''For the Funkadelic song, see

(Not Just) Knee Deep "(Not Just) Knee Deep" is a funk song, with a running time of 15 minutes, 21 seconds, on Side 1 of Funkadelic's 1979 album ''Uncle Jam Wants You''. Song information An edited version of the song, appearing as Side A on the single release, reache ...

. For the video game, see Knee Deep (video game).'' "Knee Deep" is a song recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

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, ukul ...

with Jimmy Buffett. 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

Co-writer Wyatt Durrette told the website Taste of Country that he has been a longtime fan of Jimmy Buffett and that he wanted to write a beach-themed song. He based the first verse on a 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 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'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' called the song "festive" and a "highlight" of the album. ''

Country Weekly ''Nash Country Weekly'' was an American lifestyle weekly magazine about country artists and their music. It was in circulation between April 1994 and May 2016. The publisher, Cumulus Media, now maintains the site ''Nash Country Daily''. Overview ...

'' 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 (fingers) 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 '' pl ...

"." Eric R. Danton of the '' Hartford Courant'' 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". Knee Deep debuted 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 best song of 2011 in the Year-End. Colder Weather is also very narrowly in the year-end chart, giving Zac Brown Band a total of 4 year-end singles, with Knee Deep narrowly the highest (despite being only number 80). Knee Deep remains Zac Brown Band’s biggest hit to date. It's also Jimmy Buffett's third year-end single since entering the year-end 34 years earlier, albeit his weakest.

Music video

The music video was directed by

Darren Doane Darren Doane (born September 20, 1972) is an American filmmaker, actor, and music video director.Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. The video features actress Juliette Lewis.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2011 singles 2010 songs Zac Brown Band songs Jimmy Buffett songs Vocal collaborations Songs written by Jeffrey Steele Songs written by Zac Brown Songs written by Wyatt Durrette (songwriter) Atlantic Records singles Song recordings produced by Keith Stegall Bigger Picture Music Group singles