Zac Brown Band’s “Out in the Middle” doubles down on its roots
Zac Brown Band’s “Out in the Middle” doubles down on the band’s authentic country with upbeat beat, vocal harmony, authentic country subject matter, and songwriting assistance from one of the biggest names in music. like, Luke Combs.
The second tracklisting song from The return, “Out in the Middle” returns to the traditional cooking direction that made ZBB one of country music’s most beloved hitmakers. The band are known for experimenting, with pop and EDM influences dotting their 2019 The owl album, but here they go back to their roots.
The results are promising. “Out in the Middle” delivers the same upbeat, upbeat country sound that fans know and love, but it’s not a repeat of anything the band has released in the past. It’s also a roots anthem made for the stage, so much so that the band borrowed the name of the track for their Out in the Middle 2022 tour.
When they first released the song, frontman Zac Brown described “Out in the Middle” as “a southern rock story about being country, being proud of what it is, and being proud of what it is. ‘to be proud to live a simple life and work hard’.
Both the studio version and its live counterpart will be a celebration of the lifestyle so many of their fans grew up with, Brown continues.
“It’s a tip of the hat to the people who live in the middle of nowhere and are happy to be there,” he adds. “People who live in the city often don’t care about country people until they go out and experience it for themselves. Then they really get into it. There’s a reason why you stay there.”
Lyrics of “Out in the Middle” by Zac Brown Band:
There’s an old two-lane route / Out where the radio just can’t / Cross a river bed with a swing / And a mailbox painted all John Deere green / The end of a bunch of gravel driveway / Here doing our own thing…
Chorus:
In the middle where hard work meets hard life / In the middle where we grew until we were gone, God willing / Just a few good old boys and a few good old girls / Chasing dreams of red dirt in a concrete world / To manage a little, in the middle
Come Friday, we’re unraveling / Stay half lit like high life neon / Barely hung like sheds in the pole barn / You can hear Hank clear ‘cross the next farm / Town people say we we’re crazy / But they are ‘ it’s never been so…
Repeat the chorus
In the middle of nowhere / This is where I want to be / In the shade of the old oak near the family graves / With the southern soil on me
Repeat the chorus