Castaway (Zac Brown Band song)

"Castaway"
Single by Zac Brown Band
from the album Jekyll + Hyde
Released	April 25, 2016 (2016-04-25)
Genre	Country reggae
Length	3:08
Label	Southern Ground BMLG Republic John Varvatos Records
Songwriter(s)	Zac Brown Niko Moon Wyatt Durrette Coy Bowles John Driskell Hopkins
Producer(s)	In the Arena Productions
Zac Brown Band singles chronology
"Beautiful Drug" (2015) "Castaway" (2016) "My Old Man" (2017)

"Castaway" is a song recorded by American country music group Zac Brown Band. It was released as the sixth single from the band's fourth studio album, Jekyll + Hyde, on April 25, 2016. The song was written by Zac Brown, Coy Bowles, John Driskell Hopkins, Wyatt Durrette and Niko Moon.

Content

The song is an upbeat, reggae-influenced tune[1] about a man who wants to relax on a beach as a "castaway".

Critical reception

An uncredited review from Taste of Country was positive, saying that "The textured vocals are much more compelling than anything from the arrangement, although it’s pretty tough not to enjoy the groove the Zac Brown Band band are laying down in 'Castaway.' It’s actually been some time since ZBB released an island-flavored single, and the timing couldn’t be better for this brand of country music."[1]

Personnel

From Jekyll + Hyde liner notes.[2]

Musical

• Coy Bowles – electric guitar
• Zac Brown – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
• Clay Cook – background vocals, Hammond organ, ukulele
• Jimmy DeMartini – background vocals, violin
• Chris Fryar – drums
• John Driskell Hopkins – background vocals, ukulele
• Matt Mangano – bass guitar, acoustic bass guitar
• Daniel de los Reyes – percussion

Technical

• Brandon Bell - engineering
• John Driskell Hopkins - vocal arrangement
• In the Arena Productions - production
• Andrew Scheps - mixing

Chart performance

The song has sold 200,000 copies in the US as of September 2016.[3]

Weekly charts Chart (2016) Peak position Canada Country (Billboard)[4] 17 US Billboard Hot 100[5] 96 US Country Airplay (Billboard)[6] 14 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] 17

Year-end charts Chart (2016) Position US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[8] 61

References

1. "Zac Brown Band, 'Castaway' [Listen]". Taste of Country. April 15, 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
2. Jekyll + Hyde (CD booklet). Zac Brown Band. John Varvatos/BMLG/Southern Ground/Republic. 2015. B0022962-02.
3. Bjorke, Matt (September 19, 2016). "Top 30 Digital Singles Chart: September 19, 2016". Roughstock.
4. "Zac Brown Band Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
5. "Zac Brown Band Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
6. "Zac Brown Band Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.
7. "Zac Brown Band Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
8. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2020.