What changed? I’m sure there are plenty of artists who have songs from early in their career that haven’t aged well or that they wish they could take back. And there are songs out there that would never have a shot at getting played on the radio in the year of our Lord 2026. One of those songs (that I wrote about last year) is probably Brad Paisley‘s “I’m Still A Guy.” Co-written by Brad along with Kelley Lovelace and Lee Thomas Miller, “I’m Still A Guy” was released as a single from his sixth studio album, Fifth Gear, on March 3, 2008. At the time, it even reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. If you’re somehow not familiar, the song features Brad explaining to his female partner that despite her efforts to “feminize” him, at the end of the day, he’s “still a guy.” “I can hear you now talkin’ to your friends Saying, “Yeah, girls, he’s come a long way” From draggin’ his knuckles and carryin’ a club And buildin’ a fire in a cave But when you say a back rub means only a back rub Then you swat my hand when I try Well, now, what can I say at the end of the day? Honey, I’m still a guy” And honestly, I don’t think there’s anything problematic with the song. But it’s the last verse that I think would keep radio from playing it these days: “These days, there’s dudes gettin’ facials Manicured, waxed, and botoxed With deep spray-on tans and creamy, lotion-y hands You can’t grip a tackle box Yeah, with all of these men linin’ up to get neutered It’s hip now to be feminized But I don’t highlight my hair, I’ve still got a pair Yeah, honey, I’m still a guy” Of course times have changed a lot since 2008. This was back before “toxic masculinity” became a trendy buzzword, before men were changing their gender and competing in women’s sports…I mean, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were both opposed to gay marriage at the time this song was released. Things have gotten a lot more “woke” over the past nearly two decades. Encouraging men to act like men is seen as transphobic, and making fun of men who get their nails manicured is “homophobic” and will likely result in a bunch of people trying to get you canceled. And one of the song’s writers doesn’t think Brad would cut “I’m Still A Guy” today. Kelley Lovelace, who co-hosts the Try That In A Small Town podcast (and was also a co-writer on the Jason Aldean song of the same name), discussed the inspiration behind the Brad Paisley hit on a recent episode: “A writer’s schedule, seemingly to others, is very flexible, and we can cancel and things like that, reschedule and all that. So anyway, I had to go to school because of my stepson, who I think he was in second grade, something like that. They were having Valentine’s Day and I was the only one available to take the pink cupcakes to the school. Because I have a ‘flexible schedule.'” Lovelace says he was told there would be other dads there, but as it turns out it was just him and a bunch of wives. And he says it was that experience, combined with a greater push in society in general to make everybody just be a “nice guy” that made him want to write the song. At the time, Paisley was releasing humorous songs like “Online” and “Ticks,” so it seemed perfect to write with him. But Lovelace says Brad did have one problem with the lyrics – though it’s probably not what you think: “He goes, ‘I don’t know about the word guy. … Could it be something else, like man, dude?’ He didn’t like singing the word ‘guy.'” Of course Brad got past his issue with the song and ultimately had a big hit with it, but Lovelace admits that he doesn’t think the “Mud On the Tires” singer would record the song today: “I wouldn’t think that Brad Paisley would put that song out today.” The writers all agreed that while Brad likely wouldn’t release the song now, it might make an even bigger impact if it were released today – comparing it to the impact that “Try That In A Small Town” had because it said something that so many people were thinking but afraid to say. I think there number of artists who would cut a song like that is definitely more limited today than it was in 2008 (and there’s no shot Brad would record it), but I definitely see where they’re coming from: Obviously those on the political left would hate it, but it could also gain traction for saying something that a lot of people think but don’t want to say for fear of being canceled. Either way, if you’re an up-and-coming artist, maybe releasing your own version of this one is a way to get some attention…just throwing it out there. The post “I’m Still A Guy” Songwriter Says He Doesn’t Think Brad Paisley Would Record The Song Today first appeared on Whiskey Riff.