In 2018, Brad Paisley premiered his much-anticipated single “Bucked Off.” 

Written by Paisley along with Kelley Lovelace and Chris DuBois, “Bucked Off” uses elements of the rodeo to describe a looming breakup. It finds Paisley comparing himself to a cowboy that’s about to get bucked off by a bull, knowing that pain is about to come. However, he knows the grief and misery will only last if and only if he picks himself up and starts over again.

The Story Behind The Light-Hearted Breakup Song

Brad Paisley describes “Bucked Off” as a “honky-tonk song” with a strong throwback vibe. This is because he looked back as far as the 1980s and 1990s – when most country tunes were stories of cowboys and rodeo metaphors – as the inspiration for the song. He recalled having so much fun listening to these tunes on the radio, along with the great tracks from his country idols, especially George Strait.

“This was something that’s kind of my tip of the hat to my hero George Strait with a bit of a modern twist,” Paisley said, adding that he calls the song his “George Strait moment.” 

He also admits he’s hoping to hear “Bucked Off” coming out of Nashville’s famous bars as he walks down Broadway.

But what’s even more interesting is the song’s music video, wherein Paisley enlisted the help of his fans to add to the charm and comedic value of the cheeky lyrics. Paisley asked fans to send in breakup videos or clips of their relationships ending – which were then combined with footage of various rodeo events. There’s also Paisley’s live performance of the song, which was filmed at Nashville’s renowned Tootsies Orchid Lounge.

“Bucked Off” was Paisley’s first single in over a year. Make sure to watch the video below.