Rascal Flatts Hit Has a Back Story
Leave it to a 10-year-old to teach me something new about country music. I was playing Rascal Flatts' "What Hurts the Most" while driving my kids around this weekend, and one of their friends said, "This isn't Cascada." I said no, this was Rascal Flatts. To which she replied, "Did Rascal Flatts remake the Cascada song, then?" To which I replied, "Who the heck is Cascada?"
The kids went on to inform me that, duh, she is a totally awesome pop singer who sings "What Hurts the Most." I spared them my condescending speech about how that song was first and foremost a Rascal Flatts song. And it's a good thing. Because I would've been wrong.
That song actually made a couple appearances before Flatts found it. It was on a Mark Wills album in 2003. And Jeffrey Steele, one of the song's co-writers, put it on his own album in the same year. Then in 2005, someone named Jo O'Meara recorded it. But we all know what happened in 2006. Country's favorite threesome released it, and it went straight to the top of the charts and won all kinds of industry accolades. Country is clearly where that song belonged.
But I'm not that narrow-minded. I know a lot of really great country songs get remixed to make the crossover to pop radio. They take out the fiddle and steel, add a dance beat and, voila, it's a pop song. But it never occurred to me that a pop star would take an existing country hit and release it as her own. And I still don't understand why this Cascada woman did so. Maybe it's because I like the country take so much, and the powerful video that goes with it, but this video makes me cringe. Not only because I don't like how the pop version sounds, but also because I'm afraid of what's next. Will Kayne West cover Alan Jackson's "Country Boy"? Will Britney Spears remix "Already Gone" from Sugarland? The possibilities are endless but, frankly, pointless. The lines are already blurred enough.
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Gladys says:
I am going to cry.
Katie says:
I had seen the song for Cascada on youtube…and wondered if it was the same song, or just one by the same name. I really didn’t except it to be the same, so I never clicked on it to find out.
Matt B. says:
Allison,
Nah, that won’t happen. Most likely Robbins Records (who opened a Nashville branch) liked the song and offered it up to Cascada. Their act DHT did the same thing with “I Can’t Be Your Friend” as well.
BPAP says:
Alison, you missed one. Mark Wills and then Jeffrey Steele in 2003; Bellefire in 2004; Jo O’Meara in 2005 (who was the first to release it as a single; and who, by the way, is a British singer with a beautiful voice and who was formerly the lead singer of S Club 7); Rascal Flatts in 2006; Cascada in 2007.
:-)
CindyG says:
When Jeffrey Steele performed this song at the Belle Meade Mansion in October he explained that not only the ones you mentioned above recorded the song, but Faith Hill recorded it as well, but it didn’t make her record. He said several thought the song was “too depressing” and it was starting to depress him! :)
BPAP says:
Wow, that’s very interesting. Thanks CindyG!
K says:
You hit the nail on the head with this blog, Alison! I am appallled by the remake of the song- it’s stripped of emotinal intensity, and has an even worse video. I’m thrilled that this is first and foremost known as a Flatts hit- not a trashy pop anthem.
Michelle says:
Of course sometimes it is the other way around. Gary Allan’s song “Best I Ever Had” was previously recorded by Vertical Horizon. Although I like their version as well, I like Gary’s better.
RedMaZ says:
Pop Music is NOT a genre. Pop music is an industry that includes many genres of music including Country. Genre lines have never been more clear. Education is the key, and knowledge is power. Follow the genre and you’ll find the music.
hotelmotel says:
I don’t quite see why a pop star wouldn’t “take an existing country hit and release it as her own.” Why not - if the pop star thinks it might advance his or her career? Pop Country singers take pop songs (Pop R&B, Pop-Rock, etc) and make them their own quite often, too.
The 1990s saw a lot of this. John Michael Montgomery and All-4-One both had big hits with “I Swear” and “I Can Love You Like That.” “Nobody Knows” was done by Tony Rich and Kevin Sharp. “I Don’t Want to Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith and Mark Chesnutt. Garth Brooks recorded “To Make You Feel My Love” and “The Fever.” The former was a big hit, the latter was a single, but not a hit. Faith Hill was mentioned: one of her earlier hits was a cover of “Piece of My Heart.” There was also a country version of “Wonderful Tonight” that was a hit. And Billy Dean had a hit with a cover of “We Both Disagree.”
I think the Cascada version is pretty much on par, quality-wise, with the Flatts version. Both are acceptable radio fodder, but nothing likely to be remembered or relevant 20 years from now.
I see no real reason why a song can’t be a hit on one radio format and also a hit on another radio format. As I see it, the point of these FM stations is to attract a large enough audience of the right demographic so that they can sell ads. I can’t imagine why these stations would care if a song they play was also played on another format so long as the song they are playing is bringing in the desired audience.
Chris N. says:
I love blurry lines. Blur, lines, blur!
RedMaZ says:
Country artists do this too. For example, The Derailers did a country cover of “Raspberry Beret” by Prince, and Jesse Dayton does a good cover of “Just What I Needed” by The Cars.
Dizzee says:
If you ever want to drive yourself crazy, find the dance version of “When you say nothing at all”. I was driving my neice around when she asked to plug her Ipod into my radio and it shuffeled onto this gem. If I didn’t fear her mother (my sister) so much there may have been a spankin. As it was I cut off my ears so I could never have to listen to that misappropriation again.
RedMaZ says:
…and how could I forget the country shuffle cover version of Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to say I Love You” from one of my personal top 20 albums of the year…Jason Allen “The Twilight Zone” CD.
Rachel says:
I assume you were being sarcastic when you asked if Britney would reix “Already Gone”, but I have to put my 2 cents in about that comment- If that ever happens, all hell is going to break loose in some way. I am NOT a Britney fan, and hope she never touches Sugarland’s music!
Cricket on Froggy 104 says:
i just watched that video…and threw up a little in my mouth.
Jessica says:
Someone named Jo O’Meara sang What Hurts The Most?? Someone??? She’s a bit more than a someone. She probably would have released it here seeing as she was the only artist to actually use it a single but Rascal Flatts managed too instead.
K says:
Mark Wills was going to release the song as a single, but I belive he was dropped from his label before he got a chance. And Faith Hill recorded it on Fireflies, but it never got released. I’m one to believe that a song is sung by whomever it was meant to be sung by…RF was the only band to make this a huge hit, and they are the ones who made it famous, it was obviously meant for them!
lizisawesome says:
Oh my gosh redmaz, i 100% agree with you about pop is not a genre and country being included. Or at least, that’s where things are headed.
And “What Hurts the Most” pretty much is and always will be a Rascal Flatts song. The cascade version is kinda funny. The singer ennunciates the words and the g’s at the end of words.
Chris D. says:
I actually like Cascada’s version better, but that may just be because it’s not being sung by Rascal Flatts. xD
I like the beat in it better, at least it’s saying it’s a pop song instead of pop pretending to be country like the Flatts’ version.
RedMaZ says:
You’d be shocked lizisawesome on the number of people that don’t know they’re listening to Pop Country. Most are in denial that it even exists. Believe it or not some people still think “country is country”, and it’s all the same. Start discussing the rest of todays Country Music, and you might as well forget about it. They don’t even know what you’re talking about. Strange isn’t it?
K says:
Please…Cascada’s version is a pop-dance mix stripped of any and all emotion. RF’s is REAL, no tencho, no pointless video, and it became a huge hit in all genres- with RF as the artists, NOT Cascada. Thank god most people know this is RF’s song, the remake is a disgrace.
hotelmotel says:
I don’t think Cascada’s version is any less emotionless than the Flatts version. Techno isn’t any less “real” than pop country. Neither version is particularly emotional, in my view. Both are decent music though to be listening to at a dentists office or a mall Food Court.
Kevin says:
Music is music and you either like it or you dont…no need to seperate it any further than that
hotelmotel says:
Kevin - I think you do need to separate it further than that, if only for the sake of finding it. I can imagine walking into a Virgin Megastore and asking, “Where’s the Country” section, but not “Where’s the Music I like Section.”
No doubt the labels we give to music can be less than perfect. But we need these labels, even if we wish we didn’t.
jordan hensley says:
well dont worry bout ppl taken your music and remixn it they just do that bc they cant write thier own songs im a singer songwriter trying to make my dream happen as a country star and i write my own songs my own style and my own words if you wanna do any thing do it your own way..love always jordna hensley
K says:
Amen, Kevin! (: There is no need to label music, whether it is “real” country or “pop” country as you tarditionalists love to say. Tell me, what makes up “real country” to all you pop country haters. All country has relatable lyrics sung by seemgly relatable people.
Hotelmom- If neither version of “What Hurts The Most” was “that good” than why was RF’s version the only one to get noticed on BOTH the pop and country charts, when in fact the song was recorded dozens of times before?
Why is this considered an RF song? Because they made it memorable, and made people listen. Otherwise, it would’ve been a meangless throwaway hit. RF saved this song, face it people.
#1edrive fan says:
This is my first time commenting on here. I usually just like reading other comments. So I hope no one gets mad at my question. I am a big country music fan,except for a couple of other groups–(go ahead and laugh)but I also like Hootie & the Blowfish-mainly because of Darius, and Daughtry. But speaking of people singing other people’s songs, I’ve heard Rissi Palmer sing “No Air” and I’ve also heard Jordan Sparks/Chris Brown(I think) sing it also. Who sang that one first?
K says:
Jordin released the duet with Chris Brown BEFORE “No “Air” by Rissi Palmer was released….
luvncountry says:
Last time I was in a record store and asked where I’d find pop country artists, the guy looked at me and said, “the country section is over there,” pointing at it. Hmmm. seems he didn’t differentiate between types of “country” music.Nor do MOST consumers. While there may be varying styles of country, it is STILL country, unless specified as alt. country.
Cole says:
No offense but that article was very biased. What Hurst the Most never did and never will “belong to country.” I like both Rascal Flatts and Cascada (she’s my favorite actually) but seriously - way to be biased. You probably watched the first thirty seconds of Cascada’s video and ran to write this article. This video that apparently makes you “cringe” is just Cascada’s own way of displaying emotion. From what I saw in Rascal Flatt’s video, it mostly showed them playing their instruments and a happy couple (until the end and at the beginning at least). And since when is it a crime to cover a country song? And I don’t know why anyone would waste their time recording Already Gone or Country Boy, or any other country song for that matter.
Amazing_Gordo says:
“someone named Jo O’Meara recorded it.” Are you serious? You mean to say that you are so ignorant that you don’t know who Jo O’Meara is???? SHEESH!!!!!
Cole says:
She just sounds like another person who thinks country music is the best thing that ever happened to the world since sliced bread and just puts down all other music genres.