Pressing On A Bruise

Album: Wheelhouse (2013)
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Songfacts®:

  • Paisley co-wrote this tune about chasing a girl that's no good for him with longtime collaborator Kelley Lovelace. Fellow Nashville singer-songwriter Mat Kearney contributes some spoken rhymes to the tune. Paisley got the idea to include Kearney when he was driving to the Opry one night and talking to Lovelace. "I was listening to some music I had in my iPod and I had Mat Kearney and I said. 'What if we had a hip hop verse instead of the guitar solo?' I figured out how to get a hold of Mat Kearney, who lives here and said, 'Do you want to do something?' He said, 'Absolutely man! I think it sounds fun.'"


    Kearney's contribution gave the song just the vibe Paisley was seeking. "'Pressing on a Bruise' feels like a Waylon [Jennings] song to me and I said, 'If I'm going to stick to my rule' - which is every song takes a twist you don't expect - 'how do I make a Waylon song sound like 2013? How do I twist it?"

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