Riley Green: What Fans Don’t Know About ‘Worst Way’

With “Worst Way” climbing the Billboard Country Airplay chart, Riley Green has another hit on his hands. From the playful lyrics to the lovably scandalous music video, fans have fully embraced the new track. However, what many fans may not know is that the song pulled Green out of his comfort zone.

“I don’t tend to write a lot of love songs,” the country music star explained in a Katie & Company interview. “i’m always kind of the ballad-y, like, “I Wish Grandpas Never Die,” more sad song guy, he said. “Worst Way” is one of just four songs Green independently wrote on his newest album, and the story behind it is nearly as good as the song itself.

The Song Pushed Green Out of His Comfort Zone

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Green’s performances of “Worst Way” look effortless, but the writing process wasn’t so easy. As he explained in his interview, part of the motivation behind writing a song like “Worst Way” was to show fans a different side of his music potential. “You know people don’t want to just cry the whole concert,” Green joked about his propensity for writing sad songs. “I thought I should kind of try something else.”

That “something else” ended up pushing the singer into uncharted territory. “When you write songs like that, by yourself, you’re not bouncing ideas off anybody,” Green shared. “So when you get done with it, you’re like, ‘Wait, is this okay?’” Based on the song’s chart performance, “Worst Way” is definitely okay, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t push Green out of his comfort zone. “That’s not where I live at musically, usually,” he said about the challenges he found in writing the song.

The Singer Has Enjoyed Fan Reactions to ‘Worst Way’

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The catchy love song became a hit even before its official release, and Green shared that fan response to songs is part of what makes them enjoyable to perform. “When fans go and make a song hit like that, it’s always so much fun. “You kind of sit back and just enjoy playing it.” As he also shared, the song achieved platinum status before it even hit the radio airwaves. “It’s become one of the biggest moments in my live show,” he said.

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of Green’s “Worst Way” writing process relates to Eric Church. “When I write a lot of times, I’m thinking about my live show,” he said As Green went on to explain, he got his start playing covers and often thinks about how to recreate great moments from cover songs in his original work. He enjoyed covering Church’s “Like a Wrecking Ball,” and wanted to capture a similar vibe with “Worst Way.” ” [I’d] like to have that kind of steamy moment in the show, and it’s certainly done that,” Green said. We couldn’t agree more.

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