Phoebe Bridgers Gave Brad Paisley One of the Best Compliment He’s Ever Gotten

The Lost Weekend songwriter was telling Paisley about songs she loved and included an unexpected one of his own

Phoebe Bridgers has never been shy about professing her love for mainstream country music. In one interview, she and her boygenius bandmates went on and on about the merits of Hardy and his song “Truck Bed.” Apparently, the Lost Weekend songwriter is familiar with the oeuvre of Brad Paisley too.

During his interview with Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast, Paisley recalled being at “an event” with Bridgers where she began citing some of his songs back to him. One in particular — “Camouflage,” his salute to the green, brown, black, and gray pattern of hunters everywhere — threw him for a loop.

“This was one of the greatest things I’ve ever been told by somebody I enormously respect,” Paisley says. “Phoebe Bridgers was throwing out songs of mine she loves to me and said, ‘Camouflage.’ I was like, ‘What is happening?’”

Released on Paisley’s 2011 album This Is Country Music, “Camouflage” is a signature Paisley humor song, with lyrics about wearing camo tuxedos to prom and driving a camo-painted Chevy Cavalier that is nearly invisible. It also makes the point that the best, and least offensive, sartorial display of Southern pride is camouflage.

“I wish I’d asked her why,” Paisley says. “The idea that we wrote a fun, funny song about that, maybe that’s what appealed to her.”

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Watch Paisley’s full interview on Nashville Now below.

Download and subscribe to Rolling Stone’s country-music podcast, Nashville Now, hosted by deputy editor, head of country Joseph Hudak, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts). New episodes drop every Wednesday and feature interviews with artists and personalities like Shania Twain, Shaboozey, Vince Gill, Lainey Wilson, Sheryl Crow, Ashley McBryde, Brothers Osborne, Midland, Maggie Rose, Hardy, Charley Crockett, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Kings of Leon, Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, the Black Crowes, Braxton Keith, Carly Pearce, Amy Grant, Luke Grimes, Brandon Lake, Breland, Bryan Andrews, Noeline Hofmann, Adam Mac, Aaron Raitiere, Devon Gilfillian, Gavin Adcock, Amanda Shires, Shooter Jennings, Margo Price, Michaela Anne, Ink, Ne-Yo, Rival Sons’ Jay Buchanan, Halestorm, Dusty Slay, Lukas Nelson, Ashley Monroe, Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor, Clever, Love on the Spectrum’s Tyler White, Willie Nelson scholar John Spong, and authors Marissa R. Moss, Josh Crutchmer, Mark Gray, and Jonathan Bernstein.