"Easy" is a song written by Katrina Elam and Michael Mobley and recorded by the American country music group Rascal Flatts as a duet with British pop singerNatasha Bedingfield. It was released in June 2011 as the third and final single from Rascal Flatts' album Nothing Like This. It became Rascal Flatts' fifth AC Top 20 hit. As of the chart dated July 21, 2012, the song has sold 917,000 copies in the US.
Content
"Easy" is a midtempo ballad in 6/8 time signature with a vocal range from C4 to C6. The song begins in C-sharp minor and modulates up to E minor halfway through the second verse. The song is about hiding the saddening emotions from a breakup. Rascal Flatts lead singerGary LeVox sings the first verse and chorus, while Bedingfield sings the second verse and chorus. Both sing the third and final chorus.
Critical reception
Jessica Phillips of Country Weekly called the song a "sizzling duet". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic was less favorable, calling it a "questionable stab at pop radio crossover". Ben Foster of Country Universe gave the song a B, saying that the lyrics are simple, but effective at telling the story of two ex-lovers who are in denial of the strong feelings they still harbor for one another. Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave the song four stars out of five, calling it "a daring collaboration and fits right into the Rascal Flatts wheelhouse."
Music video
The music video for the song premiered on CMT.com on July 1, 2011. It was filmed at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in downtown Nashville. It is a re-telling of the story of Cinderella, with Bedingfield playing the fairy tale princess. The video shows the members of Rascal Flatts getting out of a limo and walking a red carpet amidst paparazzi as they proceed to a party. After they are inside, Natasha Bedingfield is shown arriving to the same party in a separate limo. She gets out and makes her way inside as well. Eventually, Gary LeVox and Natasha Bedingfield single each other out through the crowd and meet in the middle of the room, where they perform the song to each other. When the clock strikes midnight, Bedingfield dashes off, leaving one of her high heels behind on the steps. The video ends with LeVox picking up her shoe and holding it.
