What Hurts the Most

TL;DR - Songwriters Understand Their Own Songs

What Hurts the Most by Aaron Lewis
and also the version by Rascal Flatts
as well as the one by Jeffrey Steele

Recommended by Uncle Manny

"I love Aaron Lewis's voice. I think he emotes better than most singers. I love this song. Rascal Flatts made it popular, and I suggest you check out the official video for their release as it tells a gut wrenching story. 

For Aaron Lewis, I have attached a link for a live performance. I saw him play this live, and he explained that this song was recorded by one band but written by someone else. He explained that he heard the writer of the song sing it in a bar in Nashville, and the way he sang it was so much better to him that he had to record a version closer to what he heard the writer sing that night. 

Please check out both versions and I look forward to reading what you think."

This is the version that my uncle attached. The performance is much the same as the one I embedded above, but it includes the intro discussing how Lewis felt the writer sang more passionately than Rascal Flatts.

For me, Aaron Lewis doesn't have the most beautiful voice I've ever heard, but I agree that he emotes beautifully. It sounds like he's experiencing the song with us, not just singing it to us.

So, I'm definitely biased against this version after hearing what Lewis and my uncle both said about it, but I tried to listen with an open mind.

Obviously, the Rascal Flatts version there is a studio recording, so it's much smoother and clearer. I like the inclusion of the violin. Bows on strings always seem to evoke the strongest emotional responses in me.

As far as vocals, though, it falls (ahem) flatt. No, listen: Gary LeVox sounds awesome, but the emotion isn't nearly as raw as in the Aaron Lewis cover. 

I think part of this is the difference between a live performance and a studio recording. It's gotta be easier to connect with your audience when the audience is right there.

Next, there's a clear difference in tempo between the two. Lewis slows it down a lot, which gives you that feeling of dragging through the day, ruminating on your sorrow.

The final part is style. In both cases, we're looking at a country pop song. But the Rascal Flatts song falls further on the pop side of that sliding scale.

And now, I don't know about you, but all that talk about the original writer made me really curious about Jeffrey Steele's performance. So here you go:

Bro kills it. That intro has me vibing immediately. His voice is actually my favorite of the three, though I will still give the award for "most emotional" to Aaron Lewis and his downtempo approach.

This one is just...cool. It's edgier, more rock. I dig the instrumentation, the vocals, the tempo. A+.

Overview:

Genre:
Pop / Country

Favorite Lyrics:
It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go,
But I'm doin' it.

Verdict:
Good job, Jeff.