"Skin " is a song written by Doug Johnson and Joe Henry, and performed by American country music group Rascal Flatts. The song was originally a hidden track on the first shipment of their album, Feels Like Today, and charted in mid-2005 as an album cut while the single "Fast Cars and Freedom" was climbing the charts. "Skin" became a single in late-2005, peaking at #2 on UScountry charts, and #42 on the BillboardHot 100 chart. It was later named "Skin " on their Greatest Hits Volume 1.
Content
The story of a girl from Kentucky named Sarabeth who falls ill, and while ill, she notices a bruise that won't go away. After being taken to a hospital, she is informed that she has leukemia a form of cancer and must go under chemotherapy. She is afraid of the effects it may have on her, and holds onto the dream of dancing with her boyfriend at her high school prom. When she wakes the morning before the dance, she notices that she is virtually hairless, and cries while being embraced by her mother. Sarabeth thinks it would be a mistake for her boyfriend to take her to the prom in this condition. Close to the prom, her boyfriend arrives, wearing a baseball cap. When he removes it, all are emotionally surprised to see that he shaved his head to show sympathy, and is willing to accompany Sarabeth to the dance. She realizes her dream has come true when they go to prom and they dance. As the song says, "Her very first true love is holding her close... And for a moment, she isn't scared."
History
Joe Henry wrote the song in 2003 with Doug Johnson. He offered the song to Rascal Flatts, who expressed interest in recording it. The band placed it as a hidden track at the end of Feels Like Today because the recording contract allowed for only eleven songs on the album, and because the band did not think that "Skin" fit in thematically with the rest of the project. A radio host at WUSN in Chicago first heard the song while listening to the album in the car with his family, and soon received multiple phone calls asking him to play the song. The airplay received from WUSN caused the song to chart for five months as a non-single, and Lyric Street Records later re-issued Feels Like Today with "Skin" listed as the twelfth track.
Music video
The video, directed by Deaton Flanigan was filmed in Orlando, Florida, and features a cast of Florida talent. South Florida actor Doug Williford appears as Sarabeth's father. Actress Deborah Shannon appeared as Sarabeth's mother. Child actor Johnny Maio appears in the final scene as Sarabeth's little brother. The band is seen performing the song in a room with water ballet dancers and a full-haired Sarabeth and her boyfriend performing around them. All the action scenes are shown in greyscale except for Sarabeth herself, a technique used to show emotion.
Critical reception
Kevin John Coyne, reviewing the song for Country Universe, gave it a negative rating. He said that "the nasal vocal is too much of a turn-off for me."
Chart performance
"Skin " re-entered the U.S. BillboardHot Country Songs as an official single at number 42 for the week of August 20, 2005.
