Me And My Gang

Album: Me And My Gang (2006)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Rascal Flatts have a little hootenanny on "Me And My Gang," and everyone's invited to the party. They were signed to the Disney label Lyric Street Records, so they kept it clean - kind of like a night out on Pleasure Island. They crack a beer in the song, but we get the sense they'll drink in moderation - this party is about friends and music.
  • Rascal Flatts did some of their own songwriting, but for the most part relied on Nashville tunesmiths. "Me And My Gang" was written by Jeffrey Steele, Jon Stone, and Tony Mullins. Steele did very well with Rascal Flatts - his other co-writes include "These Days" and "What Hurts The Most."

    Steele got the title when he was watching CMT one night and Hank Williams Jr. was performing his song "Outlaw Women" with Gretchen Wilson. He perked up when Hank got to the lines:

    Some call her lady
    Some call her other names
    But you won't ever call her that around me and my gang


    The next day, he met up with Mullins and started writing the song with "Me And My Gang" as the title.
  • On this track, Joe Don Rooney ran his guitar through a talkbox, an effects device you can hear on songs like "Do You Feel Like We Do" by Peter Frampton and "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi. Their producer, Dann Huff, had the idea.
  • The first single from the Me And My Gang album was "What Hurts The Most," a huge hit that crossed over to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and to #6 on the Hot 100 - their first Top 10 on that chart. "Me And My Gang" was the next single, but it got run over by their cover of "Life Is A Highway," used in the movie Cars and released around the same time. "Me And My Gang" topped out at #50 on the Hot 100, but it became one of their most popular songs, played at the majority of their concerts.
  • "Me And My Gang" is the title track of Rascal Flatts' fourth album. By this time, they had built up a huge gang of fans with their slick country pop sound. Hot right out of the gate, their first four albums all went multi-Platinum.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.