"Beautiful Drug" is a song recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

group

Zac Brown Band Zac Brown Band is an American country music band based in Atlanta, Georgia. The lineup consists of Zac Brown (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy De Martini (fiddle, vocals), John Driskell Hopkins (bass guitar, guitar, baritone guitar, banjo, ukulele, ...

. It was released as the fourth single from the band's fourth studio album, ''

Jekyll + Hyde Jekyll may refer to: Entertainment Film * '' The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll'', a 1960 horror film * '' Dr. Jekyll y el Hombre Lobo'', a 1972 Spanish horror film * ''Jekyll'' (2007 film), a 2007 horror film Television * ''Jekyll'' (TV series), a 2 ...

'', on September 21, 2015. The song was written by

Zac Brown Zachry Alexander Brown (born July 31, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the co-founder and lead singer of the country Zac Brown Band, as well as electronic dance music group Sir Rosevelt. In 2019, Brown ...

and

Niko Moon Niko Moon (born Nicholas Cowan; September 20, 1982) is an American country pop singer and songwriter formerly signed to RCA Nashville. He has written songs for Dierks Bentley, Zac Brown Band, Rascal Flatts, and Morgan Wallen. He was also a membe ...

. On February 14, 2024, it was announced that the late Swedish DJ Avicii's

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

of the song would be released on February 16, 2024.

Critical reception

In his review of the album, Carl Wilson of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' gave the song a mixed review, saying that "The "beware who enter" sign is hung by the opener, "Beautiful Drug," which doesn't just flirt with top 40 EDM but checks it into a cheap motel for a quickie. The affair is brisk and forgettable, and soon gives way to more comfy MOR and gospel-rock cuts, but notice has been served." A review from ''

Taste of Country Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

'' was favorable, saying that "it's the most left-of-center single Zac Brown Band have ever released, which translates to their biggest risk. One gets a sense that this band is pretty comfortable at the edges of the format. It's the secret all but the most casual fan was aware of already anyway" and "Not all will ove it as ZBB employ more effects than ever. But the song's relentless energy will convert most quickly."

Commercial performance

The song first entered the Hot Country Songs chart on the album release at No. 45 for chart dated May 16, 2015, selling 5,400 copies. It debuted on the Country Airplay chart at No. 54 for chart dated September 26, 2015, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at No. 95 for chart dated November 21, 2015, and re-entered the Hot Country Songs chart at No. 48 on October 10, 2015. The band performed the song at the 2015

CMA Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...

on November 4, 2015, which prompted 21,000 downloads for the week, and the song then debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at No. 95. The song has sold 412,000 copies in the US as of May 2016.

Personnel

From ''Jekyll + Hyde'' liner notes. * Coy Bowles –

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...

– lead vocals,

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

* Clay Cook – background vocals, electric guitar * Jimmy DeMartini – background vocals,

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

Chris Fryar Chris Fryar (born November 22, 1970) is an American drummer. He is a member of Zac Brown Band. He has also worked with Oteil and the Peacemakers, led by bassist Oteil Burbridge of the Allman Brothers Band, Charles Neville, Victor Wooten, Joh ...

–

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

* John Driskell Hopkins – background vocals,

baritone guitar The baritone guitar is a guitar with a longer scale length, typically a larger body, and heavier internal bracing, so it can be tuned to a lower pitch. Gretsch, Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, ESP Guitars, PRS Guitars, Music Man, Danelectro, Sche ...

* Matt Mangano –

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

* Niko Moon – background vocals * Daniel de los Reyes –

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

* Ben Simonetti – programming

Avicii remix

In February 2024, vocalist

announced the release of DJ

Avicii Tim Bergling (8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii, was a Swedish DJ, remixer, and record producer. At age 16, he began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first record deal. He rose ...

remix of the song "Beautiful Drug."

Background

Zac Brown and Avicii had previously collaborated on the track " Broken Arrows" for Avicii '' Stories'' album. In return for this collaboration, Avicii promised to remix one of Zac Brown's songs, ultimately choosing "Beautiful Drug." Zac revealed that the song "had been locked away in the vault for a long time." Avicii worked on the remix between 2016 and 2017, but it was never released by the DJ himself. Instead, it was posthumously made available by Zac Brown.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year end charts

Beautiful Drug Remix

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2015 singles 2015 songs Big Machine Records singles Republic Records singles Songs written by Zac Brown Songs written by Niko Moon Zac Brown Band songs