Peak
32
Weeks
20
Score
1,627
Chart Year
2025
The music video for "Bottle Rockets" premiered on September 19, 2025, and was directed by Jeff Ray. Filmed on the Isle of Palms, South Carolina, it sees the artists strumming their instruments around a fire at the beach, with ocean waves in the background. At sunset, they launch some bottle rockets into the sky
"Bottle Rockets" is a love letter to young summertime love; the kind that flashes bright and disappears fast. It uses the imagery of bottle rockets - small, celebratory fireworks - lighting up the night before quickly fading, to symbolize the fleeting, explosive excitement of those romantic summer moments. What elevates "Bottle Rockets" from a gentle nostalgia trip into full-blown time travel is its unexpected mid-song detour into Hootieville. Just as you're settling into a sweet, mid-tempo country groove, the chorus of "Hold My Hand," Hootie & the Blowfish's 1994 debut single," wanders in like an old friend. This isn't sampling in the usual sense - no snippets or cut-and-paste trickery here. Think of it more like a shared memory. In the way that Cole Swindell's "She Had Me At Heads Carolina" lovingly nodded to Jo Dee Messina, "Bottle Rockets" builds its story around a familiar refrain, weaving it into the narrative rather than just borrowing its shine. The song was birthed during a writing retreat in the snowy Carolina mountains. Scotty McCreery and his songwriting crew - Bobby Hamrick, Brent Anderson, Derek George, Jeremy Bussey, Monty Criswell, and producer Frank Rogers - reminisced about teenage summers and classic tunes from their youth as they worked on "Bottle Rockets." When McCreery gave a shout out for Hootie & The Blowfish, Rogers began playing the melody of "Hold My Hand," which fit seamlessly with the new song's nostalgic, summery vibe. McCreery reached out to Hootie frontman Daris Rucker, a golfing buddy of his, to see if he and the Blowfish would get on board. McCreery thought they might be super protective of the song. "I didn't know if they'll even want to touch this," he admitted to Apple Music, but they loved it and they were so gracious and supportive of it. Having them on it is just a game-changer." The members of Hootie & the Blowfish not only gave their blessing, they lent their voices. Rucker even sings a few lines solo near the end, his unmistakable baritone adding a layer of weathered warmth. McCreery adapted the song for live performances by having his band sing the "Hold My Hand" parts, taking on Darius Rucker's lines himself.
Everybody's got a summer that they can't forget They hold on to and go back to Yeah, mine's on the Carolina coast Still burnin' in my mind like a red sunset Chasin' embers 'til September What I remember most Bottle rockets in the sky Bare feet in the sand Bonfire in her eyes Cold beer in a can Moonlight on the waves Her kiss in the dark The smile on her face when she'd make me break out my guitar and play Hold my hand Hold my hand I can still feel her fingers wrapped up in mine Can still hear her laughin', see her dancing Yeah, makin' more than that sundress spin Now who says you can't go back in time? Yeah, when that song, it comes on I'm on rewind and I'm seventeen again Bottle rockets in the sky Bare feet in the sand Bonfire in her eyes Cold beer in a can Moonlight on the waves Her kiss in the dark The smile on her face when she'd make me break out my guitar and play Hold my hand I want you to hold my hand Hold my hand Oh I got a hand for you Yeah, I've got a hand for you I wanna run with you Won't you let me run with you? (Oh) Bottle rockets in the sky Bare feet in the sand Bonfire in her eyes Cold beer in a can Moonlight on the waves Her kiss in the dark The smile on her face when she'd make me break out my guitar and play Hold my hand I want you to hold my hand Hold my hand I'll take you to the promised land Hold my hand Maybe we can't change the world, but I wanna love you the best that, the best that I can (Hold my hand) bottle rockets in the sky The best that I can (hold my hand) Bare feet in the sand Oh, the best that I can (hold my hand) Bonfire in her eyes Oh (Hold my hand) I wanna love you the best that, the best that I can
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 5, 2025 | 80 | 46 |
| 2 | Jul 12, 2025 | 74 | 52 |
| 3 | Jul 19, 2025 | 62 | 64 |
| 4 | Jul 26, 2025 | 77 | 49 |
| 5 | Aug 2, 2025 | 68 | 58 |
| 6 | Aug 9, 2025 | 63 | 63 |
| 7 | Aug 16, 2025 | 55 | 71 |
| 8 | Aug 23, 2025 | 51 | 75 |
| 9 | Aug 30, 2025 | 48 | 78 |
| 10 | Sep 6, 2025 | 47 | 79 |
| 11 | Sep 13, 2025 | 53 | 73 |
| 12 | Sep 20, 2025 | 46 | 80 |
| 13 | Sep 27, 2025 | 38 | 88 |
| 14 | Oct 4, 2025 | 33 | 93 |
| 15 | Oct 11, 2025 | 32 | 94 |
| 16 | Oct 18, 2025 | 55 | 71 |
| 17 | Oct 25, 2025 | 56 | 70 |
| 18 | Nov 1, 2025 | 64 | 62 |
| 19 | Nov 8, 2025 | 68 | 58 |
| 20 | Nov 15, 2025 | 72 | 54 |