Jo Dee Messina tells 'real life' story with new spin: 'Message in a Bottle'

Jo Dee Messina knows you won’t find answers at the bottom of a bottle.

The country mainstay delivered her upbeat anthem with an empowering meaning, “Message in a Bottle,” on her latest studio album, Bridges. She wrote the song with David Spencer and Ethan Hulse, building from the idea, “you won’t find that message in a bottle.” The trio of songwriters aimed to offer a different perspective than a lot of music coming out of Nashville, Tennessee, she reflected in a recent conversation with iHeartCountry. 

“I didn't want to say, ‘If your heart's broken, go to the bar. If you lose your job, go to the bar...’ Because it doesn't work, really. Speaking from experience, that doesn't work,” she said of the single that features legendary musician Keb’ Mo’ on slide guitar. “And so, I wanted to say, ‘Whatever you're looking for, you're not going to find it at the bottom of a bottle.’” Jo Dee knew that she, David and Ethan didn’t want “to sound like we’re pointing fingers.” But she noted, “‘I’ve been there, so it's not like I'm pointing fingers.’ And that's where we came up with the lead into every chorus, which is,” she sang, “I’ve where you're going and it's 1, 2, 3 down…”

“1, 2, 3 down/ Go and grab another round/ Before 5 and 6/ You’re convinced that it’s your fix/ Well, what's a couple more/ When you’re invincible/ Don't know what you’re chasing/ But you chase it open throttle/ Only find the wreckage/ If you're looking for that message in a bottle/ Oh, a message in a bottle”

Jo Dee brought the “real-life” song to the screen with a recently-premiered music video, directed by Ford Fairchild. The country hitmaker said Ford “was so excited about the song,” and the cast had an undeniable chemistry on set. Messina said, “I knew that I wanted it to have the story of the girl in the bar slugging ‘em back. And then at the very end, I don't know if that came up on set or after the thought, which is she's leaving the bar with this guy and I kind of stop him and I'm like, ‘no, this is not happening. You're going to regret this tomorrow.’ …That's the mama bear kicking in.

“They played these characters in the video, but when the camera wasn't rolling, everybody was just really nice and hanging out with each other and talking and it was cool,” Jo Dee said of the cast. She shared some behind-the-scenes photos from the video shoot, “and you could see I'm laughing with the guy, the guy that tries to leave with this girl. …So, it's like we're just really just playing a part when he walks out. But I love that you can see that we're getting along great besides me shutting it down [in the end].”

Bridges also includes the fiery title track, “Some Bridges,” plus “Can Anybody,” “Don’t Let Them Hide Your Beautiful,” and more.

“Welcome To the Show” (Jo Dee Messina)
“Some Bridges” (Jo Dee Messina, Kat Higgins, James T. Slater)
“Days You Don’t Get Back” (Jo Dee Messina, Tyler Hubbard, Jon Nite, Ross Copperman)
“Where the Cowboys Ride” (Jo Dee Messina, David Spencer, Emily Falvey)
“Can Anybody” (Jo Dee Messina, Ethan Hulse)
“Don’t Let Them Hide Your Beautiful” (Jo Dee Messina, Blessing Offor, David Spencer)
“Message In a Bottle” (Jo Dee Messina, Ethan Hulse, David Spencer)
“The Jesus I Know” (Brennley Brown, Jonathan Gamble, Nick Schwarz)
“It’s All About You” (Jo Dee Messina, Ethan Hulse)
“Let Me Love You” (Jo Dee Messina, Jonathan Smith, Tim Nichols)
“If He Knew Jesus” (Jo Dee Messina, Mark Trussell, David Spencer)

Jo Dee spoke with iHeartCountry about Bridges earlier this year. She said at the time, “when they [fans] listen to the album, I hope they feel seen, first of all, and not alone in this life because everybody hurts and everybody celebrates. …I hope they feel hopeful and seen and understood.” Jo Dee still holds onto that hope, and added she hopes fans “have fun,” while listening to tracks like “Message in a Bottle.”

“I hope they find hope, and I hope they feel seen, is really my goal with this album,” Jo Dee said. “And so, this is one of those fun songs. I hope they have fun with this one because I love the whole ‘Message in a Bottle’ process. It's like we're talking about a different message, but I hope that they feel seen. And then the reception of the record, the different songs, different things. ‘Don't Let them Hide Your Beautiful.’ A lot of people talk about they want this to play for their ballet class or for their daughter or for their son who's going through a hard time. And so, they're finding healing in that or finding a use for that song, ‘Can Anybody.’ That's the one where people are starting to feel seen. …So as the record is being heard, we're getting stories about all the different songs. And so, it is great to think that people are finding their place in it.”

Jo Dee said it’s been “amazing” to connect with live audiences during her shows. She plays games with the audience, performs her career-spanning hits, covers songs recorded by other artists (she recently delivered a stunning rendition of Ella Langley’s “Loving Life Again” on the God’s Country podcast), and some of the songs from her new album. It’s been “mind-blowing” to watch people in the crowd singing the lyrics back to her, even though Bridges has only been out since early June. “It’s surreal, almost. …I'm just like, ‘This is wild.’ So, it's exciting for me, but it's exciting for the fans as well because they have fun.

“I’m excited. I'm really excited,” Jo Dee said. “We have a lot happening, a lot going on. I'm excited to just get back out in front of the fans. …excited to just share the music with people and go out and do shows and see what's up next.”

Watch the “Message in a Bottle” music video here:

- Written by iHeart.com and republished with edits & permission

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