Shattered Glass

Album: Moonshine In The Trunk (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Brad Paisley penned this female-empowerment song sung from a guy's perspective on his own. He explained to Billboard magazine that he wrote the mid-tempo ballad for his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley. "I have so much respect for her and what she does," said Paisley. "And I've watched her as she's ventured into new territory as she's been a leading voice for Alzheimer's research because of her mother's illness and she's been working on a new project that I've been helping her with."

    "We've been taking some meetings in Los Angeles together," he continued. "It's the closest I've been to seeing what it feels like when a woman walks in a room with big dreams and a disadvantage being a woman. I don't mean it to sound like women are disadvantaged, but it's true that in our society we still have a ways to go, but we're better than it's ever been."

    "This song is supposed to be a pep talk to her and any woman who has dreams she wants to achieve," Paisley added, "and thinks to herself 'This might not be something a woman like me can do.' Not true. Go do it! It's meant to be a total vote of confidence and love song in that sense. It's basically [saying] 'I believe in you!'"
  • Paisley also wrote the song for an imaginary character. "The fictional character I wrote it for is our daughter who does not exist," he explained. "What song would I write for my daughter? It would be this exact song."
  • The song's lyric video was premiered on the August 20, 2014 episode of Ellen DeGeneres' talk show. Paisley tweeted just before the clip's debut: "Ladies, my favorite song on this album is about my belief that the sky's the limit for you. But I don't want to be the one to present it..."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Jimmy Webb

Jimmy WebbSongwriter Interviews

Webb talks about his classic songs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman" and "MacArthur Park."

Julian Lennon

Julian LennonSongwriter Interviews

Julian tells the stories behind his hits "Valotte" and "Too Late for Goodbyes," and fills us in on his many non-musical pursuits. Also: what MTV meant to his career.

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

Amy Lee of Evanescence

Amy Lee of EvanescenceSongwriter Interviews

The Evanescence frontwoman on the songs that have shifted meaning and her foray into kids' music.