtual pub crawl."
In an interview with the Associated Press, the country star said that the song was two years in the making, saying that he and Kelley Lovelace already wrote most parts back in 2018. Paisley noted that the chorus, which opens with "We're all in this together," convinced him that this is the right time to release the song.
"As this pandemic began, everybody adopted this catchphrase, 'We're all in this together,'" the 47-year-old singer-songwriter said to AP from his place in Franklin, TN.
He also shared that he has updated the lyrics to the new party-friendly drinking song to include "farms and the first responders," "truck drivers shiftin gears," and "every nurse that needs to take a break."
In an Instagram post last week, Brad Paisley announced his idea for a "Paisley Pub Crawl," which he did on Saturday, April 18. People hosted their Zoom parties, texted him their invitation, and the "Mud on the Tires" singer randomly visited these video conferences. Fans freaked out as the virtual pub crawl host dropped in, chatting and singing the chorus to "No I In Beer," Paisley also performed John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" on one of his visits.
The first "Paisley Pub Crawl" included a group of Illinois elementary school teachers, a man on his 21st birthday, a group of musicians, and a team of healthcare workers.
View this post on InstagramHere's a recap of the (virtual) pub crawl last night. I'm so inspired by you all, so moved by your togetherness and spirit. Thanks for the invites, what a blast. I crawled for 3 hours, and the ones I didn't get to, there'll be a next time! #wereallinthistogether #teameffort #Noiinbeer And thanks to my band mate #PeytonManning for crashing it! A post shared by Brad Paisley (@bradpaisley) on Apr 19, 2020 at 1:06pm PDT
In an interview with Hoda Kotb, Paisley said the experience as fun and "strangely, very emotional," describing the connection and inspiration he got from people adapting. He added, "It's really a strange time, but it's also a time of unity where you just see a lot of people doing the best they can to stay sane."
Even before the global coronavirus pandemic, Paisley has been actively working to help the local community. Brad and his wife Kimberly teamed up with Belmont University to open a free referral-based grocery store in Nashville called "The Store," which opened last month. In response to the pandemic, they now deliver a week's worth of groceries to the elderly.
Born Brad Douglas Paisley, the country music singer-songwriter, started his career with his 1999 debut album "Who Needs Pictures" and followed by eleven more studio albums under the Arista Nashville record label. All his works are certified Gold or higher by the RIAA. In 2009, he set a record for most consecutive singles breaking into the top ten spots of the Billboard Country Airplay Charts with ten hits charting one after the other.
As one of the biggest country stars of this generation, he has three Grammys, 14 Country Music Association Awards, two American Music Awards, and more under his belt. He is also a member of the Grand Ole Opry, considered as one of the crowning achievements in the country music genre.
