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"I Melt"
Single by Rascal Flatts
from the album Melt
Released	July 8, 2003 (2003-07-08)
Genre	Country
Length	3:54
Label	Lyric Street
Songwriter(s)	Neil Thrasher Wendell Mobley Gary LeVox
Producer(s)	Mark Bright Rascal Flatts Marty Williams
Rascal Flatts singles chronology
"Love You Out Loud" (2003) "I Melt" (2003) "Mayberry" (2003)

"I Melt" is a song written by Gary LeVox, Wendell Mobley, and Neil Thrasher and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in July 2003 as the third single from the band’s sophomore studio album Melt (2002). The song peaked at number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, staying at that position for three weeks behind Toby Keith’s "I Love This Bar". This was the group’s seventh entry on that chart.

Content

Gary LeVox said of the song, "That was truly enjoyable to write. Neil and Wendell had the melody idea and a chorus idea, and they called me in and we finished it that day. It’s a sexy tune. I think a lot of women would like to hear a man say they don’t have to do anything special to make him melt."

Critical reception

Rick Cohoon of Allmusic gave the song a positive review. He stated in his review that "Gary LeVox delivers a sultry, passionate performance backed up by some of the best harmony in Nashville."

Music video and controversy

The music video for "I Melt" was filmed in Miami, Florida by directors Robert Deaton and George Flanigan. It made headlines in USA Today for a shot featuring guitarist Joe Don Rooney's bare buttocks, and model Christina Auria taking a shower in the nude. When it debuted on CMT on June 28, 2003, it became the first video showing nudity to air on the network. Great American Country, on the other hand, banned the video when the group refused to release an edited version.

In 2019, The Boot included the music video in a list of The Top 10 Sexiest Country Music Videos.

Chart performance

"I Melt" debuted at number 54 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of July 12, 2003.

Year-end charts

References

1. Melt (CD booklet). Rascal Flatts. Lyric Street Records. 2002. 2061-65031-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
2. archived page from Rascalflatts.com from 2002
3. Cohoon, Rick. "Rascal Flatts - "I Melt"". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
4. "Rascal Flatts Discuss Their Racy Video". CMT. July 14, 2003. Archived from the original on 2009-04-14. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
5. "Saucy Country Video Creates A Storm Of Controversy". Contactmusic. July 15, 2003. Archived from the original on 2003-12-18. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
6. "Top 10 Sexy Country Music Videos". The Boot. March 19, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
7. "Rascal Flatts Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
8. "Rascal Flatts Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
9. "Best of 2003: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2003. Retrieved July 13, 2012.

• 2003 singles
• 2002 songs
• Rascal Flatts songs
• Songs written by Neil Thrasher
• Country ballads
• Songs written by Wendell Mobley
• Music videos directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions
• Song recordings produced by Mark Bright (record producer)
• Lyric Street Records singles
• Songs written by Gary LeVox
• Obscenity controversies in music