Summer is almost over, but that may lend itself well to the release of the music video for Scotty McCreery’s “Bottle Rockets,” featuring Hootie & the Blowfish.
Looking to summers of the past while still looking ahead, “Bottle Rockets” finds Hootie & the Blowfish singing the chorus to their 1994 hit “Hold My Hand” as its title is mentioned in the lyrics to Scotty’s song.
Released in May as a single from Scotty’s EP, Scooter & Friends, this song marks the first collaboration between the two country acts, and now they’re teaming up for the music video, which was released on Friday, September 19.
RELATED: Listen To Scotty McCreery’s New Summer-Ready EP, ‘Scooter & Friends’
The Music Video
The music video for “Bottle Rockets” finds Scotty McCreery joined by Hootie & the Blowfish on the beach. Gathered around a fire pit with instruments in hand, Scotty and the Darius Rucker-led quartet are making memories and singing of the past.
Shot with rounded edges for a polished 8mm throwback style, the video also features a staggered motion blur that gives a feeling of life being captured in the moment.
As the music video progresses, Scotty and Darius enjoy throwing a football on the beach as the band begins cracking open some cold beverages.
Eventually, everyone takes turns lighting fireworks and firing them toward the sea.
Watch the music video for “Bottle Rockets,” here:
Ahead of the release of the music video, Scotty shared a behind the scenes clip of him doing the common music video shooting practice of lip syncing.
See the humorous moment, here:
More About “Bottle Rockets”
On the Billboard US Country Airplay chart, “Bottle Rockets” reached No. 4 in May, and was at No. 18 as of September 13.
When the song was first released, Hootie & the Blowfish shared it on their social media, saying, “We’re so excited to be a part of Scotty McCreery’s new summer jam!”
Notably, Hootie & the Blowfish singing the “Hold My Hand” chorus was newly recorded by the band for “Bottle Rockets,” rather than sampling the single, which Scotty said “made the song that much better.”
Scotty is from North Carolina, and Hootie & the Blowfish is based out of South Carolina, and Scotty’s song “Bottle Rockets” simply speaks of memories on “the Carolina coast.”
Speaking about the song on his TikTok on May 21, Scotty said the song came about while “reminiscing on those good times and the soundtracks to those summers” that stand out from his youth.
Declaring Hootie & the Blowfish’s album Cracked Rear View (1994), which includes “Hold My Hand,” as “one of the best albums of all time,” Scotty remembered, “I started talking about Hootie & the Blowfish ’cause, I mean, No. 1, they’re huge everywhere and they still are, everybody knows their songs.”
When he and producer Frank Rogers realized “Hold My Hand” was the perfect element for “Bottle Rockets,” Scotty said he was “nervous” to reach out to Darius about incorporating “Hold My Hand” into the song.
“Worse they could say is ‘no,’ is what I thought, so I hit them up and [Darius] responded right back that he loved the song,” he recalled.