Story Behind the Song: Rascal Flatts, ‘How They Remember You’
Rascal Flatts' 2020 single "How They Remember You" is a poignant reflection on the legacy we'll each leave behind. Written by Marc Beeson, Josh Osborne and Allen Shamblin, the song is the title track of an EP the country trio is releasing to celebrate their final year together.
"Did you make 'em laugh or make 'em cry? / Did you quit or did you try? / Live your dreams or let 'em die? / What did you choose? / What did you choose?" the Flatts -- Jay DeMarcus, Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney -- sing in the song's chorus, before delivering a bit of wisdom: "When it all comes down / It ain't if, it's how they remember you."
Below, DeMarcus shares the story behind "How They Remember You," in his own words.
"How They Remember You" was written by Marc Beeson, Josh Osborne and Alan Shamblin. All three of them are fantastic writers in their own right, and it's just a masterpiece.
I felt much the same way listening to this song as I did when we heard "[Bless the] Broken Road" for the first time. It's a timeless message that will inspire people, and it's about what kind of mark you leave behind when you leave this world: What kind of legacy do you have? And, for me, when I heard it, I first went, "What are people gonna say about me when I'm gone?"
It's a song that I believe will challenge listeners when they hear it, and they'll wonder about what their life's legacy is gonna look like when they're gone, and I think it's a wonderful thing, I really do. And a timely message for right now ...
Any time you get a song from that caliber of those writers, it's always humbling and honoring that they want to, and care enough to, write something for you. So, for me, it's just always, you're blown away by the fact you continue to get material from the top echelon of the writers that we have here in Nashville. It always blows my mind how creative and how awesome the work is that these writers do, and so, you know, they're gonna leave a heck of a legacy behind themselves.
I don't know, I'm just constantly blown away by the fact that anyone wants to write anything for us ... and to get a song like that is just the best you can hope for.
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