Comments on: Rascal Flatts - “Every Day”

By: 2008 ACM Awards Live Blog -- The 9513

2008 ACM Awards Live Blog -- The 9513 — Mon, 19 May 2008 01:12:43 +0000

[…] of lackluster performances. Are “She’s A Hottie,” “Last Name,” “Every Day“, “Back When I Knew It All,” “Put A Girl In It,” and […]

By: Eve

Eve — Sat, 17 May 2008 08:40:23 +0000

It took every ounce of self-discipline for me to stay seated during one of the songwriters’ (I won’t name names!) live performance of this song, and felt completely nauseous by the end of it (and I saw some others in the audience letting out long, deep breaths of ‘thank god that’s over’, too!); frankly, it doesn’t belong in ANY genre; it’s a classic case of two songwriters’ tapping into each other’s ‘deep dark desperate place’ of dysfunction and coming up with lyrics - entirely heartfelt and sincere, if that performance was anything to go by - which belong in a therapist’s office (spoken from a couch!), not a song. Sorry. We songwriters ALL have our musical ‘odes to dysfunction’ (!) but there ought to be some system of checks and balances which helps us to assess which ones belong in the world at large, and which one’s should stay put in (in the bathroom cabinet behind the razors?!). Too bad this team didn’t provide each other with such checks and balances before they shopped the song, thereby inflicting it on the world: THAT said, the damn thing’s a hit…so who are we to fault it?! - Go figure ’cause this is one I can’t figure at all….
;)

By: Brady Vercher

Brady Vercher — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:39:55 +0000

Wouldn’t an omniscient God know that he’s hanging on to every word?

But you always say something without even knowing
That I am hanging onto your words with all my might

I maintain that the song isn’t about God. In fact, the video concept calls into question whether or not Rascal Flatts even knows what the song is about. It’s ridiculously overwrought and attempts to make the song socially encompassing despite it’s inward focus. How it ties in with the song, I don’t know.

By: Kay

Kay — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:53:53 +0000

I completely agree with Joe. This song is about God, not about a person who someone is dependent on. It’s beautiful.

By: joe

joe — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:51:43 +0000

Your dissection of the song is totally shallow. This song is about Jesus. It has nothing to do with a woman.

By: Chris N.

Chris N. — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:11:16 +0000

“Salvific”! Gotta write that down.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:18:15 +0000

Hairandtoenails: I am with you. while i cant say I enjoy that song now as much as you, I appreciate the songs unique method of telling a classic cheating story. it is sad that we’ll hear more “working woman’s holiday” in a million different forms, before another song that attempts such fresh and often-times dark storylines…

By: Matt C.

Matt C. — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:50:54 +0000

Women have been salvific figures in country music for about the last 15 years, so Rascal Flatts is nothing new. The general formula for the mid to late 90s was bad boy meets woman and/or finds Jesus and becomes good boy. I haven’t really thought of this in terms of country radio’s increasingly female demographic but it makes sense. However, country songs have always been harder on men than on women, which is why I find songs like “The Midnight Oil,” where the woman is unquestionably the bad “guy,” to be so interesting. Fast-forward to the modern day: even in a female cheating song like “Stay,” we get the sense that the woman is the one being wronged.

By: hairandtoenails

hairandtoenails — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:48:29 +0000

Kelly — I wish radio played more songs like Papa Loved Mama today! Novelty songs usually lose their charm once the joke wears off, but I still love listening to that song after 16 years.

And I’d much rather hear a singer talking about burying your rig in the local motel than going to a place that is “so deep and dark and desperate.” The Garth song brings the anguish alive (and tempers it with humor,) the Rascal Flatts song makes the anguish seem boring.

By: Chris N.

Chris N. — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:03:52 +0000

That’s the trouble with unspoken rules — people don’t speak ‘em.