Hey there! Welcome to this first entry in a planned series where I feature what I deem to be the most essential songs from the catalogs of my favorite artists. Each installment will spotlight someone new, and I couldn’t think of a better course of action for my inaugural outing than to love on my favorite band: Rascal Flatts, the country group that’s become one of the most commercially successful recording acts of the 21st century. Formed in 1999, the trio consists of lead singer Gary LeVox, his second cousin, bassist Jay DeMarcus, and lead guitarist Joe Don Rooney. To date, the band has sold roughly 30 million albums worldwide, put sixteen Billboard number-one singles on the radio, and received over 40 trophies from the Country Music Assocation (CMA), the Academy of Country Music, the American Music Awards (AMA), People’s Choice Awards (PCA) and more. The CMA and/or the ACM recognized the band as the top Vocal Group every year from 2003 to 2009. They were named the Artist of the Year at the 2006 AMAs, rightfully so after they outperformed the entire recording industry across that calendar year in a decidedly rare feat for a country group. Their 2006 album Me and My Gang sold more discs in ’06 than any other, with the group’s back catalog also outselling all others that year. Their headlining concert trek that year was also the highest-grossing across all genres.
With bright, powerful vocals, genre-transcendent compositions, carefully crafted production, and perhaps a guiding hand from above, the trio has enjoyed a longevity that most artists who make the journey to Nashville can only dream of. Despite some unfavorable comparisons to the pop boy bands of the day when they first hit the airwaves in 2000, they soldiered on and have gradually been canonized for their work in a variety of ways; they won the Grammy for Best Country Song in 2005, were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2011 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012. In 2023, Billboard Boxscore estimated that Rascal Flatts is the eighth-highest-grossing act, and highest-grossing group or band, in the history of country music, with lifetime box-office numbers exceeding $360 million. At a certain point, this might make one ponder – how did they do it?
As part of this labor of love, I’ve compiled twenty of their most iconic hit singles, songs that have become country classics and, in some cases, joined the all-time canon for popular music in general. I’ve also thrown in a few underrated deep cuts that I think exemplify the trio’s best attributes. All ten of the full-length studio albums they’ve released to date are represented here. I think we’re good to ditch the pretense and dive right in!
“Prayin’ for Daylight”
Album: Rascal Flatts (2000)
Peaked at #3 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
Certified Gold by the RIAA as of 2026
“I don’t wanna spend another lonely night, ooooooooooooo…..”
Before any instruments are played, we’re introduced to Gary, Jay and Joe Don in the only way one really should be – with their distinct and glistening vocal harmonies. Then the bouncy, upbeat composition gets grooving and LeVox weaves a tale of…sadness. His lover has left him and he wants her back. When the irresistible chorus begins, the three are pleading for the nameless muse to return. (“Baby come back to me, I swear I’ll make it right. Don’t make me spend another lonely night prayin’ for daylight.”) When you step back and analyze, you realize the song is a square peg going into a round hole. How could you possibly marry such a bright and fun instrumental with such somber and crestfallen lyrics? That’s Rascal Flatts for ya. They punctuated their arrival to town in the best way with this, their debut single and what was actually the first song they ever recorded together. When this impacted radio in February of 2000, it was immediately imminent that something fresh, new and bold had stormed in ready to turn some heads. Given that it reached #3 on the US country charts, as well as #1 at the San-Francisco based Gavin Report, they did exactly that. If you’re uninitiated with Rascal Flatts, “Prayin’ for Daylight” is the place to start.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8GucowJgV4
“I’m Movin’ On”
Album: Rascal Flatts (2000)
Peaked at #4 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
Song of the Year at the 38th Academy of Country Music Awards (2003)
The album cycle for the group’s eponymous debut set was mired by critics and detractors who accused the band of being manufactured by record executives looking to cash in on the success of acts such as NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. After the two singles that followed “Prayin’ for Daylight” failed to match its success at radio, the band was unsure which song was best fit to be the album’s fourth and final single. In the fall of 2001, a Nashville DJ played an album cut called “I’m Movin’ On” because his wife liked the song. No one could have anticipated that a listener would call into the station explaining that he was on his way to commit suicide before the song stopped him in his tracks. The band heard the news and decided to make “I’m Movin’ On” their next single. They would continue to receive word of fans calling into their local country stations to express how uplifting the song was. The narrator LeVox portrays in the gut-wrenching lyric is a man who’s arrived at the conclusion that the place he lives, and the people surrounding him, are holding him back. He makes the difficult decision to leave it all behind, reticently, but not irresolutely, recognizing that hope looms over the horizon. The second verse contains one of the most heartbreakingly honest passages I’ve heard in my life:
“They mean me no harm, but it’s time that I face it. They’ll never allow me to change.”
Winner of Song of the Year at the 2003 ACMs, “I’m Movin’ On” marked a tectonic shift in Rascal Flatts’ career trajectory. Without it, they might have flamed out and only have been remembered by country fans the way they remember one-hit wonders like Jessica Andrews and Steve Azar. It is a beautiful work that established them as legitimate artists and set them on course for the immense success they would later enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz1N8W8phec
“These Days”
Album: Melt (2002)
Peaked at #1 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
Won Group/Duo Video of the Year at the 2003 CMT Flameworthy Awards
The lead-off single to their sophomore set Melt, “These Days” was Rascal Flatts’ first number-one on the US country charts. It’s special in the trio’s story for another reason. Its music video stars former Miss USA contestant Allison Alderson as Gary LeVox’s love interest. Jay DeMarcus became smitten with her while filming and asked her on a date. After a series of attempts, he finally convinced her to go out to lunch with him. They married in 2004 and have two children. Lyrically, LeVox encounters a former flame and is taken aback by the ways she’s changed, and reconciles the reality that he’s not over her on the heartfelt chorus. “These Days” was another milestone breakthrough for the band, the first indication that their career was about to shift into high gear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MTSBcvI9DI
“Mayberry”
Album: Melt (2002)
Peaked at #1 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
Named after the fictitious setting of The Andy Griffith Show, “Mayberry” is a love-letter to days gone by, a time when the world wasn’t spinning so fast and communities were much tighter-knit. How prescient this song would become. DeMarcus and Rooney’s “na-na”‘s elevate the song’s already earwormy qualities, with the banjos and steel guitars accompanying the nostalgic imagery. To this day, I can’t drink an “ice cold Cherry Coke” without thinking of this song. The track became the Flatts’ second number-one in the spring of 2004, and it even topped out at #21 on the Hot 100, their highest entry on that chart to date.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0znxQguki7w
“Feels Like Today”
Album: Feels Like Today (2004)
Peaked at #9 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
Won Group/Duo Video of the Year at the 2005 CMT Music Awards
The title track to their quintuple-platinum album that debuted atop the Billboard 200, “Feels Like Today” might be the trio’s finest moment on record. It has all of the attributes of a signature Rascal Flatts song: powerful vocals and harmonies from LeVox and company, shimmering guitars from Rooney, moving lyrics, and top-notch production. And it has so much more to boot: crooning steel guitar fills, earwormy mandolins and string arrangements rounding out the proceedings. Following a thematic thread that several tracks off the album boast of, “Feels Like Today” is an invitation to the listener to savor life and take advantage of the opportunities it presents us, because adventure is something you seek out. This mantra is perhaps best put to word in the second verse:
“You treat like like a picture. But it’s not a moment that’s frozen in time. It’s not gonna wait ’til you make up your mind at all.”
The song is probably the least commercially successful of any song on this list, having barely cracked the top 10 at country radio. Its music video, however, did win Group/Duo Video of the Year at the 2005 CMT Music Awards, as part of the band’s streak of seven consecutive wins in that category. “Feels Like Today” is one of my absolute favorite Rascal Flatts songs, and one of my top 10 favorite songs of all time in general. It is also notable for having been featured in a season four episode of Smallville.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiRSqhYZlWo
“Bless the Broken Road”
Album: Feels Like Today (2004)
Peaked at #1 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
Won Best Country Song at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards
Certified 7x Platinum by the RIAA as of 2026
Originally written in 1994 by Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd and Jeff Hanna, the latter of whom was the first to record it alongside the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, “Bless the Broken Road” is a supreme statement of gratitude for the impact the narrator’s lover has had on his life, and how God guided the two together. But with their initial recording, and even with that of subsequent artists’ attempts, it just never achieved the success it deserved, at least not until 2004 when Rascal Flatts recorded their definitive rendition. It became their biggest hit to date, logging five consecutive weeks atop the Billboard country chart, winning a Grammy, and finally becoming the country classic and wedding hall staple it was always destined to be. As of writing, it’s been certified Platinum seven times over by the RIAA. It holds a special place in my heart because it was my late grandma’s favorite Rascal Flatts song. Accordingly, it’s become an essential moment in the band’s live show. This 2012 performance by the trio at the Grand Ole Opry is an absolute door-buster, with LeVox showcasing some of the best live vocals of his entire career. The band also contributed two more notable versions of the track: first at the season four American Idol finale alongside winner Carrie Underwood in 2005, then an acoustic take recorded for Disney’s Hannah Montana: The Movie in 2009. It is simply impossible to tell the story of Rascal Flatts without mentioning this gem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V66ZBr975Vo
“Fast Cars and Freedom”
Album: Feels Like Today (2004)
Peaked at #1 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
Certified Gold by the RIAA as of 2026
This foot-stomping romp of a tune marked the first time the band achieved consecutive chart-toppers at radio. Written by LeVox alongside Neil Thrasher and Wendell Mobley, two of Nashville’s most prolific songwriters, “Fast Cars and Freedom” depicts love on fire through vibrant imagery in Rascal Flatts’ characteristically upbeat way, with Rooney’s driving guitars enhancing the song’s energetic spirit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6H_PUR1GeM
“Skin (Sarabeth)”
Peaked at #2 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
Won Group/Duo Video of the Year at the 2006 CMT Music Awards
Certified Gold by the RIAA as of 2026
Initially a hidden track you couldn’t find unless you let your Feels Like Today disc play to conclusion, “Skin” tells the story of a girl named Sarabeth who is diagnosed with cancer and is stricken with anxiety surrounding the stresses of carrying, and combating, the disease. Most notably, she’s afraid of losing her hair, especially because she believes her crush will no longer want to accompany her to prom. She does lose her hair after chemotherapy, but the boy shaves his head in a display of love and acceptance of her. “And they go dancing,” the band sings in this tasteful, pleasant and restrained ballad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IocHzS2sRJ8
“What Hurts The Most”
Album: Me and My Gang (2006)
Peaked at #1 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
Peaked at #1 on US Billboard Adult Contemporary
Peaked at #6 on US Billboard Hot 100
Peaked at #9 on US Billboard Adult Pop Airplay
Won Group Video of the Year at the 2007 CMT Music Awards
Certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA as of 2026
Another song that was doomed to obscurity before Rascal Flatts added their magic to it, “What Hurts The Most” was originally cut by country crooner Mark Wills in 2003. Three years later, the Flatts turned it into a monster hit that dominated several Billboard formats for the better part of two years. The Grammy-nominated romp glides in on purposeful steel guitars and a longing LeVox lamenting lost love (check out the music video if you haven’t btw), before that killer hook takes off. As the intensity builds, Rooney’s guitar is as prominent as LeVox’s stratospheric vocals, and the final chorus is an absolute earthquake of emotion, before ending as we began, with steel guitars and relative stillness. That refrain lingers long after the song ends. As the lead-off single to Me and My Gang, this marked the beginning of the trio’s working relationship with prolific Nashville producer Dan Huff. While some will mourn the loss of the more quaint, understated production the band demonstrated with Mark Bright and Marty Williams manning the grid, this song is a strong example of the group taking their sound to bigger heights and wider audiences, and succeeding at doing so. This hit marked another turning point for the Flatts, when they officially became indelibly ingrained into the landscape of American popular music at the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qH4qyi1-Ys
“My Wish”
Album: Me and My Gang (2006)
Peaked at #1 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
Certified Platinum by the RIAA as of 2026
“My Wish” is a special song for me personally, for a host of reasons. When my oldest sister got married in 2017, I was surprised when she called me to the center of the venue floor to dance to this song together. It was here I learned our late mother had dedicated the song to us years prior. In turn, it became woven into the fabric of my relationship with both of my sisters, as well as my oldest sister’s children, my niece and nephew, who never fail to yank a Cheshire grin out of me when they call me Uncle Shamus. There are so many noteworthy lyrics from this touching masterpiece, but the chorus is my favorite:
My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold
And while you’re out there gettin’ where you’re gettin’ to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish
For the band’s part, the song was also one that saw them cut their teeth creatively. When Rooney and Huff were constructing what would become the high-flying guitar solo on the bridge, Rooney actually vocalized an ad-lib melody at Huff’s direction, and they built the guitar section around that. I could go on for hours about all the reasons why “My Wish” means so much to me and why I think it’s one of the most important tracks in the Flatts canon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr7kjd05IHk
“Stand”
Album: Me and My Gang (2006)
Peaked at #1 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
In what would be its parent album’s final single and that enjoyed a trip to #1 in May of 2007, “Stand” opens Gang up in the band’s trademark uplifting and heartfelt way. An anthemic tune that encourages listeners to take the world head on with a clenched fist, it’s got some of the most poignant imagery among the band’s laundry list of hits (“Life’s like a novel with the end ripped up, the edge of a canyon with only one way down”). Everything about this track feels warm and empowering, from Gary LeVox’s earnest and friendly vocals, to Joe Don Rooney’s ebullient lead guitar. The swelling mix of fiddles and mandolins from Jonathan Yudkin add even more dimension and life to this outstanding cut.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_Vzpjv_kR4
“Life Is a Highway”
Album: Cars (soundtrack)/Me and My Gang (2006)
Peaked at #7 on US Billboard Hot 100
Peaked at #10 on Billboard Canada Country
Peaked at #18 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
Won Favorite Song from a Movie at 33rd People’s Choice Awards (2007)
One of only 17 country songs to achieve 1 billion streams on Spotify
Certified 8x Platinum by the RIAA as of 2026
“Life Is a Highway” is the reason I’m even writing this, the reason I found this band, the reason I fell in love with music as an art form, and began actively seeking it out, finding new artists and songs that would also captivate me and color in the story of my life. Originally written and cut by Canadian music legend Tom Cochrane in 1991, “Life Is a Highway” has become the definitive Rascal Flatts song. Early CD pressings of Me And My Gang actually didn’t include “Highway.” The gargantuan success of the song, due to its famous inclusion in the 2006 Disney/Pixar adventure Cars earned it bonus track status on later prints. The song also wasn’t officially released a single, either, surprising as that may be. But with the movie serving as its obvious tool for getting off the ground, it became the band’s largest commercial success ever, reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and cracking the top 10 at Canadian country radio (and top 20 in the US) entirely through unsolicited airplay. As of writing, it’s one of just 17 reported country songs (and the oldest of the bunch) to reach 1 billion lifetime streams on Spotify and has been certified eight times platinum by the RIAA. An easy addition to the all-time canon, not just for country, but for popular music in general, “Life Is a Highway”, specifically this inimitable Rascal Flatts rendition, is simply a classic. To this day, it remains my favorite song of all time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tXh_MfrMe0
“Take Me There”
Album: Still Feels Good (2007)
Peaked at #1 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
Won Group Video of the Year at the 2008 CMT Music Awards
Co-written by country superstar Kenny Chesney alongside Thrasher and Mobley, “Take Me There” is another of the group’s absolute greatest performances on record. Few in their discography, even some of the other songs mentioned on this list, come close to equaling it. LeVox weaves a tale of courting a new flame by asking her to show him around. As the track progresses, the vocals from all three members shoot to the stratosphere. The last chorus and outro are the stuff of legends. LeVox’s booming tenor quickly gives way to his otherwordly belting power, while Rooney and DeMarcus strum and harmonize their way through the closing seconds of this country pop masterpiece. The song enjoyed a lightning-fast ten-week sprint to the top of the Billboard country charts in the fall of 2007.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuL0SJiAOcM
“Here Comes Goodbye”
Album: Unstoppable (2009)
Peaked at #1 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
Peaked at #11 on US Billboard Hot 100
With a plot template of a heartbreak in progress and Gary LeVox at the peak of his vocal powers, “Here Comes Goodbye” was another giant crossover hit for the band. The Grammy-nominated ballad features arguably the best vocal performance LeVox has ever turned in. “I can hear the truck tires comin’ up the gravel road,” he bemoans from the perspective of a man who can see the signs that his woman is about to leave him. Some graceful piano fills from DeMarcus carry the first portion of the song, before the full instrumental kicks in. Rooney’s guitar work is particularly poignant as LeVox lets his vocals soar during the song’s bridge. This one might have stumbled in less capable hands, but it’s Rascal Flatts, so it works. “Here Comes Goodbye” carries emotional inertia and heaviness, the likes of which are virtually unmatched in the group’s catalog.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XpQXHEzK3U
“Why Wait”
Album: Nothing Like This (2010)
Peaked at #1 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
After Rascal Flatts took over the world in their first decade together, they kicked off their second act as only they knew how: by having endless amounts of fun. With Las Vegas as the backdrop for both the lyric and its Hangover-inspired music video that was armed to the teeth with celebrity cameos, the Flatts boys paint a picture of a couple tying the knot with a glowing performance and their signature harmonies gliding us straight into the clouds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKaGUGf4rT4
“I Won’t Let Go”
Album: Nothing Like This (2010)
Peaked at #2 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
Peaked at #1 on Billboard Canada Country
Certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA as of 2026
Another one of my grandma’s favorite RF songs, this one exemplifies LeVox’s insane breadth of capabilities as a vocalist, as well as the trio’s ear for tender and earnest ballads. With Jay and Joe Don rounding out the chassis of the track with strong harmonies, LeVox oscillates between soaring belts and a graceful use of his tenor. Rooney’s glassy, shimmery guitar fills a treat also. This tearjerker scaled the summit of the Canadian Billboard country tally in 2011 while topping out at #2 here in the States, a rarity for a Flatts single.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fqPcnuVPR8
“Easy” (featuring Natasha Bedingfield)
Album: Nothing Like This (2010)
Peaked at #3 on US Billboard Hot Country Songs
Certified Platinum by the RIAA as of 2026
Few vocalists can go toe-to-toe with LeVox, but British pop star Natasha Bedingfield pulls it off on this sterling country pop duet. Accompanied by a music video that takes its cues from Cinderella, our eye-popping lead singers lament mutually-afflicting lost love in captivating fashion. Our protagonists are absolutely not over each other and they pour on the emotion as the track progresses. Sadly, as of writing, this single marks the last time the band crossed over beyond the country format; it cracked the top 20 at Adult Contemporary in early 2012.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDSCjmxO4T4
“Come Wake Me Up”
Album: Changed (2012)
Peaked at #4 on US Billboard Country Airplay
Certified Platinum by the RIAA as of 2026
Arguably the best ballad the band has recorded since moving from Lyric Street Records to Big Machine, LeVox’s narrator has lost the woman he loves and is running out of ways to distract himself. Remember how we talked about “Prayin’ for Daylight” and its light, airy composition juxtaposed with otherwise lonely and sad lyrics? “Come Wake Me Up” by comparison makes its instrumental and execution match the seriousness of our protagonist’s conundrum. With gentle pianos leading us through the initial juncture, the track sweeps with orchestral grandeur as the trio pours their hearts out, especially on the final chorus. Even the Flatts’ more cynical and jaundiced critics have alluded to the song’s brilliant and nuanced material. It’s truly one of RF’s best modern pieces. Completing its chart run during a time when Billboard changed its methodology by splitting the country chart into two formats (Hot Country Songs factoring in sales and streams and Airplay factoring in, well, airplay), the track managed to reach the top 10 on both tallies during a transitional time for the data-tracking publication, but sadly missed out on the #1 slot I think it deserved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ighEKw6RDBQ
“Rewind”
Album: Rewind (2014)
Peaked at #3 on US Billboard Country Airplay
Certified Platinum by the RIAA as of 2026
When 2014 came in, Rascal Flatts was at something of a crossroads in their career. Their commercial prime had winded down, and the country landscape they had defined and dominated for years was beginning to radically shift around them. In an effort to shake things up, they scaled back the involvement of longtime producer Dann Huff, brought in famed pop and rock producer Howard Benson (Kelly Clarkson, Three Days Grace, Daughtry) to help with a few songs, and mostly turned over the task of mixing and sequencing their music to..themselves. “Rewind” was the first song they ever produced entirely on their own, and while its parent album of the same name is probably the weakest (which in this case means least mind-blowingly awesome) in their catalog in my opinion, this song was an example of the group trying to modernize their sound and having it pay off. “Rewind” is an electrifying piece that will make you want to relive every late-night romantic fling you’ve ever experienced. All three members, namely DeMarcus, had an extensive background in producing by the time this song came along, and their expertise pays dividends as the song structure not only sucks you in, but LeVox’s typical vocal prowess continues to impress. It’s also cool to see the band’s longtime session and live drummer Jim Riley wack at the kit behind the trio in its music video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPcASvgb7yg
“Yours If You Want It”
Album: Back To Us (2017)
Peaked at #1 on US Billboard Country Airplay
Certified Platinum by the RIAA as of 2026
Rascal Flatts have been making love sound easy with vibrant imagery and earnest vocals for decades now, and this Platinum single does so as well as so many of the hits from their prime years. Written by the late Andrew Dorff along with Jonathan Singleton, LeVox’s protag courts a new muse with his reliably infectious charm, promising her an exhaustive list of what life together will look like. From “half of this rickety front porch swing” to “every blade of grass under our feet,” the trio dials up a vintage Flatts chorus in what would be, as of this writing, their most recent number-one on the country charts. Only time will tell if they have any more hits left in them in the future. The fact it’s been almost a full decade since this came out adds a sliver of solemnity to its legacy. But even if not, the band can still be proud of all they’ve achieved, and at least they got to enjoy one more rocket ride to #1 before their initial 20-year run as a group drew to a close.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwu-B6gPHKU
And now that we’ve traversed through the twenty most important hits in Rascal Flatts’ decorated career, we can wrap things up with a handful of underrated deep cuts, songs that were never radio singles, handpicked by yours truly.
“Then I Did”
Album: Feels Like Today (2004)
One of my all-time favorite RF songs, this one invokes so much nostalgia and so many fond memories. In step with the album’s fairly consistent narrative through-line of inspiring the listener to live life to the fullest, Gary and company reminisce about how “we’d call in sick on days like this, and turn the music up, and roll the windows down and just drive.”
The lyric immediately following up this one (“You talked me out of giving up on myself so many times”) serves as especially emblematic of the relationship with, and attachment to, the band’s music I’ve forged over the years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPpGzLR_8KA
“When The Sand Runs Out”
Album: Feels Like Today (2004)
Another personal favorite of mine from an album filled with anthemic and moving tracks, this one finds Gary at a cemetery, leaving behind flowers for an old friend. While he remembers the companion fondly, he seems to subtly lament that the man went to his grave never appreciating the things in life that really matter. Eager to not have to say the same for himself when his own time to pass arrives, he resolves to “go out on a ledge without any net, that’s what I wanna be about. Yeah, I wanna be running when the sand runs out.”
The bridge of the song is especially gripping, with Gary thinking he hears “the voice of my old friend whisper in my ear.” I can almost hear the voices of my beloved, late grandparents doing the same for me, encouraging me to take on the world with my chin held high, unafraid of the unknown. When I need such a reminder, this song is it. Easily a top 10 RF song in my estimation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbEtZHiUpKQ
“Red Camaro”
Album: Nothing Like This (2010)
This song is what motivates me to learn to drive someday. It’s also the reason my dream car is a red Chevy Camaro. Damn it, I will drive that thing one day, and this song will be the first one I blare through the speakers at full volume. You can taste the summer air that Gary proclaims is “just around the bend” as this high-flying jaunt gets going. This is what rolling the windows down and letting the weight of the world fly away, if only for a few minutes, sounds like. “Red Camaro” never ceases to make me smile, nor allow me to forget that I have bigger aspirations I’ve yet to achieve. But I know I can get there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGYS9Yiowas
“Sunrise”
Album: Changed (2012)
Written by Rooney along with Nathan Chapman, this might be the band’s best love song that was never a single. Gary’s friendliest of narrators lends a warm hand to a woman who’s been let down by a former partner and promises to make up for his mistakes by being everything she deserves. “I won’t ever let you down, your heart will start to come around,” the trio emphatically promises. We’re also treated to an extended lead guitar turn from Rooney on the song’s protracted outro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxp5zbtKEkg
“Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me”
Album: The Vault (2009)
Originally a pop smash (and sleeper country hit) for Mac Davis in 1972, Rascal Flatts added their spin on this song in 2004. It sadly never made its way onto an album, remaining a lost demo until the band released it as part of a meaty collection of B-sides in 2009. This cover is notable because it features lead vocals from all three members of the band. That’s right. If you want to hear how Jay and Joe Don sound singing lead, you have a prime instance right here. And they absolutely shine in this rare opportunity. Of course, Gary’s vocal turn and the triple-decker harmonies are at their inimitable best. Let any who dare to say these guys can’t sing be shut up by this one, especially on the second verse when DeMarcus shows off his sneaky good falsetto, and Rooney his nimble vocal runs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZCDA4gIFMA
If you’ve read this far, thank you. Truly. This was a passion project of mine to put together, and I was only too ecstatic about it. To me, it’s no secret how this trio emerged from humble beginnings to become, for a fleeting moment, the top recording act in the world. They draw from a bevy of influences and give great attention to detail. Every word, note, is genuine and heartfelt, and there’s no conceivable audience that this band can’t appeal to in some way, at least if you’re asking me. Rascal Flatts has been my favorite band for 20 years now and I thoroughly enjoyed taking a winding road through their history for this selection of songs. I hope if you dive into these cuts, you’ll walk away a fan yourself, or get a glimpse into the positive impact their music has had on my life. Two decades since that 9-year-old kid found his first true musical obsession, life is still a highway. And I still wanna ride it all night long.
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