What Hurts The Most

After German band Cascada released their version in 2007, "What Hurts the Most" achieved international chart success for them, adding yet another chapter to a song that had already passed through several hands. Written by American songwriter Jeffrey Steele with English songwriter Steve Robson, the song began when Robson presented Steele with an unfinished track. Steele set out to write lyrics for it, initially wanting to write about the loss of his father before settling on a more universal theme of lost love. When Robson suggested recording it in a higher key to sound more emotional, Steele liked how sad the result sounded.

Mark Wills was the first artist to record the song, placing it on his 2003 album And the Crowd Goes Wild. Bellefire covered it a year later. Jo O'Meara, formerly the leader of S Club 7, became the first artist to release it as a single, putting it out in 2005 as the lead single from her debut album Relentless. Her version reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart.

Faith Hill also recorded the song with the intention of including it on her 2005 album Fireflies, but her version did not make the final cut. Rascal Flatts then recorded it, releasing it as the first single from Me and My Gang after producer Dann Huff suggested it for the album. Their version topped the U.S. country and adult contemporary charts, and Wills' earlier recording, though never a single, peaked at number 51 on the U.S. Hot Digital Songs chart in 2006 in the wake of that success.