At this point in their career, Rascal Flatts has had a chance to hear dozens of their songs on the radio, but they’ll still never forget the very first time they heard one of their songs being played on the radio. As Jay DeMarcus recalls, “First time we heard ourselves on the radio we were on the bus, at the front of the bus at the BNA airport. Yep, we were wrapping up our radio tour.”
The guys all gathered around to listen to “Prayin’ for Daylight,” but then, according to Joe Don Rooney, “They did this like, ‘Shine the Light, or Turn the Light Off’ on this new song by this group Rascal Flatts. And we were like, aww, we can’t leave the bus right now we’ve gotta hear what they have to say.”
Jay recalls quite vividly, “The first person was awesome. She called in and she was like, ‘You know, it’s different but I really like it.’ And the next guy that called was like, ‘Oh I hate that, turn the lights off on it.’ And then the other guy right after that hated it too. We were sitting there going, ‘Our career just died right before our eyes.’”
Fortunately, “Prayin’ for Daylight’ went on to become a top five hit in the U.S. and Canada for Rascal Flatts, and they’ve gone on to have a very successful career in country music. And they’re still cranking out great songs like their current single, “Back to Life,” which is steadily climbing the charts.
Rascal Flatts – first time heard song on radio :45
Jay DeMarcus – “First time we heard ourselves on the radio we were on the bus, at the front of the bus at the BNA airport. Yep, we were wrapping up our radio tour.”
Joe Don Rooney – “Comin’ home finally. Our bus driver Tom said, ‘Guys! They’re gettin’ ready to play your song on the radio.’ So, we listened to it, ‘Prayin’ for Daylight,’ and they did this like, ‘Shine the Light, or Turn the Light Off’ on this new song by this group Rascal Flatts. And we were like, aww, we can’t leave the bus right now we’ve gotta hear what they have to say.”
Jay – “The first person was awesome. She called in and she was like, You know it’s different but I really like it.’ And the next guy that called was like, ‘Oh I hate that, turn the lights off on it.’ And then the other guy right after that hated it too. We were sitting there (70%) going, ‘Our career just died right before our eyes.
Gary LeVox – “We were sweatin’, nervous.”
Jay – “I think the second guy that called was my dad actually.”