Bless the Broken Road

"Bless the Broken Road"
Song by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band from the album Acoustic
Released	1994
Genre	Country, Pop
Length	3:50
Label	Liberty
Writer	Marcus Hummon Bobby Boyd Jeff Hanna
Producer	Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

"Bless the Broken Road"
Song by Marcus Hummon from the album All in Good Time
Released	1995
Genre	Country
Length	4:09
Label	Columbia
Producer	Monroe Jones

"Bless the Broken Road" is a song that has been recorded by several American country music artists. It was co-written by Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd and Jeff Hanna in 1994. 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's 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.

History

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 Melodie Crittenden, Geoff Moore, Selah, Jamie Slocum, Carrie Underwood, Buddy Greene, and Rascal Flatts.

Melodie Crittenden version

"Broken Road"
Single by Melodie Crittenden
from the album Melodie Crittenden
Released	January 1998
Format	CD Single
Genre	Country
Length	3:52
Label	Asylum #9945
Producer(s)	Byron Gallimore Stephony Smith[5]
Melodie Crittenden singles chronology
"Broken Road" (1998) "I Should've Known" (1998)

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.

Critical reception

Billboard gave Crittenden's version a positive review in the January 17, 1998, issue, calling it "sheer poetry with a moving message."^[5]

Chart positions

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[7]	48
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[8]	42

Rascal Flatts version

"Bless the Broken Road"
Single by Rascal Flatts
from the album Feels Like Today
Released	November 1, 2004
Format	CD single, music download
Genre	Country, Christian country
Length	3:47 (Album Version) 3:38 (Single Version)
Label	Lyric Street
Producer(s)	Mark Bright Marty Williams
Certification	Platinum (RIAA)
Rascal Flatts singles chronology
"Feels Like Today" (2004) "Bless the Broken Road" (2004) "Fast Cars and Freedom" (2005)

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 the Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. 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 February 2016, the song has sold 3.438 million 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.

Song information

Rascal Flatts' version of the song is in the key of C major, with a vocal range from C4 (Middle C) to A5.^[13]

Charts

Chart (2004–05)	Peak position
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[14]	41
Ireland (IRMA)[15]	35
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[16]	58
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[17]	1
US Billboard Hot 100[18]	29
US Billboard Pop 100	40
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[19]	20
Chart (2005)	Peak position
US Country Songs (Billboard)^[A]	50

Notes

• A^ Carrie Underwood/Rascal Flatts version.

Year-end charts

Chart (2005)	Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)[20]	3

Selah version

"Bless the Broken Road"
Single by Selah with Melodie Crittenden
from the album Bless the Broken Road: The Duets Album
Released	2006
Format	CD Single
Genre	Contemporary Christian music
Length	4:10
Label	Curb
Producer(s)	Allan Hall, Jason Kyle, Todd D. Smith
Selah chronology
"Bless the Broken Road" (2006) "Hosanna" (2009)

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.^[21] Also released as a single, Selah's version peaked at number five on the Hot Christian Songs charts.

Chart positions

Chart (2006)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Christian Songs[22]	5

Awards

In 2007, this version of the song was nominated for a Dove Award for Song of the Year at the 38th GMA Dove Awards.^[23]

References

1. Morris, Edward (10 March 2005). "Rascal Flatts Takes Bow for "Broken Road"". CMT. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
2. All in Good Time (CD booklet). Marcus Hummon. Columbia Records. 1995. 66124.
3. McCall, New Country (November 1995). "Album reviews". New Country 2 (14): 57–58. ISSN 1074-536X.
4. Bjorke, Matt. "Matt's Songwriter Spotlight - Marcus Hummon". About.com. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
5. "Singles". Billboard: 66. 17 January 1998.
6. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 107. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
7. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 3501." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. March 30, 1998. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
8. "Melodie Crittenden – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Melodie Crittenden.
9. Whitburn, p. 339
10. "Week Ending Sept. 5, 2010: Rihanna Leads The Pack". Chart Watch. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
11. Bjorke, Matt (March 8, 2016). "The Top 30 Digital Singles Report: March 8, 2016".
12. USA Today Underwood Wins Idol
13. ""Bless the Broken Road" sheet music". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
14. "Singles Top 40 from the Official UK Charts Company". UK Singles Chart. The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
15. "Chart Track: Week 20, 2012". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
16. "Swedishcharts.com – Rascal Flatts – Bless The Broken Road". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
17. "Rascal Flatts – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Rascal Flatts.
18. "Rascal Flatts – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Rascal Flatts.
19. "Rascal Flatts – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Rascal Flatts.
20. "Best of 2005: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
21. "Bless the Broken Road: The Duets Album". Allmusic. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
22. "Chart history for Selah". Billboard. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
23. 38th Annual GMA Awards on About.com