Robbed hit of the week 12/4/23 - Brad Paisley's "I Wish You'd Stay"...
"I Wish You'd Stay" - Brad Paisley
from the album Part II (2001)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #57
This week's "robbed hit" comes from country music artist Brad Paisley, whose appropriately titled sophomore effort Part II had spun off a pair of hits that crossed over to Billboard magazine's Hot 100 top-40 with "Wrapped Around" and "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)", both playing up to his comic charm. For the fourth and final single from the record (lead single "Too People Fell In Love" missed the pop top-40), Paisley went more serious with the breakup ballad "I Wish You'd Stay". Written by Brad with Chris DuBois (who also helped on "Wrapped Around"), the lyrics have him seeing a former partner off, trying to be the "golden retreiver guy" who makes sure she has all the things and warnings needed for the trip. But when the chorus whooshes in, he bids farewell but not without throwing in that title wish. The second verse is even more heartbreaking, as he admits "I figure right about sundown you'll be in West Tennesse, and maybe by then I'll understand why you had to leave". He apologizes for not getting over it so soon (can relate) but doesn't do anything to stop her, even saying "I hope you find love along the way" before throwing in the title once again. Brad brings the right amount of restrained pain to his vocals, and the production by Frank Rogers builds at just the right speed before swelling with emotion at the end. The music video juxtaposes non-romantic scenes of letting someone go, but is just as powerful...
While "I Wish You'd Stay" climbed to #7 on Billboard's Country Songs airplay chart, the song stalled in the lower half of the Hot 100 in February of 2003.
(10/10)
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