"Prayin' for Daylight" is a song written by Steve Bogard and Rick Giles and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in February 2000 as the first single from the band's self-titled debut album and as their debut single. The song reached number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart.
| "Prayin' for Daylight" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Rascal Flatts | ||||
| from the album Rascal Flatts | ||||
| B-side | "Long Slow Beautiful Dance" | |||
| Released | February 21, 2000 | |||
| Recorded | 1999 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:35 | |||
| Label | Lyric Street | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Steve Bogard Rick Giles | |||
| Producer(s) | Mark Bright Marty Williams | |||
| Rascal Flatts singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Content
editThe song is a moderate up-tempo song in which the narrator's lover has just left him, and he has not been able to sleep. He also begs her to come back so he could stop the lonely nights of "prayin' for daylight."
Background
editOn the band's website, Jay DeMarcus commented on the recording of "Prayin' For Daylight": "The first single. That was the first tune we ever cut as a group, and the first song that Lyric Street ever heard us do. It was very, very instrumental in getting our deal. We love the song. It's a very memorable kind of chorus and it just showcases what we can do as well as the band. I think if somebody said tell us what you're all about, we could play that song and they'd get a pretty good picture of what we can do. "Prayin' For Daylight" was special because at the last minute we changed the feel of the whole song. The demo was really, really different and what's become the little, hooky guitar riff, that happened moments before we went to tape."[1]
Chart performance
edit"Prayin' for Daylight" debuted at number 60 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of March 4, 2000. The song spent thirty-one weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, reaching a peak of number 3. The single's B-side, "Long Slow Beautiful Dance," spent two weeks on the same chart in December 2000, peaking at number 73.[2]
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[3] | 4 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 38 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 3 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (2000) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[6] | 14 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[7] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "Rascal Flatts - Cut by Cut". Rascalflatts.com. October 18, 2000. Archived from the original on 2000-10-18. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 339. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 7199." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. July 31, 2000. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
- ^ "Rascal Flatts Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Rascal Flatts Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Best of 2000: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2000. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
- ^ "American single certifications – Rascal Flatts – Prayin' for Daylight". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
