3 Rascal Flatts Songs You Didn’t Know Are Actually Cover Songs

Rascal Flatts released their debut “Prayin’ For Daylight” single in 2000. For more than two decades after, the trio released plenty of hits, including numerous ones written by band members Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus, and Joe Don Rooney. 

But not all of the songs by Rascal Flatts are originals. In fact, some of their best hits are cover songs, including these three, which still sound amazing today.

“What Hurts The Most”

A lot of people likely don’t know that “What Hurts The Most” was first recorded by someone else. But it’s Mark Wills who first put his own spin on the heartbreaking tune. Written by Jeffrey Steele and Steve Robson, Wills included “What Hurts The Most” on his 2003 And The Crowd Goes Wild album. Rascal Flatts’ version of “What Hurts The Most” is on their Me And My Gang album.

The trio’s first crossover hit to reach No. 1, their version of “What Hurts The Most” was released in 2006. The song says, “What hurts the most / Was being so close / And having so much to say / And watching you walk away / And never knowing / What could have been / And not seeing that loving you / Is what I was trying to do.”

“Bless The Broken Road”

Perhaps one of Rascal Flatts’ most popular songs, “Bless The Broken Road” came out in 2004. The song, written by Marcus Hummon, Jeff Hanna, and Bobby Boyd, is on their Feels Like Today record.

“Bless The Broken Road” was first released by both Hummon and Hanna. Hanna’s version came first, in 1994, released by Hanna’s The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. One year later, Hummon released his own version of “Bless The Broken Road”. 

Still, it wasn’t until Rascal Flatts released “Bless The Broken Road” that it became a global hit. A multi-platinum, five-week No. 1 country hit, “Bless The Broken Road” is also one of their most successful singles.

“Bless The Broken Road” is a song about finding the silver lining amid heartbreak. The chorus says, “Every long lost dream led me to where you are / Others who broke my heart, they were like Northern stars / Pointing me on my way into your loving arms / This much I know is true / That God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you.“

“Life Is A Highway”

Also out in 2006 is “Life Is A Highway”. The song, written by Tom Cochrane, became a Top 10 crossover hit for Rascal Flatts, even though it was never officially released as a single.

Cochrane first released the uptempo song on his own in 1991. In 1998, Chris LeDoux also released his own take on “Life Is A Highway”. But it’s Rascal Flatts’ version that remains the most well-known, in large part because of its usage. “Life Is A Highway” is on the soundtrack for the Disney/Pixar film, Cars.

The chorus says, “Life is a highway / I wanna ride it all night long / If you’re goin’ my way / I wanna drive it all night long.”

In 2025, Rascal Flatts released Life Is a Highway: Refueled Duets, a record of collaborations of some of their biggest hits, this time with other artists.

Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images for iHeartRadio