Skin (Sarabeth)
Encyclopedia
"Skin" (listed on the album as just "Skin") is a song performed by the country music
group Rascal Flatts
. The song was originally a hidden track
on the first shipment of their album, Feels Like Today, and charted in mid-2005 as an album cut (just called "Skin" at the time) while the single "Fast Cars and Freedom" was climbing the charts. "Skin" became a single
in late-2005, peaking at #2 on US
country charts, and #42 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart.
("between the red cells and white, somethings not right") a form of cancer
and must go under chemotherapy
. She is afraid of the effects it may have on her (most notably, hair loss
), and holds onto the dream of dancing with her boyfriend at her high school prom
.
When she wakes the morning before the dance, she notices that she is virtually hairless, and cries while being embraced by her mother. Sarabeth thinks it would be a mistake for her boyfriend to take her to the prom in this condition.
Close to the prom, her boyfriend arrives, wearing a baseball cap. When he removes it, all are emotionally surprised to see that he shaved his head to show sympathy, and is willing to accompany Sarabeth to the dance. She realizes her dream has come true when they go to prom and they dance. As the song says, "Her very first true love is holding her close... And for a moment, she isn't scared."
at the end of the Feels Like Today
because the recording contract allowed for only eleven songs on the album, and because the band did not think that "Skin" fit in thematically with the rest of the project.
A radio host at WUSN
in Chicago
first heard the song while listening to the album in the car with his family, and soon received multiple phone calls asking him to play the song. The airplay received from WUSN caused the song to chart for five months as a non-single, and Lyric Street Records
later re-issued Feels Like Today with "Skin" listed as the twelfth track.
, and features a cast of Florida talent. South Florida actor Doug Williford appears as Sarabeth's father. Child actor Johnny Maio appears in the final scene as Sarabeth's little brother.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk 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...
. The song was originally a hidden track
Hidden track
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
on the first shipment of their album, Feels Like Today, and charted in mid-2005 as an album cut (just called "Skin" at the time) while the single "Fast Cars and Freedom" was climbing the charts. "Skin" became 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...
in late-2005, peaking at #2 on US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country charts, and #42 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart.
Content
A girl named Sarabeth falls ill, and while ill, she notices a bruise that won't go away. After being taken to a hospital, she is informed that she has leukemiaLeukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
("between the red cells and white, somethings not right") a form of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and must go under chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
. She is afraid of the effects it may have on her (most notably, hair loss
Telogen effluvium
Telogen effluvium is a scalp disorder characterized by thinning/shedding of hair resulting from the early entry of hairs into the telogen phase.Emotional or physiological stressful events may result in an alteration of the normal hair cycle....
), and holds onto the dream of dancing with her boyfriend at her high school prom
Prom
In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...
.
When she wakes the morning before the dance, she notices that she is virtually hairless, and cries while being embraced by her mother. Sarabeth thinks it would be a mistake for her boyfriend to take her to the prom in this condition.
Close to the prom, her boyfriend arrives, wearing a baseball cap. When he removes it, all are emotionally surprised to see that he shaved his head to show sympathy, and is willing to accompany Sarabeth to the dance. She realizes her dream has come true when they go to prom and they dance. As the song says, "Her very first true love is holding her close... And for a moment, she isn't scared."
History
Joe Henry wrote the song in 2003 with Doug Johnson. He offered the song to Rascal Flatts, who expressed interest in recording it. The band placed it as a hidden trackHidden track
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
at the end of the Feels Like Today
Feels Like Today
Feels Like Today is the third album from the American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in September 2004 on Lyric Street Records , has sold 5,149,000 copies in the United States as of October 18, 2009, and has been certified 5× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA...
because the recording contract allowed for only eleven songs on the album, and because the band did not think that "Skin" fit in thematically with the rest of the project.
A radio host at WUSN
WUSN
WUSN is an FM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, The station broadcasts on 99.5 MHz and is a country radio station owned by CBS Radio. The station focuses on country music from the '90s, along with current product and some classic country from the '70s and '80s.-99.5 WEFM/99-"We" FM:Until 1978,...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
first heard the song while listening to the album in the car with his family, and soon received multiple phone calls asking him to play the song. The airplay received from WUSN caused the song to chart for five months as a non-single, and Lyric Street Records
Lyric Street Records
Lyric Street Records was an American record label specializing in country music. The label was part of the Disney Music Group, owned by the The Walt Disney Company. President Randy Goodman, formerly a general manager for RCA Records, founded the label in 1997...
later re-issued Feels Like Today with "Skin" listed as the twelfth track.
Music video
The video was filmed in Orlando, FloridaOrlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, and features a cast of Florida talent. South Florida actor Doug Williford appears as Sarabeth's father. Child actor Johnny Maio appears in the final scene as Sarabeth's little brother.
Reception
Kevin John Coyne, reviewing the song for Country Universe, gave it a negative rating. He said that "the nasal vocal is too much of a turn-off for me."Chart performance
"Skin (Sarabeth)" re-entered the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs as an official single at number 42 for the week of August 20, 2005.| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US 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... Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
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