Songfacts®:

• This is Amy MacDonald's favorite track on Under Stars. She explained to The Sun: "It was the last song I wrote for the album and it came together relatively easily. The demo was sparse but it had a real magical feeling to it. I remember the response my managers had to that song and I really felt I was on to something special."
• Like most of the other tracks on Under Stars, MacDonald wrote the song with her bass player Jimmy Sims and his songwriting partner Ben Parker.
• The song features backing vocals from Juliet Roberts, who also joined Amy MacDonald at her sold-out Royal Albert Hall show in early 2017. The soul star is best known for her three 1990s UK Top 20 hits "Caught In The Middle," " So Good / Free Love 98" and "Bad Girls/I Like" as well as her turn on David Morales's classic dance track "Needin' U."
• Amy MacDonald admitted to the Daily Record that Juliet Roberts wasn't the most obvious addition to the song but she didn't hesitate in getting her onboard once it was suggested.
  
  "She's brilliant. She has such an incredible voice," MacDonald said. "Down By the Water, the track she features on, was pretty much finished and the producers My Riot suggested we add her as they thought her vocals would work really well."
  
  "I trusted their judgment and they got her in," she continued. "I remember hearing the first version with her on it and getting goosebumps as it made it so much better. It's amazing to have her on the record. We have such different voices but they combine brilliantly."
• The picturesque video was shot on the Isle of Sheppey in the South East of England and directed by Chris Turner at Favourite Colour Black. Turner said about the clip:
  
  "I was so pleased when Amy went for this idea for 'Down by The Water'. The song inspired beautiful imagery, and hinted at a story of sorts, but we wanted the narrative in the video to be abstract - to relate to the lyrics whilst allowing multiple interpretations.
  
  For me the song really tapped into that basic human feeling of being drawn back to the sea - the primeval need to return to the water."