Meaning of “El Dorado” by Zach Bryan
Based on some of the behind-the-scenes’ details concerning Zach Bryan’s “El Dorado”, it appears that the addressee would be one Garrett Brewster. Brewster was a US Marine who passed away in 2020 at the age of 24.
Zach Bryan was also a member of the Navy before becoming a professional musician. So presumably, that is how he got to know Garrett who, upon his passing, Zach described as a “Phenomenal Marine and even better friend”.
As implied by the meta description of the Garrett Brewster Memorial webpage, he suffered from traumatic brain injuries and PTSD. And according to Reddit, Brewster committed suicide after returning home to the US.
Even without that foreknowledge in tow, it can be ultimately ascertained that Zach is singing to a friend who, as depicted, never really found his place in the world and ultimately passed away. He also drops a clue, by referring to the addressee as his “old favorite devil dog”, that said individual was a Marine.
But that said, knowing the aforenoted background makes the lyrics a lot more understandable, verifying that the subject is in fact deceased. And basically they do read like a memorial to a friend, one whom the vocalist cherished, understood, really looked up to and furthermore feels wishes he had spent more time with, even up into the present.
“To El Dorado, hell if I know if you’re still alive
There’s a note in the glove box of your drive
El Dorado, hell if they know the difference in a hero
And a man I wish was still by my side”
When was “El Dorado” released?
This tune is the ninth song on the tracklist of the “Zach Bryan” album. This project is the singer’s fourth studio album.“El Dorado” hit the airways on August 25 of 2023. It happens to be one of its album’s most popular tracks. Others include:
Writing and Production
Bryan single-handedly produced and authored “El Dorado”.
