Rascal Flatts almost became a duo instead of a trio. When Jay DeMarcus found out the plan to include nudity, specifically Joe Don Rooney‘s butt, even though it was going to be pixelated, the former gospel singer threatened to quit the band.
“I stormed off of the set because I was very angry that we were gonna put nudity in our video. That is the truth,” Jay shared with Everything Nash and other outlets at a recent virtual media event. “I almost quit the band that day.”
Jay was especially irate because he had no idea that nudity was in the video until the day of the video shoot, likely because they knew that Jay, a Christian, would disapprove.
“I thought, ‘My Lord, I’ll never be able to go back to Lee University again or stick my head in a Baptist church anywhere once this comes out,'” Jay recalled.
Thankfully, when Jay saw the finished product, he was pleasantly surprised with the results.
“It was tastefully done, and you could go, ‘Oh, that’s not as bad,'” he recalled.
Jay might not have approved of the “I Melt” video, at least at first, but he does admit the song, and video, took Rascal Flatts to a new level. ” Melt,” from their sophomore Melt album, helped the record sell more than three million copies.
Rascal Flatts just announced a new album, Twenty Years of Rascal Flatts, covering 20 of their most memorable songs from the last two decades.
“When we were putting together the track listing for this it was an emotional but nostalgic feeling getting a chance to look back during this anniversary year,” Gary LeVox said of the project. “We hope that our fans feel the same way when they listen to it. This release and this year as a band is all a huge thank you and celebration for them.”
For the Flatts, choosing the songs for Twenty Years of Rascal Flatts was a long, nostalgic trip down memory lane.
“We do reflect when we hear stuff,” Gary said. “For me, it always goes back to where we recorded it, when we did, what was happening right at that time. I kind of go back to the studio and where we were in our careers, and it’s an amazing journey every time you hear something that takes you back to when you first recorded it.”
Twenty Years of Rascal Flatts will be released on October 2. It is currently available for pre-order at RascalFlatts.com.