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"Letter To Me" is a song written and recorded by American
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
singer
Brad Paisley Bradley Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting with his 1999 debut album ''Who Needs Pictures'', he has released eleven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashvil ...
. It was released in October 2007 as the third single from his album '' 5th Gear''. The song spent four weeks at Number One on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts in February 2008, becoming his sixth consecutive Number One on that chart, as well as his tenth overall.


Inspiration

Paisley was inspired to write "Letter to Me" after his wife,
Kimberly Williams-Paisley Kimberly Payne Williams-Paisley (née Williams; born September 14, 1971) is an American actress known for her co-starring roles on ''According to Jim'' and '' Nashville,'' as well as her breakthrough performance in '' Father of the Bride'' (199 ...
, was asked in 2007 to write for a book entitled ''What I Know Now: Letters to My Younger Self''. Upon hearing of the book, he thought that the concept of writing a letter to his younger self would be a good idea for a country song. According to him, it took most of a week to write the song, as he would constantly change the lyrics and write a new letter every month.


Content

In "Letter to Me," the song's narrator is an adult who is reflecting on his youth. Now older and wiser for having lived various teen-aged experiences, the narrator uses experiences he had as a teenager to give his more youthful self advice on dealing with various situations. Among the experiences are: dealing with the trauma of breaking up with a steady girlfriend after several months, breaking the habit of reckless driving and missing a much-anticipated
homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...
bonfire rally to improve a failing algebra grade. The adult also guides his teen-aged self through dealing with older and wiser people, such as his family and teachers. Other situations are more light-hearted, such as a first-date experience with the right girl. After a teaser about how good his wife and children look, the narrator gives his teen-aged self some final words about how the best years of his life lie ahead and that he now regrets he did not study Spanish and typing, finally noting, "''I wish you wouldn't worry, let it be.''" The song references many aspects of Paisley's childhood such as the corner of "Tomlinson and Eighth," two streets in his hometown of
Glen Dale, West Virginia Glen Dale is a city in Marshall County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,514 at the 2020 census. Glen Dale was incorporated in 1924 ...
. Mrs. Brinkman, whose name is mentioned in the song, was a teacher at John Marshall High School in Glen Dale until her retirement in 2007. At the
51st Grammy Awards The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 8, 2009, honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the b ...
, Paisley won Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "Letter to Me."


Critical reception

Kevin John Coyne of ''Country Universe'' gave the song a A− grade. Coyne says that it is "appropriate that in a letter to himself at a younger age where he reveals how much greatness he has ahead of him, Paisley proves his adult self is telling the truth about all of his personal strengths."


Music video

The music video, directed by Jim Shea, was shot at his high school, John Marshall, in Glen Dale, W.V. The video is used as a homecoming and features many of his former classmates and teachers. In the end after the song is done, there is a short outro of footage of Brad being given a crown during a school assembly in 1991. This scene was not home footage. It was shot in present day, with an actor playing a younger Brad. Brad has called this video, "The most personal video I've ever done." He also says that this, as well as his 2008 “Waitin’ on a Woman” video, are his favorite videos of his own.


Personnel

*
Ron Block Ronald Franklin Block (born July 30, 1964) is an American banjo player, guitarist, and singer-songwriter, best known as a member of the bluegrass band Alison Krauss & Union Station. He has won 14 Grammy Awards, 6 International Bluegrass Music A ...
- banjo *Jim "Moose" Brown -
Wurlitzer organ The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...
*Randle Currie - steel guitar *Eric Darken -
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
*Kevin "Swine" Grantt -
bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
*Wes Hightower - background vocals *Brad Paisley - lead vocals,
electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...
, acoustic guitar, Tic tac bass *Ben Sesar - drums *
Bryan Sutton Bryan Sutton is an American musician. Primarily known as a flatpicking acoustic guitar player, Sutton also plays mandolin, banjo, ukulele, and electric guitar. He also sings and writes songs. Biography Early career Sutton's grandfather and ...
- mandolin *Justin Williamson - fiddle


Chart performance


Year-end charts


Sales and certifications


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Letter To Me Songs about letters (message) 2007 singles 2007 songs Country ballads 2000s ballads Brad Paisley songs Songs written by Brad Paisley Song recordings produced by Frank Rogers (record producer) Arista Nashville singles Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance winners