‘I Dare You’ by Rascal Flatts & The Jonas Brothers - Lyrics & Meaning

Off the back of announcing their momentous 2025 Life is a Highway reunion tour, in January 2025, Rascal Flatts confirmed they'll have some brand new music to add to their setlist.

Excitingly, the country chart-topping trio have teamed up with pop chart-topping trio, The Jonas Brothers, for ‘I Dare You’, marking Rascal Flatts’ first original release since 2020.

It's not The Jonas Brothers’ debut foray into the country music world, with the ‘Burnin’ Up‘ hitmakers joining forces with Bailey Zimmerman for their infectious 2023 collaboration, ‘Strong Enough’. During an Instagram Q&A, Kelsea Ballerini revealed she had originally been featured on ‘Strong Enough’, but had been “replaced” by Zimmerman.

Rascal Flatts teased their blockbuster new link-up with a playful social media post, in which band-members Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney and Jay DeMarcus introduce themselves as the three Jonas Brothers, Nick, Joe and Kevin, before LeVox quips, “I'm a sucker for all of them” - a nod to The Jonas Brothers’ hit 2019 single, ‘Sucker’.

The Jonas Brothers have continued to highlight their versatility in recent months, with the lovestruck, country-leaning ‘I Dare You’ following the three siblings’ uplifting, EDM-infused Marshmello collaboration, ’Slow Motion’, which arrived on January 17th.

’I Dare You’ is a sweet, innocent reflection on blossoming love, with Rascal Flatts’ trademark sleek vocals combining seamlessly with Nick and Joe's sinuous delivery, while Kevin's striking guitar-playing accentuates the jubilant ambience of the track.

It's definitely on the pop-side of country, with Rascal Flatts staying true to their feel-good, anthemic sound, while The Jonas Brothers aren't pushed too far out of their pop-based comfort zone. ‘I Dare You’ is a certified earworm, with the soaring, euphoric chorus propelled by a driving, thunderous drum pattern and an army of galvanising guitars.

“Ooh, I almost lost my mind
Out on Mulholland Drive
Yeah, it's hard to see the view
All I see is you, all I see is you
You give me just enough
Oh, dangerous to call it love
You know my intentions
Seein' picket fences couldn't come too soon”

The ‘I Dare You’ protagonist begins by lamenting how they've been feeling lost and jaded by the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, as they reference the city's famous Mulholland Drive - the site of the late great David Lynch's iconic, mind-bending 2002 film.

The protagonist begins to feel a little more grounded and at peace once they see picket fences racing past the window, which suggests he's been travelling to a rural, bucolic location. As he drives on, his longing for his lover is the only thing keeping him going.

“Oh, yeah
I know you're careful
'Cause you been broken before
You're almost there
I know you wanna cross that line”

The narrator stresses that he's aware that the woman he's addressing has been hurt by love in the past, making her more hesitant about the prospect of falling into his arms. He attempts to reassure her, and convince her that everything will be alright.

“So I dare you
I dare you to love somebody like me
Yeah, I dare you
I dare you to let me be your everything
Oh, I dare you (I dare you)
I dare you to run and baby, don't look back
I know it scares you 'cause no one prepared you
But baby, I dare you
Baby, I dare you”

The hook finds the protagonist “daring” their lover to jump into this relationship with both feet, as he playfully tries to tempt her into giving their love the shot he feels it deserves.

It's a rose-tinted portrayal of budding romance, with the narrator comforting his partner and taking her hand, so they can embark on this journey back from past heartbreak together.

“I know that it's a big decision
But we ain't runnin' with scissors
I ain't playin' no games with your heart
Might jump too far, and get in so deep
Never know what this thing could've been, yeah”

Throughout ‘I Dare You’, the narrator regularly emphasises that he knows this is a leap of faith, but as he explains in this verse, this step isn't as formidable or frightening as it may seem. He jokes that they're not rebelling against the old adage about handling scissors safely by not running with them, before outlining that he's not just toying with her and trying to manipulate her - he believes this could be the real deal.

He concludes by looking ahead and conveying how frustrating it would be if they were meant to be together, but they end up apart, left to wonder how the alternative might have been.

Rascal Flatts and The Jonas Brothers haven't delved into the creation of ‘I Dare You’ just yet, but in the lead-up to the single's release, the former took to socials to underline their excitement about this collaboration, sharing, “New collab with The Jonas Brothers coming your way!! Can’t wait for you to hear “I Dare You” THIS Friday!”

“Ooh, I almost lost my mind
Out on Mulholland Drive
Yeah, it's hard to see the view
All I see is you, all I see is you
You give me just enough
Oh, dangerous to call it love
You know my intentions
Seein' picket fences couldn't come too soon

-

Oh, yeah
I know you're careful
'Cause you been broken before
You're almost there
I know you wanna cross that line

-

So I dare you
I dare you to love somebody like me
Yeah, I dare you
I dare you to let me be your everything
Oh, I dare you (I dare you)
I dare you to run and baby, don't look back
I know it scares you 'cause no one prepared you
But baby, I dare you
Baby, I dare you

-

I know that it's a big decision
But we ain't runnin' with scissors
I ain't playin' no games with your heart
Might jump too far, and get in so deep
Never know what this thing could've been, yeah

-

So I dare you (Dare you)
I dare you to love somebody like me
Yeah, I dare you (Dare you, oh)
I dare you to let me be your everything (Everything)
Oh, I dare you (Oh, yeah)
I dare you to run and baby, don't look back
I know it scares you (You) 'cause no one prepared you
But baby, I dare you
Baby, I dare you

-

Run, baby, run, baby, run
Just run, baby, run, baby, run (Oh)
Run, baby, run, baby, run
I dare you (Oh, I dare you)
I dare you (Oh, I dare you)
Run, baby, run, baby, run
Baby, run
Run, baby, run, baby, run
I dare you
Run, baby, run, baby, run
I dare you
Oh, I dare you
Baby, I dare you (I dare you)

-

So I dare you (I dare you)
I dare you to love somebody like me (Somebody like me)
I dare you
I dare you to let me be your everything (Yeah)
Oh, I dare you (Oh, nah)
I dare you to run and baby, never look back (Don't look back)
I know it scares you 'cause no one prepared you
But baby, I dare you
Baby, I dare you

-

Oh, no
I know that it scares you
Scares you
But baby, I dare you
Baby, run
Baby, run”

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