"Sweet Annie" 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 ...

. It was released in August 2013 as the fourth single from the group's third major-label album, ''

Uncaged ''Uncaged'' is the third studio album by Zac Brown Band. It was released on July 10, 2012. The album's lead single, "The Wind" was released on June 6, 2012. The album received widely positive reviews from critics and debuted at number one on the ...

''. The song was written by

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

, Wyatt Durrette, Sonia Leigh, and John Pierce. As of March 12, 2014 the single has sold 439,000 copies in the United States and has been certified Gold by the RIAA.

Content

The song is a mid-tempo ballad about a singer who is tired of his life on the road, and pleads with his lover to "stay with imawhile." It is in the key of

F-sharp major F-sharp major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has six sharps. The F-sharp major scale is: : Its relative minor is D-sharp minor (or enharmonically ...

with a slow tempo of 72

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ...

, and the guitars set to

E-flat tuning Guitar tunings are the assignment of pitches to the open strings of guitars, including acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and classical guitars. Tunings are described by the particular pitches that are made by notes in Western music. B ...

Critical reception

Chuck Dauphin of ''Roughstock'' gave the song a favorable review, praising the "spellbinding" harmonies and calling it "another hit to be from arguably the most consistent act in the business." On the same site, Bobby Peacock gave it 5 out of 5 stars, saying that it had "a familiar but enjoyable story" and that "The instrumental interplay is as strong as ever ��And of course, there's absolutely no denying those impeccable four-part harmonies." Phyllis Hunter of ''Got Country Online ''gave the song five out of five stars as well, calling it "simple and heartbreaking. Not since " Colder Weather" has Zac Brown's voice been so achingly showcased." Billy Dukes of ''Taste of Country'' was less favorable, giving the song three and a half stars out of five and writing that "the collaborative spirit that defined them early on is missing, making the ensemble sound more like Zac Brown's band instead of the Zac Brown Band." Dukes also called the song "predictable," saying that "the lyrical strength of 'Sweet Annie' will serve the song well, but one finds himself begging for a surprise."

Music video

The music video was directed by Cole Cassell and premiered in October 2013. It featured an edited video of Coy Bowles' wedding, who is a member of the band.

Chart performance

"Sweet Annie" debuted at number 58 on the U.S. '' Billboard'' Country Airplay chart for the week of August 31, 2013. It also debuted at number 50 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart for the week of September 21, 2013. It also debuted at number 94 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for the week of November 2, 2013. It also debuted at number 96 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart for the week of November 9, 2013. As of March 2014, the song has sold 439,000 copies in the U.S.

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Zac Brown Band 2013 singles Zac Brown Band songs Atlantic Records singles Song recordings produced by Keith Stegall Songs written by John Pierce (country singer) 2012 songs Songs written by Sonia Leigh Songs written by Zac Brown Songs written by Wyatt Durrette (songwriter)