Zac Brown Band - "The Wind"

[Dustin J.]

Select iHeartRadio stations are advertising "The Wind" as the new single from the Zac Brown Band. They will debut the song at 10:00am tomorrow (6/5) morning and play it at the top of the hour every hour for the rest of the day.

[rsmatto]

Of course they will.

[Cody Wants Out...]

Argh. *facepalm* I was hoping they wouldn't do that.

[Kanenrá:ke]

It probably would've debut high anyway so I'm not so against this one, kinda sad to see "No Hurry" end it's run though.

[Deleted]

You can buy now on iTunes.

[cufan7]

I'm interested to see if this is too country for country radio.

[mairy]

[jdbowman]

Think its a #1

[joey2002]

These guys never cease to release singles which are completely different from anything they've ever sent to radio before. Zac Brown certainly can't be accused of selling out or going mainstream – seems like they enjoy treading opposite the norm. "The Wind" reminds me a bit of the melody in "Whiskey's Gone", but most people who haven't bought their albums have never heard this bluegrass side of ZBB. Good stuff – I really hope it does well.

[onebuffalo]

I can see it now. Another CD of four #1s and one #2.

[Gravity.]

Hot Cat Stevens remake?

Seriously though, this is pretty good. These guys rarely miss for me.

[dajross6]

Loving this after hearing it a few times. Heard it in concert a few months back and sounds exactly the same and hoping it gets to the top. I can't imagine that not happening, but who knows with how the song sounds.

[Zazie]

Is there some reason this song's only getting played once an hour? And not at the bottom of the hour as well? These guys cannot get a break from country radio.

[Cody Wants Out...]

Hmm. Not bad. I find this to be a grower like KMIM and NH were, but a little more instant. Should be a easy top 5 for them, if not #1. The Clear Channel deal is what got me a little annoyed, honestly. Chances are this won't turn out to be another FLARS scenario, with a huge debut, but fizzling out near the end of it's run (whether it be 6 weeks or 16 weeks).

[realityBITES]

I like it, but I think the tempo is too fast... it's exhausting.

[zaclord 🌈]

Not sure which I hate more... the new single, or the new album cover.

This song (from the small clip I could handle listening to) was just very loud and obnoxious sounding. It reminded me of "Keep Me In Mind", but worse (and KMIM is by far my least favorite single from them, and the only one I really don't care for until this one). Maybe the full song will be better, but in those first 45 seconds I just couldn't handle it.

And the album cover is just disturbing. I will not be purchasing the album for the fact alone.

[Ten Pound Hammer]

^If this song is loud to you, then I'm surprised your eardrums don't burst upon hearing Jason Aldean.

I'm digging it so far. Doesn't seem breakneck to me like some bluegrass songs — a lot of bluegrass songs are just so damn fast that I can't make out a melody, just a bunch of mandolin and banjo runs that all blend together.

[Deleted]

LOVE this. HATE Clear Channel. Not a fan of the album cover...I understand that the ZBB does things outside of the box, but a nice picture of the band for an album cover certainly wouldn't hurt. I think it would lure more fans in as well...because I honestly think there will be others who might be on the fence about their music, and see that hideous whatever-it-is (no pun intended) on the album cover and decide not to get it.

I think this will be another big #1 hit for them. Let's see where it pops up on Mediabase tomorrow...that's the one thing I can't stand...this ridiculous new practice that Clear Channel suddenly seems so fond of.

Jun 5, 2012 22:45:50 GMT -5 zaclord 🌈 said:

This song (from the small clip I could handle listening to) was just very loud and obnoxious sounding.

Loud? This song doesn't strike me as loud at all. Or obnoxious. It is very fast-paced but 'loud' is not a word that comes to mind, especially when I think about songs like "Fly Over States", "Tattoos On This Town", "You Don't Know Her Like I Do", "Good Girl", "Something To Do With My Hands", etc. (and I like most of those songs--just saying they are a lot louder than "The Wind").

I love how this one goes. It sounds so fresh...I've heard a few people say their music sounds the same but I don't hear it at all. They keep coming back with new sounds, and this song is unlike anything I've heard recently.

[hank0629]

Wow...5.74m in one day?

[dajire4]

Clear Channel AGAIN?? No please! It makes me hate songs

[Uncle Lumpy]

I like this well enough. The psedo-bluegrass verses are great, but the song over all loses points with me for the almost celtic melody of the chorus. Still, I like this better then 95% of the current singles. And their stuff almost always grow on me.

So sick of Clear Channels antics though.

[Deleted]

Well, today's update isn't as huge as I thought it would be. Big & Rich debuted with almost 7 million after the 1st day, and Kenny/Tim had over 9 million. Plus, the 690 spins this got on its 1st day were a few hundred less than FLARS got.

Still, it just isn't right. Or it shouldn't be right. Radio becoming more and more corporate sounds like nothing but trouble to me. This song would've probably had a big 1st day anyway, probably not quite so big, but I just don't see why the big guys at Clear Channel headquarters should tell stations what to play.

Anyway, there aren't any CC stations around me so I haven't heard this on the radio yet, as it'll probably be several weeks before the dumb Cumulus stations around here add it. I really like it, so I'll enjoy hearing it on the radio, but I agree--Iwish CC would stop with their antics, though..

[onebuffalo]

Country
No.1 Eric Church Springsteen
+30740 Zac Brown Band The Wind

[carriekins]

I think this has overtaken "As She's Walking Away" as my favorite ZBB single. I'm very, very curious to see how this will perform overall, though. Since Zac himself called this a bluegrass song (and because it very clearly IS a bluegrass song) and we all saw how revolted radio eventually became by Dierks' foray into "bluegrass" a couple of years ago, this might start off strong but flounder down the road. And if it doesn't, the Dierks fan in me will become rather bitter. ;)

[layne]

Jun 6, 2012 13:14:36 GMT -5 jhomes87 said:

Well, today's update isn't as huge as I thought it would be. Big & Rich debuted with almost 7 million after the 1st day, and Kenny/Tim had over 9 million. Plus, the 690 spins this got on its 1st day were a few hundred less than FLARS got.

Still, it just isn't right. Or it shouldn't be right. Radio becoming more and more corporate sounds like nothing but trouble to me. This song would've probably had a big 1st day anyway, probably not quite so big, but I just don't see why the big guys at Clear Channel headquarters should tell stations what to play.

Anyway, there aren't any CC stations around me so I haven't heard this on the radio yet, as it'll probably be several weeks before the dumb Cumulus stations around here add it. I really like it, so I'll enjoy hearing it on the radio, but I agree--Iwish CC would stop with their antics, though..

To me it's the same as some guy in the office at Cumulus telling their stations not to add certain Artists, even though they are in the top 10 or 15 or better yet top 5. This is the reason I can no longer get excited about a song reaching #1. It also infuriates me that this kind of thing is resulting in some Artists not being able to break through that have GREAT songs.

[joey2002]

One thing working for this is that it has perfect timing – fast-paces tunes tend to be good summer songs. Roll down the window and turn up "The Wind"... =)

[Deleted]

Jun 6, 2012 13:42:19 GMT -5 carriekins said:

I'm very, very curious to see how this will perform overall, though. Since Zac himself called this a bluegrass song (and because it very clearly IS a bluegrass song) and we all saw how revolted radio eventually became by Dierks' foray into "bluegrass" a couple of years ago, this might start off strong but flounder down the road. And if it doesn't, the Dierks fan in me will become rather bitter. ;)

I don't think this will have the same issue that Dierks faced with his UOTR album and its singles. Dierks and Capitol marketed that album as nothing but a bluegrass album (rather than country-bluegrass), while the Zac Brown Band has marketed their next album as "a little bit of everything". I'm guessing they'll push boundaries even further, but will probably have a couple other songs (in addition to "The Wind") suited for country radio, while the rest clearly pull influences from other genres like R&B, bluegrass, jazz, rock, etc.

Plus, the Zac Brown Band is on a higher plane of stardom than Dierks. And I really like Dierks too, but this is fact...the ZBB's single and album sales have been huge and their string of hits at country radio has been matched by only a few. So I don't think this situation is quite the same as Dierks' situation with UOTR. Plus, radio and the fans have come to expect some different stuff with the ZBB, as they are really a sound of their own. If this were to fall short of the top, I'd be surprised, but I might have to agree then that stuff like this is just a little too different for country radio. As it stands now, though, I think this is definitely a good country-bluegrass song and I think it'll be a big hit.

Just re-read everything...it almost seems like I'm calling Dierks a cookie-cutter artist compared to the ZBB, and that's not what I was trying to suggest at all. Dierks clearly has a very unique style as well and is a great artist/musician. I guess I just meant that his UOTR album seemed like more of a departure from his first 4 albums (or at least it seemed presented that way) than this song and what we've heard about the new ZBB album is compared to the out-of-the-box mentality Zac has presented us with for a while now. Their sound has continually been progressing and changing, maybe building up for something like this, whereas in Dierks' case, it seemed like he went country-country-country-country-bluegrass-country. If that even makes sense. Ok, I think I'm done now.

[Ten Pound Hammer]

I would love to see ZBB do a cover or two. Exile's "Keep It in the Middle of the Road" is just begging to be covered by them — same "jam band" feel as "Keep Me in Mind".

[joey2002]

Jun 6, 2012 15:01:16 GMT -5 Ten Pound Hammer said:

I would love to see ZBB do a cover or two. Exile's "Keep It in the Middle of the Road" is just begging to be covered by them — same "jam band" feel as "Keep Me in Mind".

How about a cover of 3 Doors Down "Here Without You"?

I could also picture them covering anything from James Taylor... Jimmy Buffet... and then going right into the jam band tunes.

[carriekins]

Jun 6, 2012 14:11:43 GMT -5 jhomes87 said:

Jun 6, 2012 13:42:19 GMT -5 carriekins said:

I'm very, very curious to see how this will perform overall, though. Since Zac himself called this a bluegrass song (and because it very clearly IS a bluegrass song) and we all saw how revolted radio eventually became by Dierks' foray into "bluegrass" a couple of years ago, this might start off strong but flounder down the road. And if it doesn't, the Dierks fan in me will become rather bitter. ;)

I don't think this will have the same issue that Dierks faced with his UOTR album and its singles. Dierks and Capitol marketed that album as nothing but a bluegrass album (rather than country-bluegrass), while the Zac Brown Band has marketed their next album as "a little bit of everything". I'm guessing they'll push boundaries even further, but will probably have a couple other songs (in addition to "The Wind") suited for country radio, while the rest clearly pull influences from other genres like R&B, bluegrass, jazz, rock, etc.

Plus, the Zac Brown Band is on a higher plane of stardom than Dierks. And I really like Dierks too, but this is fact...the ZBB's single and album sales have been huge and their string of hits at country radio has been matched by only a few. So I don't think this situation is quite the same as Dierks' situation with UOTR. Plus, radio and the fans have come to expect some different stuff with the ZBB, as they are really a sound of their own. If this were to fall short of the top, I'd be surprised, but I might have to agree then that stuff like this is just a little too different for country radio. As it stands now, though, I think this is definitely a good country-bluegrass song and I think it'll be a big hit.

Just re-read everything...it almost seems like I'm calling Dierks a cookie-cutter artist compared to the ZBB, and that's not what I was trying to suggest at all. Dierks clearly has a very unique style as well and is a great artist/musician. I guess I just meant that his UOTR album seemed like more of a departure from his first 4 albums (or at least it seemed presented that way) than this song and what we've heard about the new ZBB album is compared to the out-of-the-box mentality Zac has presented us with for a while now. Their sound has continually been progressing and changing, maybe building up for something like this, whereas in Dierks' case, it seemed like he went country-country-country-country-bluegrass-country. If that even makes sense. Ok, I think I'm done now.

I wasn't talking about the marketing of the entire project or the entire albums themselves. My only point was, if you're comparing singles to singles, that "The Wind" is significantly more bluegrass than "Up on the Ridge" was. And, because of that, I'm curious to see how this is received. I love "the Wind" and I hope it does well. If it does ... I'll just say Dierks was before his time. ;)