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, ...
with
Jimmy Buffett
James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...
. It was released in May 2011 as the third single from the Zac Brown Band's second major-label album, 2010's '' You Get What You Give''. It reached number-one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart for one week in August 2011. The song is about laying back and having no worries (some of the lyrics are: "Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair.")
Background and writing
Wyatt Durrette
Wyatt Beazley Durrette Jr. (born February 21, 1938) is an American attorney and former politician. He served three terms in the Virginia House of Delegates as a Republican, from 1972 to 1978, and was the party's unsuccessful nominee for gove ...
, the co-writer of "Knee Deep", told the website ''
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 ...
'' that he has been a longtime fan of
Jimmy Buffett
James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...
and that he wanted to write a beach-themed song. He based the first verse on a romantic breakup. Durrette brought the song to Brown, who helped him complete the second verse and melody. After neither of them could come up with a bridge, they in turn brought the song to
Jeffrey Steele
Jeffrey LeVasseur (born August 27, 1961), known as Jeffrey Steele, is an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with recording his own material, Steele has become a prolific Nashville songwriter, having co-written more than 60 hit ...
, who helped them complete it.
Critical reception
Steve Morse of the ''
Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'' called "Knee Deep" "festive" and a "highlight" of the album. ''
Country Weekly
''Country Weekly'' (known as ''Nash Country Weekly'' from 2015–16) was an American magazine about country music. It was in circulation between April 1994 and May 2016. The publisher, Cumulus Media, now maintains the site Nash Country Daily.
O ...
'' reviewer Jessica Phillips said that the song was "happy-go-lucky" but "sounds like a derivation of the band's own hit "
Toes
Toes are the digits of the foot of a tetrapod. Animal species such as cats that walk on their toes are described as being ''digitigrade''. Humans, and other animals that walk on the soles of their feet, are described as being ''plantigrade''; ...
". Eric R. Danton of the ''
Hartford Courant
The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is advertised as the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven and ...
'' called it "exactly the kind of song you'd expect to hear Jimmy Buffett sing, but with more mandolin". Kevin John Coyne, reviewing the song for ''Country Universe'', gave it a B+ rating, saying that the song "lacks spunk but radiates the same sea-breezy blissfulness" as "Toes".
Music video
The music video of "Knee Deep" was directed by
Darren Doane
Darren Doane (born September 20, 1972) is an American filmmaker, actor, and music video director.Careyes in
Jalisco
Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...
, Mexico, and features actress
Juliette Lewis
Juliette Lake Lewis (born June 21, 1973) is an American actress, singer and musician. She is known for her portrayals of offbeat characters, often in films with dark plots, themes and settings. Lewis gained prominence in American cinema during t ...
.
Charts and certifications
"Knee Deep" debuted on the U.S. ''
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 ...
''
Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...
singles chart at number 73 the week ending May 28, 2011. The song kept ascending and fell twice before reaching a final peak of number 18 the week ending August 6, 2011. The song was last seen in its 20th week on the chart at number 62, before being moved to recurrent status. More than two months later, "Knee Deep" was ranked by ''Billboard'' as the 80th most popular song of 2011 in the year-end singles chart. "Colder Weather" is also on the year-end chart, giving the Zac Brown Band a total of 4 year-end singles, with "Knee Deep" narrowly the highest. The song remains the Zac Brown Band's biggest hit It was also Buffett's third year-end single in 34 years.