Grammy-winning country group Zac Brown Band’s fourth studio album, Jekyll + Hyde, was an entire 16-track affair of genres. That is, each song featured a different genre. It opened with “Beautiful Drug,” a shimmery type of pop song that was sentimental of Ke$ha’s “Your Love is My Drug.” And then it shifted to lite-rock with “Loving You Easy.” For track number 3, “Remedy,” fans were treated to a Celtic-gospel fusion sound.
But as Billboard described it, “Remedy” wasn’t just a genre. It was “a strange amalgamation of genres,” featuring an arena folk-sing portion infused with a vaguely Celtic style and some snappy breakbeat that was more like funk. But it still had that classic Zac Brown Band sound that anyone who heard it would know was theirs.
Meaning Behind the Song
“Remedy” was written by Zac Brown along with Niko Moon, Wyatt Durrette, and Keb’ Mo.’ Lyrically, it’s a statement of the belief that God’s love is the remedy for all of life’s ills.
In the first verse, the narrator sounds like they are lost—looking for that sound that will make their heart sing and a melody that will make the church bells ring. But unlike others, they aren’t looking for fame and the fortune it might bring into their lives.
For You
And then, they finally realize it — not just the answers but also the medication for all of their ills. They sing, “We can break these chains / That we’ve been handed / I’ve got the medication / Love is the remedy.”
In the next verse, they acknowledge that they’re not a wise man and there’s so much that they’re still finding. And they’re making their way down the road, holding on to what they love, and leaving the rest behind. As the song progresses, they remind listeners of three things: One, we’re all in this together, and we should treasure the gift of life; two, everyone can be forgiven; and three, love is the remedy.
The song was also used as the background track of the first of the three mini-movies based on the album. Diego Pernia wrote and directed the video, which narrated the story of a little girl escaping her alcoholic mother. According to Brown, the dark, twisty video was a product of Pernia’s unique outlook on life. That is, he broke his jaw right before the start of shooting, and it had to be wired shut. And instead of postponing, he decided to take that as a sign from the universe to use his heart and not his words.
Listen to Zac Brown Band’s “Remedy” and feel the love of God take over your soul and heal all your heart’s ills. Don’t forget to check out these Zac Brown Band songs, too!
