Scotty McCreery is kicking off summer with a bang—literally. The country star just dropped his newest single, “Bottle Rockets,” featuring the legendary band Hootie & The Blowfish, and it’s already shaping up to be a warm-weather staple.
The upbeat track blends McCreery’s smooth Southern drawl with the group’s signature sound led by Darius Rucker. Together, they have created a feel-good anthem that captures the essence of summertime as teenagers when it was all fun and there were no responsibilities in sight.
“Bottle Rockets” was written during a trip to the mountains of North Carolina by McCreery alongside Brent Anderson, Derek George, Jeremy Bussey, Monty Criswell, Frank Rogers, Bobby Hamrick. The members of Hootie & The Blowfish themselves—including Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim Sonefeld, also had a hand in the creative process as they recorded a new version of their mega-hit “Hold My Hand” for the track.
While reflecting on this serene writing session, North Carolina native, McCreery, remembers talking about past summers and the soundtracks of those warm weather months. With Hootie and The Blowfish being a staple act of South Carolina, McCreery admitted their music was among the most popular in their neighboring states.
“Darius has been a friend now for a long time, so I was hopeful that maybe they would want to do this, but you never know, especially when the song probably means so much to them,” McCreery told Country Now. “But I nervously texted him and he got back to me and said, ‘we’d love to do it.’ The song turned out better than my wildest dreams.”
McCreery takes the lead on “Bottle Rockets,” offering a celebration of youthful freedom and small-town memories that are made during those fleeting summers when the days stretched on forever. For McCreery, that feeling is rooted in his upbringing in the Carolinas, especially the last summer he had before real responsibilities kicked in.
“I was talking about my last summer with no job. I didn’t have a learner’s permit, but my buddies did. So they were driving everywhere and hitting the beach. No responsibilities. It was like, man, I just remember that everybody’s like, ‘oh, these are the golden days.’ It was like, ‘oh, whatever.’ But man, those were good times,” he explained.
The song taps into the universal feelings of young love and the intoxicating feeling of the newfound freedom that comes with turning 17. With Hootie & The Blowfish soundtracking so many summertime memories for McCreery and fans everywhere, the track felt like a full-circle moment.
McCreery added, “Hootie was on the radio, Hootie was on our playlist and stuff, so that was just a natural tie in to have them part of the song.”
The American Idol alum sets the tone with his signature baritone vocals lighting up the relatable narrative. As Hootie & The Blowfish enter on the chorus, they bring a heavy dose of nostalgia with their warm harmonies.
“Bottle rockets in the sky/ Barefeet in the sand/ Bonfire in her eyes/ Cold beer in the can/ Moonlight on the waves/ her kiss in the dark/ The smile on her face when she made my breakout my guitar and play,” McCreery delivers before Hootie & The Blowfish join in to sing the lines from their beloved tune, “hold my hand/hold my hand.”
Next week, Scotty McCreery will head overseas to the United Kingdom for five headlining shows across Belfast, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and London with Caylee Hammack as his opening act.
He will then return to the states, starting with a show at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry on June 4 followed by an appearance at CMA Fest in Nissan Stadium on June 5. McCreery also has several fair and festival dates booked throughout the summer.
This Fall, he will be co-headlining the Two for the Road Tour alongside Dustin Lynch. The tour is set to kick-off on November 6th in Saginaw, MI.
“It’s new for both of us. I think this co-headlining thing, and we’re bringing all his gear and my gear, putting it together and making one big show. So should be a lot of fun,” he said of the upcoming run. “I think we’re going to get our heads together and try to come up with a show that fans haven’t seen before.”
In addition to all his upcoming tour dates, the country star recently that he will continue to embrace nostalgia in full force with an expanded version of his career-changing album, Seasons Change: Platinum Edition. Dropping June 20, the project will feature four additional tracks that were not included on the original album, as well as acoustic versions of the album’s three No. 1 singles plus fan favorite, “Still.”
The post Scotty McCreery Talks Joining Forces With Hootie & The Blowfish For Summertime Anthem, ‘Bottle Rockets’ [Exclusive] appeared first on Country Now.