Why (Rascal Flatts song)
Encyclopedia
"Why" is the title of a song recorded by American country
band Rascal Flatts
. It is the third single from their sixth studio album, Unstoppable
. It was released to radio stations on September 29, 2009 and debuted at #44 on the U.S. Billboard US Billboard Hot Country Songs
chart for the week of October 10, 2009. It was written by Rob Mathes and Allen Shamblin
.
. All three members of Rascal Flatts said that they had difficulty recording the song, because they all knew someone close to them that committed suicide.
gave it three stars out of five, saying that lead singer Gary LeVox
"handles the lyric as delicately as its subject matter[…] calls for" but said that the "climactic arena rock
guitar solo[…]rob[s] some of the song of its intimacy."
CM Wilcox of The 9513 gave a thumbs-down, saying "Rascal Flatts, who have made a career of reveling in just such melodrama, have at long last discovered a song that actually seems to justify their usual overdone style" and describing LeVox's vocal performance favorably, but adding that the song's "biggest problem" was its length.
Hot Country Songs
charts dated for November 14, 2009. It held the peak before falling to number 19 on the week of November 28 before returning to number 18 a week later. The song did not reach the Billboard Hot 100
proper, but peaked at number 2 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100, which is equivalent to number 102 on Hot 100. It is the lowest-peaking official single release of Rascal Flatts' career.
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...
band 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 is the third single from their sixth studio album, Unstoppable
Unstoppable (Rascal Flatts album)
Unstoppable is the sixth studio album by the American country pop group Rascal Flatts. The album was released on April 7, 2009, via Lyric Street Records, under the production of Dann Huff and the group...
. It was released to radio stations on September 29, 2009 and debuted at #44 on the U.S. Billboard US Billboard Hot Country Songs
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 for the week of October 10, 2009. It was written by Rob Mathes and Allen Shamblin
Allen Shamblin
Allen Shamblin is a country music songwriter who was born in Tennessee, and was brought up in Texas.After graduating from Sam Houston State University he worked in Austin as a real estate appraiser. In 1987, he quit his job and moved to Nashville to pursue a career as a song writer. He supported...
.
Content
The song is a slow-tempo song, sung from the perspective of a man whose close friend has committed suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. All three members of Rascal Flatts said that they had difficulty recording the song, because they all knew someone close to them that committed suicide.
Reception
Roughstock gave the song a favorable review. Bobby Peacock of the website says of the song, “The lyrics alone are beautiful.” The song also received special mention in Matt Bjorke's original review of the Unstoppable album, where he wrote that "Levox has NEVER sounded better vocally." Chris Neal of Country WeeklyCountry Weekly
Country Weekly is an American tabloid style weekly magazine established in 1994. The magazine focuses on country music stars and events, and regularly features exclusive interviews with recording artists and country music news...
gave it three stars out of five, saying that lead singer 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....
"handles the lyric as delicately as its subject matter[…] calls for" but said that the "climactic arena rock
Arena rock
Arena rock is a term used to describe rock music that utilised large arena venues, particularly sports venues, for concerts or series of concerts linked in tours...
guitar solo[…]rob[s] some of the song of its intimacy."
CM Wilcox of The 9513 gave a thumbs-down, saying "Rascal Flatts, who have made a career of reveling in just such melodrama, have at long last discovered a song that actually seems to justify their usual overdone style" and describing LeVox's vocal performance favorably, but adding that the song's "biggest problem" was its length.
Chart performance
"Why" peaked at number 18 on the BillboardBillboard (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 Songs
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...
charts dated for November 14, 2009. It held the peak before falling to number 19 on the week of November 28 before returning to number 18 a week later. The song did not reach 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...
proper, but peaked at number 2 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100, which is equivalent to number 102 on Hot 100. It is the lowest-peaking official single release of Rascal Flatts' career.
| Chart (2009) | 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... Bubbling Under Hot 100 |
2 |