Zac Brown Band - "Loving You Easy"

[Deleted]

The more I listen to this one, the less I like it. It's definitely unique and I can see tons of people loving it. To me, the chorus has a nice melody, but the verse is just plain BORING. The very first time I was listening to it in the car, by the middle of the song I had forgotten that it was even on. I don't expect it to be anything but a hit for them, but I'll pass on it.

[Deleted]

This definitely had a weak start on iTunes for a song that got hourly spins on iHeartMedia stations its first day at radio. Just about every song that gets any sort of IHM world premiere debuts really high on iTunes, in the top 20 at least and usually in the top 10. "Crash and Burn" and "Lose My Mind" even debuted way higher than this with only bi-hourly spins. And this being a second single rather than a first shouldn't have any impact on sales, since "Boys 'Round Here," "Give Me Back My Hometown," and "Small Town Throwdown" were all second singles that received Clear Channel deals and debuted in the top 10 on iTunes. I'm not expecting this to be as big a hit as "Homegrown." I'm thinking it'll peak somewhere from #15 to #5.

[Kanenrá:ke]

^ Weren't presales for the album pretty high though? When those other songs came out the album wasn't coming out for a few weeks as far as I remember, that may have an effect on the sales.

[sabre14]

"Loving You Easy" is the most added song on MB this week with 73 adds.

[Deleted]

Apr 27, 2015 14:24:57 GMT -5 Kanenrá:ke said:

^ Weren't presales for the album pretty high though? When those other songs came out the album wasn't coming out for a few weeks as far as I remember, that may have an effect on the sales.

You're right about "Give Me Back My Hometown." It was released several weeks before Eric's album came out, so I guess that would explain why single sales would have been higher as not as many fans could hold out for the album. However, BRH was world premiered the very day Blake's Based on a True Story was released, and STT was world premiere May 13, six days before Brantley's Just As I Am was released, so those two seem like proof that a nearby album release shouldn't have that much of an effect on iTunes sales. Actually "Throwdown" ended up being a mediocre seller on iTunes in the long-run, but it was still able to manage a #5 debut on iTunes simply because that's how powerful these hourly world premieres iHeartMedia/Clear Channel gives out are. This ZBB song couldn't even manage a top 50 debut with the big world premiere day, so I'd hate to see where it is on the iTunes chart two months from now. I'm sure ZBB's album will sell really well, but I think "Homegrown" is going to be the big tent pole single that everyone recognizes and is motivated to by the album by.

I'll also say that I realize not every ZBB song has killed it on iTunes, and I don't think low iTunes sales would be the whole reason behind this under-performing. It's more of a gut feeling I have based partially on early sales numbers. 

[blueguitar]

Apr 27, 2015 14:38:25 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

"Loving You Easy" is the most added song on MB this week with 73 adds.

Whoa! Isn't their add date 5/4 (next week)? I hadn't seen anything stating otherwise. I had figured Thomas Rhett to be the most added. I don't remember ever seeing anything close to 73 adds before an impact date.

[sabre14]

Apr 27, 2015 14:55:46 GMT -5 blueguitar said:

Apr 27, 2015 14:38:25 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

"Loving You Easy" is the most added song on MB this week with 73 adds.

Whoa! Isn't their add date 5/4 (next week)? I hadn't seen anything stating otherwise. I had figured Thomas Rhett to be the most added. I don't remember ever seeing anything close to 73 adds before an impact date.

It's not that surprising. ZBB is an A-list artist and with the debut it already had last week and charting on MB and Billboard yesterday and today, radio jumped on. The "official" impact date is May 4th, but obviously radio didn't wait.

Thomas Rhett already had 59 adds before today, so that's the reason he wasn't most added today.

[Deleted]

Apr 27, 2015 14:52:46 GMT -5 @daydrinker said:

I'll also say that I realize not every ZBB song has killed it on iTunes, and I don't think low iTunes sales would be the whole reason behind this under-performing. It's more of a gut feeling I have based partially on early sales numbers. 

This will be a big hit, most likely a #1. I'd be very surprised if it peaks as low as you think it will. And the reason that its iTunes sales are "lower" is because so many people have pre-ordered the album already, and many more are just going to wait to buy it. Also, "Homegrown" is still huge right now.

I don't think this is going to be a poor seller or struggle at radio, at all.

Apr 27, 2015 14:55:46 GMT -5 blueguitar said:

Whoa! Isn't their add date 5/4 (next week)? I hadn't seen anything stating otherwise. I had figured Thomas Rhett to be the most added. I don't remember ever seeing anything close to 73 adds before an impact date.

73 adds is actually pretty common for an A-list artist like ZBB, Blake, Luke, Jason, Keith, Kenny, Carrie, etc, especially if it's the first or 2nd single from an album. And the reason this got so many this week is because it was an instant-add at iHeartMedia...all the IHM stations played this once an hour on Thursday and have kept it in light/medium rotation since. I don't know exactly how many IHM stations there are off the top of my head, but I know it's over 50, maybe closer to 60, so that explains the bulk of the adds. The adds are definitely what I expected to see.

And also, like sabre14 said, Thomas Rhett already has 59 adds from the last couple of weeks. I still expect him to pick up a lot of adds today but there's only about 90 stations that still can add "Crash And Burn", since, again, 59 stations already added it early. With the new adds Thomas will get today, he might have anywhere from 85-100 total adds on impact.

[rsmatto]

Apr 27, 2015 13:50:24 GMT -5 @daydrinker said:

This definitely had a weak start on iTunes for a song that got hourly spins on iHeartMedia stations its first day at radio. Just about every song that gets any sort of IHM world premiere debuts really high on iTunes, in the top 20 at least and usually in the top 10. "Crash and Burn" and "Lose My Mind" even debuted way higher than this with only bi-hourly spins. And this being a second single rather than a first shouldn't have any impact on sales, since "Boys 'Round Here," "Give Me Back My Hometown," and "Small Town Throwdown" were all second singles that received Clear Channel deals and debuted in the top 10 on iTunes. I'm not expecting this to be as big a hit as "Homegrown." I'm thinking it'll peak somewhere from #15 to #5.

You constantly overreact to the iTunes sales charts to predict how a song will do on radio. Radio has PLENTY of singles that do various things, one of which is sell less than folks like you think they will. This single will be at least a Top 5 but I suspect it'll hit #1 and could very well become a Groovy Gold hit too. This is an a-list band with country radio (even if some single releases are hard sells). This one, though? "Loving You Easy" is NOT a tough sell for radio. Especially since it is two and a half minutes long.

[bluedog6]

I was a huge ZBB fan and I knew from their live shows that someday they would let me down. I knew that they would drift further away from country music because they really aren't a country music band. I love their non-country covers they do in their live shows because of how much emphasis is place on the musicians but that is not the type of music I want to listen to on the radio or on a cd. In the end, I am a country music lover and they are going further and further away from country music. Or at least what I consider country music. I agree with what someone else said about this new song having a 70's vibe. I've heard that in few other songs on country radio too. I don't like it. I still wish ZBB success in whatever they do. They have given me some great memories of some great live music. I'm just jumping off the fan wagon unless they drift back toward country (which I would be extremely surprised if they did).

[onebuffalo]

Apr 27, 2015 15:43:45 GMT -5 bluedog6 said:

I was a huge ZBB fan and I knew from their live shows that someday they would let me down. I knew that they would drift further away from country music because they really aren't a country music band. I love their non-country covers they do in their live shows because of how much emphasis is place on the musicians but that is not the type of music I want to listen to on the radio or on a cd. In the end, I am a country music lover and they are going further and further away from country music. Or at least what I consider country music. I agree with what someone else said about this new song having a 70's vibe. I've heard that in few other songs on country radio too. I don't like it. I still wish ZBB success in whatever they do. They have given me some great memories of some great live music. I'm just jumping off the fan wagon unless they drift back toward country (which I would be extremely surprised if they did).

But didn't the Zac Brown Band say they were always a jam band? Sure, they have Southern Rock influences, but that's what makes them great. I had said previously I loved their version of The Devil Went Down To Georgia (they could release that as a single). I also said their working with Dave Grohl rubbed off on them. Also, aligning themselves with Big Machine may have played a part of how Jekyll + Hyde turned out. I love how many influences they have and how every single has sounded quite different from the others they released. Quite eclectic if you were to ask me.

[Deleted]

As eclectic as ZBB is, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they went back in the Country direction on the next album.

They're obviously not the type of act that has the desire to stick to one sound, and I don't see that as a bad thing at all.

I've also noticed ZBB has been careful NOT to label themselves as a Country band, which I find to be quite smart.

It seems like once someone within Country music goes too far in one direction, a lot of the genre's fans get upset and say "such and such isn't Country" and they prefer a different sound. So, I can appreciate ZBB doesn't label their sound, because the focus is purely on the music, not the label.

I liked "Heavy Is The Head," but, honestly, these singles aren't doing much for me.

Artists don't have to sacrifice lyrical quality for a heavier sound, but ZBB appears to have done so, at least on these two offerings.

[rsmatto]

Apr 27, 2015 16:28:36 GMT -5 @carrieflattsfan said:

It seems like once someone within Country music goes too far in one direction, a lot of the genre's fans get upset and say "such and such isn't Country" and they prefer a different sound. So, I can appreciate ZBB doesn't label their sound, because the focus is purely on the music, not the label.

Country fans have done this with every generation, especially proclaiming what they grew up listening to as the 'true' country sound. This thought, though, happens in every genre.

[dm2081]

I don't see why Zac Brown Band can still be a great country act and great rock band at the same time. Alabama had some hit songs on Pop radio back in the day, but no one dares to question their authenticity. They simply make music that is a perfect blend of multiple genres, and are just a more broader appealing act than some others are within the genre. Nickelback remained a core Hard Rock act on Mainstream Rock Radio despite having huge Pop hits, and it just worked out well. I think we can see the same from ZBB.

[Deleted]

Thanks for the input, jhomes87 and rsmatto. I did contemplate the idea that album sales and pre-sales would be responsible for single sales not being so high, but that's why I brought up "Boys 'Round Here" and "Small Town Throwdown" as examples of songs that sold well as singles even though they hit iTunes around the same time their albums, which also sold exceptionally well, were released. Blake's album was released the very day that BRH was premiered, yet both the single debuted high on the iTunes chart and the album sold 199k in its first week. Brantley Gilbert's Just As I Am had one of the best opening weeks for a country album of 2014 and the single "Small Town Throwdown" shot up really high on iTunes just a week before. I guess what would really help is if we had the number of copies BG's album sold before its release date last year, so we could compare the two.

However, I'm not sure I can agree with the concept that just because a song is short it is radio-friendly. I agree that long songs have a tougher time securing spots on radio stations' playlists, but I just don't know if a programmer is going to say, "This song isn't a fan favorite or isn't the kind of song I'm looking for, but it's short and sweet, so I'll give it a spot on my playlist." If there are plenty of other songs radio wants to play that are a minute or so longer, I think programmers would go for those instead of this.

[rsmatto]

The shortness allows for more AirPlay, thus easier path to #1. Nothing to do,with radio liking it more cause of that. That point was all about it getting more AirPlay cause it's a short song from an a list act.

[zjames]

They're performing "Tomorrow Never Comes" on The Tonight Show. Looks like this might be the first pop single from the album.

[onebuffalo]

Apr 26, 2015 19:03:41 GMT -5 jhomes87 said:

I'm projecting a debut of #29 for "Loving You Easy" on tomorrow's Billboard chart, behind Dustin Lynch but ahead of Rascal Flatts, Maddie & Tae, Reba, and Kip.

Close. #30.

A new chart that Zac Brown Band has conquered:

Mainstream Rock Songs
*** No. 1 (1 week)***/Greatest Gainer "Heavy Is The Head" Zac Brown Band Featuring Chris Cornell

They will always have As She's Walking Away:

theboot.com/zac-brown-band-chicken-fried-alan-jackson/

[maine]

Got around to listening to the album and I really like it. It's very different, but in a good way. I like how they crossed multiple genres, but the album stays fairly cohesive. For singles, not sure how much my input would be since I'm not a regular country poster (obvious to most of you I guess lol). With "Heavy Is the Head" hitting #1 on Active Rock, they'll for sure send another single there, more than likely "Junkyard". I also remember seeing Zac say that "Beautiful Drug" could be a potential crossover hit for them in an interview, so I wouldn't be surprised if that gets released. I don't know about country singles, again, mostly for my lack of knowledge on the format. Maybe "Wildfire" or "Castaway" would work.

[rsmatto]

So this and the whole record was NOT produced by Jay Joyce and Zac. It was only "Homegrown." This song is produced by "In The Arena Productions" who is probably Zac, Clay Cook and their engineers.

[zjames]

Sign up for some sort of Republic Records/Jimmy John's updates and receive a download of "Loving You Easy" for free! Lol.

[onebuffalo]

Loving You Easy debuts at #34 on the mongrel chart, #42 on the digital chart. 8000 were sold.

[Active Aggressive]

Don't really care to engage in the are-they-aren't-they-country debate. I am here for quality music only. I bought this album BASED on the clips and I have never owned an album of theirs and only know Chicken Fried in passing. They positively sell these songs because...well, they have the talent. I just got to Mango Tree. OMG what is this?? The only issue is that it's not a cohesive album. But, it's not like they made bad songs. Zac has a killer voice too. There is only a handful of country artists I really like and I probably own about 15 country albums in total that I have paid for. Glad to add this to my collection.

[onebuffalo]

Nice accomplishment for the Zac Brown Band:

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6560831/zac-brown-band-artist-100

[maine]

Lyric video:

[goodsoul81]

[Deleted]

[dm2081]

I really hope "Dress Blues" is the 3rd single. I love "Bittersweet" as well, but "Dress Blues" is a little more country sounding for Country radio. I just feel that "Dress Blues" will connect with nearly everybody, and could be an award winning type of song for them. There's definitely a market for these types of songs, as "I Drive Your Truck" and now "One Hell Of An Amen" are pretty big hits. Meanwhile, this song has done pretty well considering it's following up one of the top 3 biggest hits of the year. "Loving You Easy" has sold consistently well and will probably peak at least at #1 or #2 when it's all said and done.

[rsmatto]

Jul 25, 2015 15:37:57 GMT -5 joey2002 said:

I'm pleasantly surprised to see how quickly this is flying up the chart. "Loving You Easy" has such a different sound compared to most of the other current "country" singles out there, so I'm really glad to see it doing so well. It's great to have something a little "outside the box" becoming such a big hit.

This has the same "soul" vibe that's also heard on "Crash and Burn" and "Lose my Mind."

[sapphire]

I was surprised on how much this has grown on me, just by hearing it on a shuffle country playlist on Spotify. I agree that it has somewhat similar vibe with Crash and Burn.