Me and My Gang
Me and My Gang is the fourth studio album by the American country music group Rascal Flatts, released on November 14, 2006 by Lyric Street Records. The album became the highest US debut of 2006, with 721,747 units[3] and went double platinum in the first month of release.[4][5] The album logged three weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. It was the second-best selling album (behind High School Musical) and the best selling country album of 2006. It has sold 4.918 million copies in the United States as of the chart dated March 24, 2012[6] and was certified 5× Platinum.[4] This is the group's first album to be produced by Dann Huff.
| Me and My Gang | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 14, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2005 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:31 | |||
| Label | Lyric Street | |||
| Producer | Dann Huff | |||
| Rascal Flatts chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Me and My Gang | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Entertainment Weekly | C[2] |
On April 25, 2007, Rascal Flatts performed "My Wish" on American Idol as part of the special Idol Gives Back.[7]
The singles released from this album included "What Hurts the Most", which peaked at number one on both the Hot Country Songs and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts. This was followed by the title track (which reached a peak of number 6), and then two number one hits with "My Wish" and "Stand". Later presses of the album also included a cover of Tom Cochrane's "Life Is a Highway" (a cover previously included in the soundtrack to the 2006 film Cars) as a bonus track. This cover, though not released to country radio, charted at number 18 on the country charts, overlapping with "My Wish". A video was made for "He Ain't the Leavin' Kind" though it was never released as a single.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stand" | Blair Daly, Danny Orton | 3:28 |
| 2. | "What Hurts the Most" | Steve Robson, Jeffrey Steele | 3:34 |
| 3. | "Backwards" | Marcel, Tony Mullins | 3:48 |
| 4. | "I Feel Bad" | Neil Thrasher, Wendell Mobley, Jason Sellers | 3:18 |
| 5. | "My Wish" | Steele, Steve Robson | 4:08 |
| 6. | "Pieces" | Monty Powell, Jay DeMarcus, Joe Don Rooney, Gary LeVox | 4:07 |
| 7. | "Yes I Do" | Wally Wilson, Jimmy Yeary | 4:16 |
| 8. | "To Make Her Love Me" | Thrasher, Mobley, DeMarcus | 4:08 |
| 9. | "Words I Couldn't Say" | Steve Robson, Tammi Kidd, Gregory Becker | 4:35 |
| 10. | "Me and My Gang" | Steele, Mullins, Jon Stone | 3:37 |
| 11. | "Cool Thing" | Thrasher, Mobley, Rooney | 3:51 |
| 12. | "Ellsworth" | Thrasher, Mobley, Michael Dulaney | 4:01 |
| 13. | "He Ain't the Leavin' Kind" | Thrasher, Dulaney | 4:33 |
| Total length: | 51:31 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Life Is a Highway" | Tom Cochrane | 4:36 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Fast Cars and Freedom" | Gary LeVox, Neil Thrasher, Wendell Mobley | 4:23 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Love You Out Loud" (Live) | Brett James, Lonnie Wilson | 3:06 |
| 15. | "Mayberry" (Live) | Arlos Smith | 4:22 |
| 16. | "These Days" (Live) | Steve Robson, Jeffrey Steele, Danny Wells | 5:57 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "This Everyday Love" (Live) | Danny Wells, Gene Nelson | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Then I Did" (Live) | Steve Robson, Jeffrey Steele | 3:11 |
| 3. | "I'm Movin' On" (Live) | Philip White, D. Vincent Williams | 5:40 |
| 4. | "Here's to You" (Live) | Jay DeMarcus, Wendell Mobley, Neil Thrasher | 4:29 |
| 5. | "Feels Like Today" (Live) | Wayne Hector, Robson | 3:23 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "What Hurts the Most" (Hot Mix) | Robson, Steele | |
| 15. | "Life Is a Highway" | Cochrane |
Personnel
As listed in liner notes.[8]
Rascal Flatts
- Jay DeMarcus – bass guitar, background vocals
- Gary LeVox – lead vocals
- Joe Don Rooney – lead guitar, background vocals
Additional musicians
- Tim Akers – keyboards, accordion
- Bruce Bouton – steel guitar
- Tom Bukovac – rhythm guitar
- Eric Darken – percussion
- Howard Duck – keyboards
- Paul Franklin – steel guitar
- Dann Huff – rhythm guitar
- John Jeannsome – fiddle
- Charlie Judge – keyboards
- Chris McHugh – drums
- Gordon Mote – piano, keyboards
- Russ Pahl – steel guitar
- Jim Riley – drums
- Darrell Scott – mandolin
- Travis Toy – steel guitar
- Jonathan Trebing – rhythm guitar
- Lonnie Wilson – drums
- Jonathan Yudkin – fiddle, mandolin, banjo
String section
"My Wish" and "Words I Couldn't Say"
- Charlie Bisharat, Roberto Cani, Mario deLeon, Armen Garabedian, Peter Kent, Alyssa Park, Tereza Stanislav, Josefina Vergara, John Wittenberg – violins
- Suzie Katayama, Larry Corbett, Daniel Smith – cellos
"To Make Her Love Me"
- Carl Gorodetzky, Pam Sixfin, Conni Ellisor, Dave Davidson – violins
- Kris Wilkinson, Gary Vanosdale – violas
- Carole Rabinowitz – cello
Strings on "My Wish" and "Words I Couldn't Say" arranged and conducted by David Campbell. Strings on "To Make Her Love Me" arranged and conducted by Charlie Judge.
Charts
Album
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums Chart | 4 |
| Japan (Oricon) | 37 |
| U.S. Billboard 200[9] | 1 |
| U.S. Top Country Albums[9] | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | US Pop |
US AC |
CAN | ||
| 2006 | "What Hurts the Most" | 1 | 6 | 11 | 1 | — |
| "Me and My Gang" | 6 | 50 | 71 | — | — | |
| "Life Is a Highway" | 18 | 7 | 9 | — | — | |
| "My Wish" | 1 | 28 | 49 | 13 | — | |
| 2007 | "Stand" | 1 | 46 | 80 | — | 54 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[10] | Platinum |
| United States (RIAA)[11] | 5× Platinum |
References
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Me and My Gang review". Allmusic. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
- Willman, Chris (April 17, 2006). "Me & My Gang review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
- Rascal Flatts' 'Gang' Takes Over No. 1
- Rascal Flatts' Me and My Gang Quadruple Platinum
- Rascal Flatts "Me and My Gang" goes double platinum
- "Chart Watch Extra: Top Albums Of Last 10 Years". Chart Watch. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- Rascal Flatts to perform on American Idol
- Me and My Gang (CD liner notes). Rascal Flatts. Lyric Street Records. 2006. 165058.CS1 maint: others (link)
- Rascal Flatts Chart History
- "Canadian album certifications – Rascal Flatts – Me and My Gang". Music Canada.
- "American album certifications – Rascal Flatts – Me and My Gang". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.