How They Remember You - Commentary

This is Rascal Flatts

Welcome to Big Machine Radio. I am Becca and we're so glad to
Have you listening to the Rascal Flatts How They Remember You EP
Special. This brand new EP is available now wherever you stream
Or download music. And I was fortunate enough to be able to talk
To the guys, socially distanced of course, about all of the songs
On the album. And so you're gonna get their take on these seven
Songs. There are six originals and one that is a tribute to the
Late Kenny Rogers. And I say we go ahead and get right to it
So guys, first of all, I want to know, what was it about these
Seven songs that in your mind fit together to make this project?

These songs, truth be told, are overcuts from some projects we've
Worked on before. And so, they're songs that we wanted them to be
Out there, but for whatever reason didn't have room on the projects
That they were cut for. And we got to thinking one day, "Let's finish
These out. We have nothing to do while we're quarantined, we're
Locked down. Our fans want new music. Why not go in and finish these
Out, get 'em mixed, and make 'em part of a special project?" We went
In and reworked the arrangements a little bit and kind of brought
Them up to date in some aspects. And it was so much fun to work on
New music because we hadn't worked on new music in three or four
Years now. So, to be able to pass some of the time of the lockdown
And the quarantine creating music again was very therapeutic for me

Well, I know fans are ecstatic to get new music because it's just
Been a crazy time. So, anytime we can get new music from our
Favorite artists, it's always a good thing. And here's the deal
You guys are celebrating your 20th anniversary as a band, which
Is just amazing. And so, over the years, I imagine that you've
Kind of honed in on what makes a Rascal Flatts song. So, can you
Put into words, what is it that makes a song a Rascal Flatts song?

We've just always been driven by message in the song and in the music
And I think that you would have to start with what is a Rascal Flatts
Song and what makes it unique. Gary's lead vocal. Nobody in the
Business sings like or has sung like ever. Gary delivers a
Vocal when he sings it. The soaring melodies that we do when
We go into a chorus. The choruses always lift so that Joe Don
And I can sort of couch around Gary with our harmonies. I think
It's what sets us apart from other acts that are out there in
Country music. There's a unique buzz and a blend that happens
When the three of us sing together that you can't manufacture
It either happens organically and naturally or it doesn't

I think it's safe to say that you guys have definitely figured out
Your sound over the years. And I wanna go ahead and get into the
Songs on this EP. The first one is actually the title
Track. It's "How They Remember You." And what an
Amazing song. So, tell me about this song, about finding
It, choosing to record it, and what it means to you

Well, "How They Remember You" was written by Mark Beeson, Josh
Osborne, and Allen Chamberlain. All three of them are fantastic
Writers in their own right. And it's just a masterpiece. I felt
Much the same way listening to this song as I did when we heard "
Broken Road" for the first time. (Yeah) It's a timeless message that
Will inspire people, and it's about what kind of mark you leave
Behind when you leave this world. What kind of legacy do you have?
And for me, when I heard it, I first went, "What are people gonna
Say about me when I'm gone?" It's a song that I believe will
Challenge listeners when they hear it and they'll
Wonder about what their life's legacy is gonna look
Like once they're gone. And I think it's a wonderful
Thing, I really do. And a timely message for right now

I agree. And, you know, the other thing, it's kind of a weird
Situation because I know you guys denounced you were gonna go
On a farewell tour and that Rascal Flatts was gonna be winding
Down. And so, I hate to talk about you like you're disappearing
Or you're dying, 'cause obviously none of that is true. But
When you do think about how they remember you and you look
At your own life on a personal level, what do you hope that
People remember you for or how do you hope they remember you?

Well, I've often thought about what people would say at my funeral
And I hope they have kind things to say about me, like selfless
Loving, loyal. And those are the greatest things I think you
Can leave behind as a human being, you know. Just to have
Loved and to have been loved back by as many people as possible
In your life and in your inner circle is the greatest reward
I think you could hope for and the greatest thing somebody
Could say when you've croaked and you're lying in that casket

Man, you were so eloquent for a minute. (Well, you know) The day's
Gonna come for all of us when we'll pass by this world. And we've
Got more behind us now than we have ahead of us. So, I think about
Those times more often now than I used to. (I'd be better off if I
Must, on a slow train to Georgia) Well, I also wanna ask you on a
Professional level, I mean, you guys have definitely been pioneers
In country music. There was a time when people called you pop country
And you weren't country. And now, I mean, you fit right in. In fact
I feel like you opened the door for a lot of other people. So
What would you want your legacy in country music to be? How would
You want to be remembered for
Impacting country music with your sound?

Something that we are really proud of, I think we opened the door for
A lot of new artists doing the kind of music that you even hear
Today, 20 years later. The Taylor Swifts and the, the Dan and
Shays. 'Cause there was no sound like the sound that we had when
We came in in 2000. So, I think, you know, it'd be nice to say
That we've had that kind of impact. And I think with our fans
We hear it all the time. And I think the greatest thing that we
Hear continuously is that the music that we've written or that
We've cut, we have told their life story through Rascal Flatts
Music. I mean, every step of their life, from marriage to graduation
To divorce to addiction to cancer, to cancer. We've really told
People's life story. And that is timeless. And that is the
Greatest reward as an artist that you could ever receive from fans

I know the feedback about this song has been pretty incredible
Because it is such a powerful song. And I really do think that
In this time especially, it's making all of us consider, you
Know, how do we wanna be remembered? What kind of a mark do we
Wanna leave on the world? It's the title track from Rascal Flatts'
New EP. It's available now wherever you stream or download
Music. And here's "How They Remember You" on Big Machine Radio