Why (Rascal Flatts song)

"Why"
Song

"Why" is the title of a song recorded by American country band Rascal Flatts. It is the third single from their sixth studio album, Unstoppable. It was released to radio stations on September 29, 2009 and debuted at #44 on the U.S. Billboard US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of October 10, 2009. It was written by Rob Mathes and Allen Shamblin.

Content

The song is a slow-tempo song, sung from the perspective of a man whose close friend has committed suicide. All three members of Rascal Flatts said that they had difficulty recording the song, because they all knew someone close to them that committed suicide. The song makes particular use of metaphors, comparing life to a song and the world as a stage, with the narrator singing, in the chorus:

Oh why, that’s what I keep asking

Was there anything I could have said or done

Oh I had no clue you were masking

A troubled soul, God only knows

What went wrong

And why you’d leave the stage in the middle of a song

Reception

Roughstock gave the song a favorable review. Bobby Peacock of the website says of the song, “The lyrics alone are beautiful, with the narrator asking just why a special person in his life had to commit suicide. Perhaps the best line is 'Why you'd leave the stage in the middle of a song' — a very striking metaphor.” The song also received special mention in Matt Bjorke original review of the Unstoppable album, where he wrote, “for this album, "Why" the trio has found what might be their best album-ending track since their self-titled debut's "I'm Moving On." Levox has NEVER sounded better vocally and sings the questioning lyrics that make up the Allen Shamblin and Rob Mathes song. The song finds a guy asking why a friend would choose to 'leave the stage in the middle of the song.’” Chris Neal of Country Weekly gave it three stars out of five, saying that lead singer Gary LeVox "handles the lyric as delicately as its subject matter[…] calls for" but said that the "climactic arena rock guitar solo[…]rob[s] some of the song of its intimacy."

CM Wilcox of The 9513 gave a thumbs-down, saying "Rascal Flatts, who have made a career of reveling in just such melodrama, have at long last discovered a song that actually seems to justify their usual overdone style" and describing LeVox' vocal performance favorably, but adding that the song's "biggest problem" was its length.

Chart performance

"Why" peaked at #18 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts dated for November 14, 2009. It held the peak before falling to #19 on the week of November 28 before returning to #18 a week later. The song did not reach the Billboard Hot 100 proper, but peaked at #2 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100, which is equivalent to #102 on Hot 100. It is the lowest-peaking official single release of Rascal Flatts' career.

Chart (2009)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs	18
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100	2
Canadian Radio & Records Country Singles	21