Riot

Album: Rewind (2014)
Charted: 102
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This pleading ballad was written by Jaron Boyer and Sara Haze, whose other credits as a songwriting partnership include Lauren Alaina's "New Boyfriend."
  • The first time Rascal Flatts heard the tune, the trio knew they wanted it for their Rewind album. "It came to us after a very long day of having a bunch of song meetings over at Big Machine," Jay DeMarcus recalled during a media event. "We were sitting around with different [song] plugger groups. At the very end of the day, that was one of the last songs to be played. It was just Sara Haze singing with the piano. It just absolutely blew me away."

    "After you have a long day like that, your ears are sort of fatigued to begin with. When I heard that song, and it caused me to stop everything I was doing and zone in on it, I knew that it was at least worthy of a play for these guys to hear it," he continued. "So I took it immediately — I think we were leaving that night, and the next day, I called them over to my bus, and I said, 'You've got to hear this song. I think this is a winner.' And Gary [LeVox] said, 'Can we cut it tomorrow?'"

    "So it was just one of those things, it was a no-brainer," DeMarcus concluded. "I knew with that chorus, it was the kind of chorus Gary could really sink his teeth into."
  • The song finds Gary LeVox pondering what he would do if his lover ever left him. "It's just such a cool way to say that you'd be lost without that person," Joe Don Rooney said. "Saying it completely different, which is the key to a great song — finding something that is so ordinary, but saying it differently."
  • The song's music video features shots of Rascal Flatts singing in a boxing arena, accompanied by the story of a couple struggling in their own relationship. "This song has so many different interpretations that there were a lot of concepts to play around with," LeVox explained. "Ultimately though, this song is about fighting for love, and this video tugs at your heart strings. The story between the couple was shot beautifully; we're really pleased with it and looking forward to our fans seeing the song from this perspective."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Alice Cooper

Alice CooperFact or Fiction

How well do you know this shock-rock harbinger who's been publicly executed hundreds of times?

Laura Nyro

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.

Prince

PrinceFact or Fiction

Prince is shrouded in mystery, making him an excellent candidate for Fact or Fiction. Is he really a Scientologist? Does he own an exotic animal?

Amanda Palmer

Amanda PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Call us crazy, but we like it when an artist comes around who doesn't mesh with the status quo.

Maxi Priest

Maxi PriestSongwriter Interviews

The British reggae legend tells the story of his #1 hit "Close To You," talks about his groundbreaking Shabba Ranks collaboration "Housecall," and discusses his latest project with Robin Trower.

Gentle Giant

Gentle GiantSongwriter Interviews

An interview with Ray and Derek Shulman of the progressive rock band Gentle Giant to discuss counterpoint, polyrhythms, and... Bon Jovi.