"Prayin' for Daylight" is a song written by Steve Bogard and Rick Giles and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

group

Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American Country music, country music band formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background voc ...

. 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 A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

(now

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

) chart.

Content

The 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

On 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."

Chart performance

"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''

chart, reaching a peak of number 3. The single's

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

, "Long Slow Beautiful Dance," spent two weeks on the same chart in December 2000, peaking at number 73.

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2000 songs 2000 debut singles Rascal Flatts songs Music videos directed by Trey Fanjoy Song recordings produced by Mark Bright (record producer) Songs written by Steve Bogard Songs written by Rick Giles Lyric Street Records singles