"Bless the Broken Road" | |
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Song by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | |
from the album Acoustic | |
Released | 1994 |
Genre | Country, pop |
Length | 3:50 |
Label | Liberty |
Songwriter(s) | Marcus Hummon Bobby Boyd Jeff Hanna |
Producer(s) | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band |
"Bless the Broken Road" | |
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Song by Marcus Hummon | |
from the album All in Good Time | |
Released | September 5, 1995 |
Genre | Country |
Length | 4:09 |
Label | Columbia |
Songwriter(s) | Marcus Hummon Bobby Boyd Jeff Hanna |
Producer(s) | Monroe Jones |
"Bless the Broken Road" is a song that has been recorded by several American country music artists. Co-written by Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd, and Jeff Hanna in 1994, it tells how the journey through relationship heartbreak and disappointment was an important series of lessons along the broken road to finding one’s true love. It was first recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1994, followed by Hummon on his 1995 album All in Good Time .
Since then, many artists have recorded the song, with Rascal Flatts' version being the highest-charting, becoming a number 1 hit on the Billboard country music charts in 2005 and earning the songwriters a Grammy Award for Best Country Song.
Singer-songwriter Marcus Hummon co-wrote the song with Jeff Hanna (of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) and Bobby Boyd. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band recorded it for the 1994 album Acoustic . One year later, Hummon covered the song for his debut album All in Good Time for Columbia Records. [1] His rendition includes backing vocals from Hanna and Matraca Berg. [2] Michael McCall of New Country magazine thought that Hummon's rendition was the best track on the album. [3]
Sons of the Desert recorded its own version of the song, for a planned second album on Epic Records that would have been released in 1998. This album was not released, due to a dispute between the band and its label. [4]
Since then, many artists have recorded the song including Deborah Joy Winans, Melodie Crittenden, Geoff Moore, Selah, Jamie Slocum, Carrie Underwood, Buddy Greene, Boyce Avenue, and Rascal Flatts.
"Broken Road" | ||||
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Single by Melodie Crittenden | ||||
from the album Melodie Crittenden | ||||
Released | January 1998 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:52 | |||
Label | Asylum #9945 | |||
Songwriter(s) | Marcus Hummon Bobby Boyd Jeff Hanna | |||
Producer(s) | Byron Gallimore Stephony Smith [5] | |||
Melodie Crittenden singles chronology | ||||
|
Also in 1998, Melodie Crittenden recorded the song under the title "Broken Road" and included it on her self-titled debut album for Asylum Records. Released as the first of two singles from it, this version was a number 42 single on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts. [6]
This version was featured on an episode of Dawson's Creek.
Billboard gave Crittenden's version a positive review in the January 17, 1998, issue, calling it "sheer poetry with a moving message." [5]
Chart (1998) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [7] | 48 |
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [8] | 42 |
"Bless the Broken Road" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Rascal Flatts | ||||
from the album Feels Like Today | ||||
Released | November 1, 2004 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:46(Album Version) 3:38 (Single Version) | |||
Label | Lyric Street | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Rascal Flatts singles chronology | ||||
|
The highest-charting rendition is by the country music group Rascal Flatts, who cut the song for the Feels Like Today album. Released in November 2004, this version spent five weeks at number one on Hot Country Singles & Tracks. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song [9] and earned a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. The song topped the 2 million mark in paid downloads on September 18, 2010. It's Rascal Flatts' third song to reach that mark, following "Life Is a Highway" and "What Hurts the Most". [10] As of January 2020, the song has sold 3,719,000 copies in the US. [11]
On May 25, 2005, during a live performance on American Idol by Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts, [12] an additional version was recorded. While not in wide release, and never included on an album, the version received enough radio airplay to enter the country music charts at number 50. [9]
In 2009, an acoustic version recorded by Rascal Flatts was included in the soundtrack of Hannah Montana: The Movie .
On May 19, 2012, "Bless the Broken Road" debuted at number 76 and went to number 41 next week on the UK Singles chart (The Official Charts Company), the band's first and only appearance on the chart.
On February 26, 2020, the song received renewed attention after California-based artist RMR sampled the piano melody for his debut song "Rascal". The song and music video would go on to be a viral hit. [13]
Rascal Flatts' version of the song is set in the key of C major, with a vocal range from C3 to A4. [14]
Chart (2004–2012) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Country ( Radio & Records ) [15] | 1 |
Ireland (IRMA) [16] | 35 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [17] | 58 |
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) [18] | 41 |
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [19] | 1 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [20] | 29 |
US Billboard Pop 100 | 40 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [21] | 20 |
Chart (2005) | Peak position |
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [22] Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts version | 50 |
Chart (2005) | Position |
---|---|
US Country Songs ( Billboard ) [23] | 3 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [24] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [25] | Platinum | 3,719,000 [11] |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
"Bless the Broken Road" | ||||
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Single by Selah with Melodie Crittenden | ||||
from the album Bless the Broken Road: The Duets Album | ||||
Released | March 2006 | |||
Genre | Contemporary Christian music | |||
Length | 4:10 | |||
Label | Curb | |||
Songwriter(s) | Marcus Hummon Bobby Boyd Jeff Hanna | |||
Producer(s) | Allan Hall, Jason Kyle, Todd D. Smith | |||
Selah singles chronology | ||||
|
Selah, a contemporary Christian music band, covered the song in 2006 on the album Bless the Broken Road: The Duets Album featuring a duet vocal from Crittenden. [26] Also released as a single, Selah's version peaked at number five on the Hot Christian Songs charts.
Chart (2006) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot Christian Songs [27] | 5 |
In 2007, this version of the song was nominated for a Dove Award for Song of the Year at the 38th GMA Dove Awards. [28]
A feature film based on the song, titled God Bless the Broken Road , began filming in 2015, and was originally announced to be released in 2016. [29] The actual release was September 7, 2018. [30]
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, known as the Dirt Band from 1978 to 1983, is an American band founded in Long Beach, California, in 1966. Since 2018, the band has consisted of Jeff Hanna and his son Jaime Hanna, both guitarists and vocalists, along with Jimmie Fadden, Bob Carpenter, Ross Holmes, and Jim Photoglo.
"Life Is a Highway" is a song by Canadian musician Tom Cochrane from his second studio album, Mad Mad World (1991). The song became a number-one hit in Canada in late 1991. "Life Is a Highway" also peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 1992 and reached the top two in Australia and New Zealand the same year. The song was covered by Chris LeDoux for his 1998 album One Road Man and Rascal Flatts for the Cars soundtrack.
Katrina Ruth Elam is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Universal South Records in 2004, she released her self-titled debut album that year, charting in the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks with the No. 29 "No End in Sight" and the No. 59 "I Want a Cowboy". A third single, "Love Is", peaked at No. 47 from an unreleased second album Turn Me Up. Elam left the label in 2008.
Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The group consists of Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus, and Joe Don Rooney. DeMarcus is LeVox's second cousin, a brother-in-law of country music singer James Otto, and was previously a member of the contemporary Christian music duo East to West. LeVox and DeMarcus are both natives of Columbus, Ohio.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 2005.
"What Hurts the Most" is a song written by American songwriter Jeffrey Steele and English songwriter Steve Robson. Originally recorded by country music artist Mark Wills in 2003 on his album And the Crowd Goes Wild, it was covered by Bellefire a year later. The first version to be released as a single was by pop singer Jo O'Meara in 2005, from the album Relentless. Later that year, country band Rascal Flatts covered the song as well, releasing it as the first single from the 2006 album Me and My Gang, topping the U.S. country and adult contemporary charts with it. German band Cascada later had international chart success with the song in 2007. It was also covered by Eden in 2008.
Selah is a contemporary Christian vocal trio consisting of Todd Smith, Allan Hall, and Amy Perry. The group has been featured on The 700 Club, Hour of Power, and TBN.
Feels Like Today is the third studio album by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released on September 28, 2004, as their third album for Lyric Street Records. The album has sold 5.274 million copies in the United States as of July 2014, and it has been certified 5× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. The album produced its title track as a single along with "Bless the Broken Road", "Fast Cars and Freedom", and "Skin (Sarabeth)". "Bless the Broken Road" was initially recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and has also been recorded by Marcus Hummon, Melodie Crittenden, and Geoff Moore before the release of Rascal Flatts' version. It would later be a Top 5 Christian hit for Selah as well. "When the Sand Runs Out" was later recorded by Marty Raybon on his 2006 album of the same name.
"My Wish" is a song written by Jeffrey Steele and Steve Robson, and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in August 2006 as the third single from their album Me and My Gang. It reached number one on the U.S. country charts in December 2006 and also peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it one of their popular crossover singles. It peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks and at number 49 on the Billboard Pop 100. As of May 2016, the song has sold 2.927 million in the US. In August 2016, a re-recorded version of the song was released to celebrate the song's 10 year anniversary.
Sons of the Desert was an American country music band founded in 1989 in Waco, Texas. Its most famous lineup consisted of brothers Drew Womack and Tim Womack, along with Scott Saunders (keyboards), Doug Virden, and Brian Westrum (drums). The band released Whatever Comes First for Epic Records Nashville in 1997, and recorded a second album for Epic which was not released. Change followed in 2000. Counting two singles from the unreleased album, Sons of the Desert charted eight times on Billboard Hot Country Songs, including the top ten hit "Whatever Comes First"; they were also guest vocalists on Lee Ann Womack's 2000 hit "I Hope You Dance" and Ty Herndon's "It Must Be Love", both of which reached No. 1 on that chart. Following the band's disestablishment, Drew Womack became a solo artist; he would join Lonestar in 2021.
Marcus Spencer Hummon is an American country music singer-songwriter. Notable songs written or co-written by Hummon include "Ready to Run" and "Cowboy Take Me Away", recorded by The Chicks; "Born to Fly", recorded by Sara Evans; "Only Love", recorded by Wynonna Judd; "The Cheap Seats", recorded by Alabama; "Pilgrims on the Way", recorded by Michael Martin Murphey; "One of These Days", recorded by Tim McGraw; "Cornfields or Cadillacs", recorded by Farmer's Daughter; "Love Is the Right Place", recorded by Bryan White; and "Bless the Broken Road", recorded by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band as well as Rascal Flatts. Three of these songs reached number one on the country record charts: "Cowboy Take Me Away", "Born to Fly", and the Rascal Flatts version of "Bless the Broken Road". Hummon has also scored films and written operas and musicals.
Melodie Crittenden is an American country and Christian music singer-songwriter.
Rascal Flatts were an American country music group founded in 1999 by Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus, and Joe Don Rooney. Signed to Lyric Street Records until 2010, the band released ten studio albums plus a greatest hits package, the first six on the Lyric Street Records label, the last four on Big Machine Records. Their highest-certified albums are Feels Like Today and Me and My Gang, which are both certified 5× Platinum. Except for their 2000 self-titled debut and 2017's Back to Us, all of the group's albums have reached No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart.
All in Good Time is the debut album of American country music artist Marcus Hummon. Released in late 1995 on Columbia Records Nashville, it produced one chart hit for him on the Billboard country charts in "God's Country, USA", which peaked at number 73.
"Here" is a song written by Jeffrey Steele and Steve Robson and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in September 2008 as the fifth and final single from their fifth studio album Still Feels Good.
Acoustic is the 1994 album by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
"And So It Goes" is a song written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, and recorded by American country music artist John Denver and American music group Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It was released in May 1989 as the second single from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's album Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two. The song peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and reached number 29 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.
"Come Wake Me Up" is a song recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in May 2012 as the second single from their eighth studio album, Changed. The song was written by Johan Fransson, Tim Larsson, Tobias Lundgren and Sean McConnell. On November 7, a duet version with Swedish country/pop female singer, Jill Johnson was released on Johnson's album, A Woman Can Change Her Mind. The duet version was also released as a digital download internationally on November 16, 2012.
Jeffrey R. Hanna is an American singer-songwriter and performance musician, best known for his association with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. His professional music career has spanned seven decades.
"Rascal" is a song recorded by American singer and rapper RMR. It was released as a single on February 26, 2020, and is included on the EP Drug Dealing Is a Lost Art.
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