Riley Green joins The Kelleigh Bannen Show on Apple Music Country to discuss his viral duet with Ella Langley (‘you look like you love me'), the situation that urged him to write ‘Jesus Saves' and the Eric Church song that inspired him to write ‘Worst Way.'
Listen to the episode anytime on-demand at apple.co/_KelleighBannen
Riley Green Tells Apple Music About Writing “Jesus Saves” Solo
I just felt like I sat down and when I'm really passionate about something or I think it's all there, it's pretty easy to write. And that was how ‘Jesus Saves' was for me, is I thought that idea out and I thought the message was strong enough that I wanted to try to write it and I was just at home. So it ended up being one that really stands out to a lot of folks it seems like.
Riley Green Tells Apple Music What Inspired Him to Write ‘Jesus Saves'
My thing was more seeing a guy on the side of the road in Nashville, Tennessee and having a piece of cardboard and trying to win over everybody that rode by just what they could fit on that sign. And that was the idea… And I think if you think about that song and think about, man, if you really knew what that person had been through to get them to that place, you'd be a little less quick to judge and maybe a little more compassionate.
Riley Green Tells Apple Music About Writing ‘Worst Way,' Inspired by Covering Eric Church’s ‘Wrecking Ball' in His Live Show
When I wrote ‘Worst Way' that was in [the vein of Eric Church’s ‘Wrecking Ball'.] And I had a vision of just songs that give me that type of feeling that over the years, ‘Slow Dancing in a Burning Room,' John Mayer, that vibe, something about that was so cool and to make it country and to make it my own. And I would've never thought that song would be as big as it has been, but it's had a whole moment.
Riley Green Tells Apple Music About His Friendship with Ella Langley
Me and Ella have a mutual friend that was a promoter that introduced us years ago. She probably opened for me in Alabama, her being from Alabama as well… when I was playing clubs and bar scenes and just always loved her voice.
Riley Green Tells Apple Music About Writing His Verse for His Duet with Ella Langley, ‘you look like you love me'
I can remember when I went to write the verse, I really didn't want to step on her toes in the song, because it was such a cool moment for her, for the girl to be kind of coming onto the guy in the bar. I thought that's what made the song so cool. Immediately when it came out, everybody knew what we had, but it was a surprise to me for sure.
