I Wish Grandpas Never Died

"I Wish Grandpas Never Died"
"I Wish Grandpas Never Died"
Single by Riley Green
from the album Different 'Round Here
Released	September 20, 2019
Genre	Country
Length	4:08
Label	BMLG
Songwriter(s)	Riley Green; Buford Green; Lendon Bonds;
Producer(s)	Dann Huff
Riley Green singles chronology

"I Wish Grandpas Never Died" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Riley Green. It is the third single from his debut studio album Different 'Round Here.

History

Green had written the song and performed it on tour before adding it to the tracklist of his debut album. According to him, he was persuaded to record the song by Brad Paisley. The song caused waves on country radio, for the lyric "I wish country music still got played on country radio." A radio edit was created to edit out the jab towards pop country, and the lyric was replaced with "I wish George Jones still got played on country radio."

The song is a tribute to Green's grandfathers, both of whom are also credited as co-writers on the song.

Commercial performance

The song has sold 123,000 copies in the United States as of March 2020.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2019–2020)	Peak position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)	95
Canada Country (Billboard)	11
US Billboard Hot 100	66
US Country Airplay (Billboard)	12
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)	12

Year-end charts

Chart (2019)	Position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)	91

Chart (2020)	Position
US Country Airplay (Billboard)	54
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)	47

Certifications

Certifications for "I Wish Grandpas Never Died"
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)	Gold	35,000^‡
Canada (Music Canada)	Platinum	80,000^‡
United States (RIAA)	Platinum	1,000,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.