'Bless the Broken Road' is a song of gratitude: the singer thanks God and fate for every heartbreak, wrong turn and dead end, because that 'broken road' is exactly what led him to the person he was meant to love. Written in 1994 by Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd and Jeff Hanna, it became a signature hit for Rascal Flatts, who took it to No. 1 for five weeks in 2005 and won the 2006 Grammy for Best Country Song.
| Stable fields | writers, meaning, chart, grammy | Dynamic fields |
|---|
Who wrote it, who made it famous, and what it won.
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Written by | Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd, Jeff Hanna (1994) |
| First recorded by | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1994); also Melodie Crittenden (1998) |
| Rascal Flatts album | Feels Like Today (2004) |
| Chart peak | No. 1 on Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks — five weeks |
| Grammy | Best Country Song, 2006 (won by the songwriters) |
'Bless the Broken Road' turns regret into gratitude: every wrong turn was really a road leading to the right person. Rascal Flatts didn't write it, but their 2005 chart-topping version — a five-week No. 1 that earned the writers a 2006 Grammy — is the one most people mean when they name the song.
Did Rascal Flatts write 'Bless the Broken Road'?
No. It was written in 1994 by Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd and Jeff Hanna. Rascal Flatts recorded the best-known version in 2004.
Is 'Bless the Broken Road' a religious song?
It blends a love song with a prayer — the narrator thanks God as well as his soulmate for the 'broken road' that led them together, which is why it's often used at weddings and in churches.
Did 'Bless the Broken Road' win a Grammy?
Yes — the songwriters won the Grammy for Best Country Song in 2006.