The Rascal Flatts What Hurts the Most song was released in 2006 and topped both the U.S country and adult contemporary charts. This song reached #1 on the Billboard Country singles chart starting April 8, 2006.
The “What Hurts the Most” Emotional Music Video
The music video, directed by Shaun Silva, adds another heartbreaking layer to the song’s meaning. Instead of focusing on romantic heartbreak, the video tells the tragic story of a young girl grieving the sudden loss of her boyfriend in a car accident.
The video follows a high school couple deeply in love. The girl, played by actress Haley Webb, struggles with expressing her true feelings to her boyfriend. After an argument, he speeds away on his motorcycle, only to be involved in a fatal accident. The video flashes between happy memories and the devastating aftermath, showing the girl and her father, played by actor Gregory Itzin, struggling to cope with their grief.
This dramatic video depicts a young woman whose boyfriend dies in a car accident before she can tell him how she foresees their future. This music video became the most popular of Racall Flatts career with over 194 million views as of February of 2025. Watch the Official Music Video and check out the lyrics below.
Rascal Flatts What Hurts the Most
Origins and Song Meaning
Though Rascal Flatts made the song famous, “What Hurts the Most” was originally written by Jeffrey Steele and Steve Robson. The song had been recorded by other artists, including Mark Wills in 2003, but it wasn’t until Rascal Flatts released their version that it became a chart-topping success. Lyrically, the song explores the pain of losing a loved one, regret, and the sorrow of unspoken words. The heartbreaking chorus captures the raw emotions of missing someone and wishing for a chance to say the things left unsaid.
Rascal Flatts What Hurts the Most Lyrics
I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house
That don’t bother me
I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out
I’m not afraid to cry every once in a while
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me
There are days every now and again I pretend I’m OK
But that’s not what gets me
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 tryin’ to do
It’s hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go
But I’m doin’ It
It’s hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I’m alone
Still Harder
Getting up, getting dressed, livin’ with this regret
But I know if I could do it over
I would trade give away all the words that I saved in my heart
That I left unspoken
What hurts the most
Is being so close
And having so much to say (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, oh.
What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say (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
Not seeing that loving you
That’s what I was trying to do
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