"I Melt" is a single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 country music group Rascal Flatts

Rascal Flatts

Rascal Flatts is an American country music band that originated in Columbus, Ohio, United States of America. Since its inception, Rascal Flatts has been composed of three members: Gary LeVox , Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney...

. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

Hot Country Singles & Tracks

Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...

 chart. It was released in July 2003 as the third single from their 2002 album Melt, and the group's seventh entry on that chart.

Content

Gary LeVox said of the song, "That was truly enjoyable to write. Neil and Wendell had the melody idea and a chorus idea, and they called me in and we finished it that day. It’s a sexy tune. I think a lot of women would like to hear a man say they don’t have to do anything special to make him melt"

Reception

Rick Cohoon of Allmusic gave the song a positive review. He stated in his review that "Gary LeVox

Gary LeVox

Gary LeVox is the lead vocalist of American country trio Rascal Flatts. His stage name literally means "The Voice", a name he lifted from the studio-console label for his lead-vocal track....

 delivers a sultry, passionate performance backed up by some of the best harmony in Nashville.

Music video and controversy

The music video for "I Melt" was filmed in Miami, Florida

Miami, Florida

Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...

 by directors Robert Deaton and George Flanigan. It made headlines in USA Today

USA Today

USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

for a shot featuring guitarist Joe Don Rooney's bare buttocks, and model Christina Auria taking a shower in the nude. When it debuted on Country Music Television

Country Music Television

Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...

 on June 28, 2003, it became the first video showing nudity to air on the network. Great American Country

Great American Country

Great American Country , is a Nashville, Tennessee-based country music cable television network.-History:The station launched December 31, 1995 and Garth Brooks' video "The Thunder Rolls" was the first video to air on GAC....

 banned the video when the group refused to release an edited version. Despite the controversy, the video reached #1 on CMT's Top Twenty Countdown

Top Twenty Countdown

Top 20 Countdown is a show on CMT.The show counts down the biggest videos in country music and was originally hosted by Lance Smith. Top Twenty Countdown airs every Friday at 11:00 a.m. and reruns on Saturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Besides showing the biggest videos, Lance also shows...

the week of October 2, 2003.

Chart performance

"I Melt" debuted at number 54 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of July 12, 2003. > >

Chart (2003)	Peak position