Avicii’s “Hey Brother” Lyrics Meaning

by SMF· Published April 24, 2018· Updated May 24, 2021

“Hey Brother” is a song by Swedish superstar DJ and music producer Avicii. The lyrics of the song basically see the narrator/singer assuring his brother/sister that regardless of what happens in life, he’d always be there for him/her because blood is always thicker than water.

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Simply put, lyrically, the song is about sisterhood/brotherhood and how special and strong the bond between you and your family members is.

A Detailed Explanation of “Hey Brother”

This song was inspired by a George Clooney film entitled “O Brother, Where Art Thou” (2000). However. it is not a synopsis of its storyline or anything like that. Rather it harps on one of the more-general themes of the movie, which is the concept of brotherhood.

Or even beyond that, it can be said to be based on the singer biggin’ up strong bonds akin to sibling relationships in general. And one of the reasons we can make this assertion is because his “sister” also plays a prominent role in the lyrics.

What the singer does is address these two individuals, his “brother” and “sister”. With the brother, he alludes to the two of them being bound by destiny, so to speak. And with the sister, he seems to be concerned about her romantic choices and the effect that such will have on her outlook.

Beyond that, he is also letting them know that he is committed to their wellbeing. Indeed no matter where he is or what he is going through, he is on call to “help… out” in a moment’s notice. And along that same line of thought, the thesis sentiment of the entire piece resolves around one important thing. And that is his desire to make sure that they acknowledge his love as elaborated in the previous sentence.

Conclusion

And going back to the concept of strong-familial bonds, it should be noted that the main characters of “O Brother, Where Art Thou” are not blood related. So it is also arguable that the singer is not limiting his definition of a “brother” and a “sister” to such neither. Rather, they could also respectively be a close male or female friend. And the singer wants them to know, simply put, that he will always be there for them.

Facts about “Hey Brother”

“Hey Brother” was written by Avicii and his songwriting partners: Arash Pournouri (Avicii’s longtime manager), Grammy Award winning Swedish songwriter Salem Al Fakir, Vincent Pontare (also a Grammy Award winning songwriter from Sweden), and Swedish songwriter Veronica Maggio.

The track was produced solely by Avicii.

The song was released on October 9th, 2013 as the third single from Avicii’s debut studio album True.

The song’s famous bluegrass sound was inspired by the 2000 crime comedy film O Brother, Where Art Thou?. It is also highly likely the song’s title was inspired by the film’s title.

The vocals on “Hey Brother” were sung by Grammy Award winning American bluegrass singer Dan Tyminski. It is noteworthy that that the rendition of the song “Man Of Constant Sorrow” which appeared on the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? was sung by Tyminski.

Before settling on Tyminski to sing the vocals on the track, Avicii reportedly tried as many as six different singers.

The official music video of “Hey Brother”, which was shot in Bakersfield, California, was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award in 2014 in the category of Best Video with a Social Message. .

The song topped the charts in several countries, including Hungary, Germany, Brazil, Finland, France and Scotland. On the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100, the song peaked at number 2 and number 16 respectively, making it one of the most successful singles of Avicii’s short career.