Hey Brother

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The song was written by Avicii, Ash Pournouri, Salem Al Fakir, and Vincent Pontare. It was released as the album's third single, hitting Australian radio on 9 October 2013 and later released on 28 October in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In April 2014, a version remixed by Avicii himself appeared on his remix album True (Avicii by Avicii), with Dan Tyminski remaining on vocals. The official music video, directed by Henry Scholfield and released on 9 December 2013, features an original narrative. It follows two brothers growing up in wartime middle America, with pictures and clips of the Vietnam War interspersed. In the end, it is uncovered that the older brother, implied to have died in Vietnam, was in fact actually the younger's father. The video features two boys: the older played by Zach Voss and the younger by Jack Estes. The end shows Avicii walking through grass while fireflies fly around.

In Their Own Story

A lyric video for "Hey Brother" was released onto YouTube by AviciiOfficialVEVO on 1 November 2013. The video is an assortment of stock footage clips in slow motion that depict everyday moments such as popcorn popping, a woman having a snack, and people playing basketball, accompanied by an animated text representation of the lyrics. A separate music video for the Avicii by Avicii version was released on 9 April 2014 on Avicii's VEVO page, directed by Nick Fung and Nate Olson, featuring clips from the Cartoon Hangover web-series Bravest Warriors. This video was part of "Channel 4", a project by Avicii that had several songs from his True (Avicii by Avicii) album made into music videos by various YouTube filmmakers and animators, including Joe Penna, Keshen8, and YoMama, as well as Cartoon Hangover.

Reader's Guide

In the United Kingdom, "Hey Brother" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart on 15 December 2013 ― for the week ending dated 21 December 2013 ― being held off the top spot by Lily Allen's cover of "Somewhere Only We Know". It spent 22 weeks in the top 40 ― 10 of which were in the top 10. It also peaked at the top of the UK Dance Chart. Including previous releases "I Could Be the One", "Wake Me Up" and "You Make Me", Avicii reached the summit of the UK Dance Chart four times in 2013 alone. The song spent a total of six weeks at the top spot on the UK Dance Chart, ended by "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne. In the United States, the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 77 in December 2013, climbed to number 16 in March 2014, and reached a million in total sales that week. After Clear Channel personnel noticed the song's success at pop and adult pop radio, they asked Island Def Jam to craft a remix that showcases the song's instruments more prominently. Support for this remix enabled "Hey Brother" to debut, and peak, at number 59 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart in March 2014. The song would become Avicii's final song to hit the top 40 before his death in 2018.

Did You Know?

• The vocals on "Hey Brother" are performed by American bluegrass singer Dan Tyminski.
• The song was written by Avicii, Ash Pournouri, Salem Al Fakir, and Vincent Pontare.
• The official music video features an original narrative, not based on any novel.
• In the UK, "Hey Brother" spent 22 weeks in the top 40, with 10 of those weeks in the top 10.
• It became Avicii's final song to hit the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 before his death in 2018.