Sydney Mardanlou

Music 1010 Steven Voorhees

Semester Paper Rascal Flatts
October 20, 2016
The American Country Band, Rascal Flatts
Biography:
Rascal Flatts is a well- known band of the American Country genre.
According to Wikipedia.com, the band formed in the late 1990s, in
Columbus, Ohio. However, in 1999, Rascal Flatts officially began their career
in the music industry as they were discovered in a Nashville Tennessee bar.
This trio includes lead singer Gary LeVox, his second cousin, bass guitarist,
keyboard player, and background vocalist Jay DeMarcus, and Joe Don
Rooney, also a background vocalist and electric guitarist. Billboard.com
states that DeMarcus and LeVox both grew up living in Ohio, however,
DeMarcus left in 1992 to pursue a career in the music industry in Nashville.
During this time, LeVox, pursued similar interests, but in different ways, as
he sang for a local Christian group. Eventually, LeVox began playing the
keyboard for Chely Wright, with whom Don Rooney was playing guitar. LeVox
found time to perform with DeMarcus on the side, when the duo decided to
create a trio by inviting Don Rooney to join the band. This may have been
the grand turning point in each of their careers.
Originally, Encyclopedia.com tells us, LeVox and DeMarcus, second
cousins, often got together with their families to sing and play music. From a
young age, this is how the love and passion they have for their careers
began. They always had a hard work ethic, of which they liked to combine

with fun. This is how they discovered that their perfect career choice would
be in music.
According to CMT.com, DeMarcus stated that the band came up with
the name Rascal Flatts, while in the Fiddle and Steel Guitar Bar in
Nashville, of which they as a band were discovered. They were about to sign
a contract with Lyric Street and did not have a name, when a friend
mentioned it was the name of his band in the sixties. They then received
permission to use the name, and have now gone on to make history in the
country music department. For ten years, starting in the year 2000, Rascal
Flatts recorded for Disney Music Groups Lyric Street Records. Wikipedia.com
confirms that during this time period, the band released seven albums,
Prayin for Daylight, Melt, Feels Like Today, Me and My Gang, Still
Feels Good, Greatest Hits Volume 1, and Unstoppable, each of which
was rewarded platinum or higher. In the album, Prayin for Daylight, four
singles went to the Top Ten charts, followed by the album Melt, which
Billboard.com tells us was coproduced by the trio themselves, and sold one
million copies within a week, including a number one hit, These Days.
As one is quickly able to see, Rascal Flatts quickly made history for the
music industry with their continuous hard work, and continues to do so today.
After 2010, the band signed another recording contract with Big Machine
Label Group and released their next album, Nothing Like This, with a hit
single featuring Natasha Bedingfield. All though the albums have become
fewer and father in between, Rascal Flatts continues to make it to the charts

with several singles. It isnt something they are expected to give up, as it is
one of their favorite hobbies, and just so happens to also be their career.
Recently, many have argued that the band has taken on more of a pop tone
in their country than there used to be, especially with the release of their
singles Rewind, Playback and Riot. This however, does not seem to stop
them from receiving recognition and rewards in the industry and country
culture today, nor with these particular songs.

Historical/Info Guide:
Among the ten plus minutes of analysis done on the songs, Prayin For
Daylight, Mayberry, and God Bless the Broken Road, all fall under the
category of American Country Music. This genre became popular in the early
1900s. All of these songs, however, were released in the late 1990s to the
2000 range. The single Prayin For Daylight was written by Steve Bogard
and Rick Giles for the band Rascal Flatts to record. Wikipedia.org states that
this song was rated number three on a hot country singles chart. This upbeat
song is about being left by a lover, and the hopes that are being prayed for.
Rascal Flatts states that this piece was a crusial part of beginning their
career in the music industry as band. It allowed them to prove themselves,
and leave a mark on the hot country charts. Although originally, the lyrics
were not emotionally attached to the group, and there is not a specific
background history mentioned, the band now is attached to the song with
which they made their big debut.

Mayberry was also written by a second party, Arlos Smith, and then
recorded and released by Rascal Flatts. This was an earlier single for the
band, like Prayin For Daylight. The band refers to it as a trigger for
childhood memories, as the laid back life lived in a town of Mayberry,
North Carolina is depicted throughout the song. The banjo added more of
country feel to the song, and increases the southern feeling. Within the
song, there is a reference to Andy Griffith, with a young boy fishing with his
father, according to Wikipedia.org.
Lastly, Wikipedia.org again gives the history of the music, Bless the
Broken Road. It states, "Bless the Broken Road" is a song that has been recorded
by several American country music artists. It was co-written by Marcus Hummon, Bobby
Boyd and Jeff Hanna in 1994. It was first recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1994,
followed by Hummon on his 1995 album All in Good Time. This originally acoustic
song, was recomposed by Rascal Flatts to create their own rendition of the song in
2005, and placed number one on the charts.
Although none of these songs have a personal story from the band themselves,
they were marked in history with their names, as their renditions sparked a light for the
American country music fans.

Listening Guide
Prayin For Daylight
0:01 The song begins with a harmony by the 3 vocalists.
0:06 The drums begin, to play an introduction to the song on the
instrumental side.
0:08 The violin, guitar, and keyboard join the drums, creating an upbeat
American country tone.
0:18 The main vocalist begins to sing once more, allowing the harmonies to
join, between them and the instruments. The violin changes to a faster pace.
The 3 beat drum pattern continues.

0:37 The chorus begins. The song tempo increases, as well as sound level.
The drums begin a new pattern, adding a shift to the chorus with a beat to
each note. The violin stops when the singing begins.
0:54 The vocalist makes a key change toward the end of the chorus for
emphasis.
1:00 The violin starts once again as the vocalist pauses. The background
vocalists emphasize the last line of the chorus.
1:05 The lead vocalist begins once more. The starting pattern is repeated
with the drums, guitars, and keyboard. The violin starts with its faster pace
music again.
1:12 The lead singer is absent, as the background singers include emphasis
on the previous words sung.
1:15 Harmony is again created as the lead vocalist joins in.
1:21 the intermission notes are played with the instruments.
1:27 The chorus is repeated at a higher tone.
1:50 The back-up singers and the lead singer switch off repeating the main
line, Prayin for Daylight.
1:56 The lead singer again takes a solo with the accompaniment of the
instruments, however, this solo receives focus at a louder beat, as it is
nearing the end of the song.
2:10 The electric guitar makes a noticeable drop for a key change to begin a
new verse.

2:17 The back-up singer talks one line, for emphasis, followed by an
instrumental solo by the band.
2:22 The lead singer finishes the verse.
2:27 Pause for instrumental lead into chorus.
2:30 The chorus repeats itself twice.
3:00 The last line is repeated 3 times by both the lead vocalist and
background singers.
3:38 The music ends with a distinct boohoos continually changing notes in
a downward direction.

Mayberry
0:01 The song begins with drums, guitar, violin, banjo, and keyboard playing
the notes the singers harmonizing while mimicking the notes of the
instruments with the word, duh.
0:11 The lead vocalist begins the first verse of the song.
0:21 The violin and banjo take the lead, with the other instruments playing
quieter in the background.
0:23 The main vocalist once again picks up the vocals in the first verse. The
keyboard is more proximately heard as well.
0:33 The chorus begins, the tone increases, and the key change is made. The
background singers harmonize with the lead. The notes are longer.
0:55 The chorus itself takes a key change.

1:00 There is a small dramatic pause in lyrics and cut off with the
instruments for emphasis.
1:04 The background singers repeat sounds, ba duh
1:19 There is a great harmony that occurs with the background vocals and
the lead, including the instrumental music.
1:23 The second verse begins, and the tone and rhythm decrease slightly.
1:45 The rhythm increases slightly with the key change.
2:07 The chorus is repeated. Emphasis and key changes take place just as
with the last chorus.
2:35 The third verse begins. The key change down takes place. Pace of the
song is slower, while
2:55 The chorus repeats twice, key change takes place, and the notes are
longer.
3:00 The pause in the chorus is less dramatic and shorter.
3:30 The chorus is followed by a long instrumental period that is more
relaxed and not as loud. There is background humming to slow the song.
4:20 The song dramatically decreases in volume and rhythm till the end of
the instruments.
4:27 The song officially ends.

God Bless the Broken Road

0:01 The song begins with an instrumental introduction of the piano and
violin.

0:09 A guitar joins the introduction with a higher note, to increase focus.
0:15 The lead singer begins the first verse of vocals for the song. The piano
is the dominant instrument.
0:28 There is a key change one octive lower.
0:44 The chorus begins. Pace of the song increases slightly, changing rhythm
of the song, and increasing volume
1:10 The singer and instrumental music pause for a break in the chorus.
1:11 The chorus finishes at a lower key and slower pace. The volume is also
softer.
1:20 There is slight pause for dramatic effect and break in the song.
1:30 The second verse begins with the lead singer on vocals.
1:45 The background singers create harmonies with the lead vocalist.
2:00 The Chorus repeats. A key change and rhythmic pace change take
place. Volume is also increased.
2:30 The drum and guitar take a prominent lead for instrumental solos.
2: 35 The lead vocalist hits a high and long note for an increase in focus at
this point of the song, leading to the finish.
2:40 The instrumental solo continues with focus on the electric guitar and
drums.
2:45 The chorus is repeated once more.
2:57 The song changes pitch and tone down several keys. Most of the
instrumental emphasis is placed again on the keyboard.

3:00 The lead vocalist drags out a longer ending with many long, soft, and
lower notes.
3:15 The last line of the song is repeated twice and finishes with the piano
and violin.

Works Cited
By This Time, Rascal Flatts Had Established Themselves as a Highly Successful
Country Act, with
a Particularly Strong following among Younger Listeners (an Elusive
Demographic to Most Country Stars). A Live Album Served as an Amiable
Segue between Melt and 2004's Chart-topping Feels Like Today, While Me
and My Gang Arrived in April 2006. Rascal Flatts' 2007 Release, Still Feels
Good, Enjoyed a Similar Reception, Going Platinum before the Year's End
and Yielding Another Number One Hit,. "Rascal Flatts." - Biography. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.
7/23/2003, By CMT.com Staff. "20 Questions With Rascal Flatts." News. N.p., n.d.
Web. 25 Oct.
2016.

"Rascal Flatts." Contemporary Musicians. "Rascal Flatts." Encyclopedia.com.

HighBeam
Research, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.
Rascalflattsofficial. "Rascal Flatts." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.
"Rascal Flatts." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Oct. 2016. Web. 25 Oct.
2016.