"Bless the Broken Road" Musical Analysis

 When I was a kid, my family would take trips up to our family cabin. Since these trips would take several hours, and I was an impatient kid, my dad would set up his iPod and keep the music going the whole way there. One of my favorite songs at the time, and still is, is the song Bless the Broken Road sung by Rascal Flats. The song was originally written by Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd, and Jeff Hanna in 1994, and has had numerous covers done over the years. By far my favorite is the 2004 Rascal Flatts version, however. The Rascal Flatts cover was the only version of the song to reach #1 on the U.S. and Canada Billboard's Top 100. The original song was good, but Rascal Flatts brought it into the limelight, and it seems that everyone loved it.

A video of Rascal Flatts performing Bless the Broken Road live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-vZlrBYLSU

Lyrics

This song is very nostalgic for me since it's a song that I've known since I was a small child, but also the lyrics are about finding love through all of the hardships that life throws at us. The first verse of the song is "I set out on a narrow way many years ago. Hoping I would find true love along the broken road. But I got lost a time or two. Wiped my brow and kept pushing through. I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you". This is still one of the only songs that I can sing along to and get every single lyric right.


Range

The vocal range in this song is nothing to scoff at, the lead singer of Rascal Flatts definitely puts his voice through its paces when singing this song. He changes his pitch pretty quickly to add some contrast and a little bit more emphasis on certain phrases or words. I think that the vocal range of the song is one of the reasons why I like it so much. It adds a touch of interest to the song without overcrowding the lyrics.


Timbre

The instrument choices that they used in the song make it have a very calm-sounding timbre. It has a pretty simple accompanying sound, which makes the vocals stand out more, but the way that the instrumentation is added doesn't make it sound like the song lacks instruments or accompaniment. I've always thought that this song calms me down and grounds me back in reality, and I think that's the beauty of it. It's just a very homey song.


References

“Bless the Broken Road.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Jan. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bless_the_Broken_Road.

O’Connell, Madeleine. “The History of Rascal Flatts’ Iconic Hit, ‘Bless the Broken Road.’” Country Now, Country Now, 1 Nov. 2023, countrynow.com/the-history-of-rascal-flatts-iconic-hit-bless-the-broken-road/.

Comments

  1. mercedes lindquistFebruary 21, 2024 at 7:43 PM

    I love this song, and like you, especially this cover of it. As a kid, my family and I would drive down to Minnesota from our home in Alaska to visit family, and this song was played a lot. It was one of my favorites, and I still enjoy it a lot. I agree with your prospective when you talk about being able to find love and finding the good in things throughout all the hardships that life throws at us.

    ReplyDelete
  2. HollyFebruary 21, 2024 at 8:15 PM

    I never realized that this song was a cover! That is crazy! I can relate, my dad loved listening to Rascal Flatts, so I heard this song all the time. I love how deep the lyrics are as well, as you pointed out they are speaking on things that everyone goes through and navigating life just like the rest of us.

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