Written by Zac Brown, Niko Moon, and Wyatt Durrette<\/a>, \u201cBittersweet\u201d is about losing a loved-one but being able to find beauty in their memory. Wyatt Durrette brought the song idea to Zac Brown when his mother was battling cancer. Durrette has had his hand in co-writing many other Zac Brown Band songs such as \u201cHighway 20 Ride,\u201d \u201cColder Weather,\u201d \u201cSweet Annie,\u201d and \u201cGoodbye in Her Eyes.\u201d With all of these being very touching and powerful songs, it\u2019s no surprise that the Durrette-Brown team has delivered again. In an interview about the song on his YouTube channel<\/a>, Zac Brown reveals \u201cI wanted to write a song that could be vague enough to not be just about someone losing his mother, but about someone losing someone they care about.\u201d Careful production matched with touching lyrics perfectly delivers this emotion that Brown wants the listener to experience.<\/p>\n Wyatt Durrette (left) and Zac Brown (right)<\/p><\/div>\n The song starts off with a long and beautifully mournful twenty-second violin intro with waves breaking in the background. Without words, this builds the setting of a beach for the listeners; however, they will quickly find out that this isn\u2019t just another Zac Brown island song. A short guitar and drum instrumental seamlessly transitions the violin intro to the first verse when Brown starts singing twenty-five seconds in. Immediately he describes the setting when he sings, \u201cCan\u2019t tell where the sky begins and the water ends.\u201d In the first verse, Brown paints a picture of a beautiful day on the beach with a bottle in his hand. The simple production of just a guitar, drums, and crashing waves in the background does an excellent job of providing appropriate music behind the lyrics.<\/p>\n In the second verse, the listener learns more about Zac Brown\u2019s predicament when he sings, \u201cSomething about this place had a way to make you smile. You always loved this island breeze.\u201d At this moment, it is clear that the boardwalk holds a lot of memories for the narrator. A poignant electric guitar enters here that sounds like stars in the sky, which adds movement and emotion to this cinematic moment.<\/p>\n The signature Zac Brown Band harmonies join the arrangement in the pre-chorus when he sings, \u201cThe wind whistling \u2018cross my bottle still can\u2019t blow away the sorrow that tomorrow you won\u2019t be here with me,\u201d providing emphasis to the lyrics. In the interview on his YouTube channel, Brown recites this whole verse, thus demonstrating its importance to him. The alcohol can\u2019t mask the pain he\u2019s going through so he raises his bottle and toasts to the loved-one\u2019s memory, providing the first example of something that\u2019s bittersweet. The chorus brings the harmonies back when Brown sings, \u201cIt\u2019s bittersweet you see, you\u2019re not here but I can feel you.\u201d This moment sums up all the pain and happy reminiscing that he is going through. He is so overwhelmed by the presence of his loved-one\u2019s memories that you can hear the pain in his voice when he and his band mates eloquently finish the chorus by singing, \u201cIt\u2019s bittersweet.\u201d There is a little bit of an instrumental build here but it quickly drops off when the third verse begins.<\/p>\n Your heart will drop every time you hear the first line of the third verse, \u201cDoctor said there\u2019s nothing we can do.\u201d The sick loved-one then requests to go with Brown to the only place that will make him\/her feel at peace before he\/she dies, the beach that Zac Brown currently sits at. It is important to remember that he is consciously keeping his relation to the loved-one unknown to make the song more universal for his listeners. The following chorus is the same as the first chorus but this time it has more of an impact on the listeners because now they have more information on the story, thus, making them feel more emotionally connected to the song. Zac Brown has the listeners right where he wants them going into the emotional peak of the song.<\/p>\n As Brown finishes the second chorus by singing, \u201cIt\u2019s bittersweet,\u201d an electric guitar builds up and a full-on drum set is finally introduced. As multiple heavily distorted electric guitars pound the listeners\u2019 ears and sends goosebumps down their spines, Zac Brown wails, \u201cI brought you back just like you wanted so you don\u2019t ever have to leave. When I poured you \u2018cross the southern sky, I couldn\u2019t help but to cry. I know you finally got your wings.\u201d This violent, dynamic change takes the song from being breezy and islandy to a whole new level that represents the loved-one going to heaven. The moment he scatters her ashes is the third and most powerful bittersweet moment of the song. As he is grieving and mourning for this loss, he is able to find beauty in the loved-one going to heaven when he\/she finally gets his\/her wings. Just as this transition from the real world to the divine world occurs, there is a huge instrumental that allows Zac Brown to let his vocals fly (like his angel he just said goodbye to) when he sings, \u201cBitter, bittersweet bittersweet, oh.\u201d<\/p>\n At the end of the bridge, the production is brought back down to its original simplicity. When he sings the pre-chorus lyrics, the listener is taken back to Zac Brown sitting on the boardwalk with a bottle in his hand. He toasts the loved-one\u2019s memory then his voice purposefully trembles when he sings the word \u201cyou\u201d on the penultimate line, \u201cthe amazing way you love me.\u201d Right after this line, a minor chord is introduced that hasn\u2019t been played yet and Zac Brown sings, \u201cIt\u2019s bittersweet.\u201d The song ends on a final strum. All the other instruments fade out while the background waves and a faint organ remain for a brief moment until they fade out as well.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s Brown\u2019s vocal stylization, the dropping in-and-out of background harmonies, or the addition of distorted instruments during the bridge, \u201cBittersweet\u201d is the perfect example of production matching lyrics. In an age where country music lacks integrity and artistry, the Zac Brown Band’s Jekyll + Hyde<\/em>\u00a0provides hope for those still clinging on. However, this song isn\u2019t just for country music listeners. \u201cBittersweet\u201d can inspire anyone to find beauty and peace in the memory of a lost loved-one as it reminds us to make the most of our time with our loved-ones while they are still with us.<\/p>\n Works Cited<\/p>\n Behind the Song: “Bittersweet” Perf. Zac Brown. YouTube. N.p., 1 June 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.<\/p>\n Easton, Anthony. “Zac Brown Band: Jekyll and Hyde.” PopMatters. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.<\/p>\n Gray, Mark. “Songwriter Spotlight: Wyatt Durrette.” Rolling Stone. N.p., 10 Nov. 2014. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.<\/p>\n Trust, Gary. “Zac Brown Band Earns Rare Crossover Chart Coronation.”\u00a0Billboard<\/i>. N.p., 28 Apr. 2015. Web. 03 Nov. 2015.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Written by Tyler Dial, 3 November 2015. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PPvyfLtlI-A The Zac Brown Band\u2019s Jekyll + Hyde, released in early 2015, has caused much controversy with many critics arguing that it isn\u2019t a country album. One critic on PopMatters goes far enough … Continue reading ![\"Wyatt](\"http:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2015\/11\/photo_3_ZB_EG_9150-770x0-300x200.jpg\")
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\nOne of the most significant and recurring lines in the song is the end of the pre-chorus when he sings, \u201cI won\u2019t forget the way you love me. Amazing ways you love me.\u201d This is a bittersweet moment because although the loved-one gone, he is able to fondly appreciate the love that this person gave him.<\/p>\n![\"68f45c07c986b1c2bbff78041b2e8461\"](\"http:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2015\/11\/68f45c07c986b1c2bbff78041b2e8461.jpg\")
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\nAccording to Zac Brown in his YouTube interview, the second pre-chorus is really significant because it is sung from the dying loved-one\u2019s perspective. The lyrics are changed to provide the listener with his\/her dying wishes. At the end of the pre-chorus, loved-one\u00a0tells Brown, \u201cGo and live your life with no regrets and don\u2019t forget how much I love you.\u201d In his explanation of the song, Zac Brown basks in the beauty of being able to tell someone how much you love them when he says, \u201cIt\u2019s a song that hopefully helps people grieve if they\u2019re gonna lose somebody and also remind them while you\u2019re there to tell them that you love them.\u201d The beauty of telling someone how much you love him or her, knowing you won\u2019t be there tomorrow, is another example of something that\u2019s incredibly bittersweet.<\/p>\n![\"cd7627ec1d91dde60dfa1a4ed881d8bc\"](\"http:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2015\/11\/cd7627ec1d91dde60dfa1a4ed881d8bc.jpg\")
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\n Time<\/td>\n Section<\/td>\n Listening Cues<\/td>\n Discussion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 0:00<\/td>\n Violin Intro<\/td>\n Violin<\/td>\n Notice the beautiful violin introduction with waves in the background.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 0:19<\/td>\n Instrumental<\/td>\n Guitar and Drums<\/td>\n Very short. Transitions violin to singing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 0:25<\/td>\n Verse 1<\/td>\n “Can’t tell where the sky…”<\/td>\n Paints a beautiful picture of the narrator on a beach with a bottle.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 0:49<\/td>\n Verse 2<\/td>\n “Sat down on the boardwalk…”<\/td>\n A poignant\u00a0guitar enters. The narrator starts reminiscing about someone and the way he\/she loved the place.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 1:12<\/td>\n Pre-Chorus<\/td>\n “The wind whistling ‘cross my bottle…”<\/td>\n Background vocals enter. The narrator says he’s no longer with his loved-one and toasts to her memory.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 1:38<\/td>\n Chorus 1<\/td>\n “It’s bittersweet you see…”<\/td>\n Here, he talks about how the setting and her memory are bittersweet. No change in production. Beautiful harmonies.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 2:14<\/td>\n Verse 3<\/td>\n “Doctor said there’s nothing we could do…”<\/td>\n Here, he’s talking about his wife who doesn’t have long to live and all she wants to do is go to her favorite place.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 2:36<\/td>\n Pre-Chorus 2<\/td>\n “You said live is only borrowed…”<\/td>\n In this section, the wife is telling the narrator to live life with no regrets and not to forget her love for him. Similar to the first pre-chorus.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 3:02<\/td>\n Chorus 2<\/td>\n “It’s bittersweet you see…”<\/td>\n Faint organ introduced. Other than that, it’s the same chorus.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 3:33<\/td>\n Bridge<\/td>\n “I brought you back just like you wanted…”<\/td>\n Very heavy and powerful. Electric guitar introduced along with full drums. This is when he scatters her ashes and she goes to heaven.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 3:58<\/td>\n Instrumental<\/td>\n “Bitter, bittersweet”<\/td>\n Beautifully tragic instrumentation and vocalization. Full on orchestra introduced.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 4:28<\/td>\n Pre-chorus 3<\/td>\n “The wind whistlin’ ‘cross my bottle…”<\/td>\n Same as the first pre-chorus but notice the falsetto on “you love me.” Also, notice the minor chord introduced.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n