Darius Rucker Has A Rockstar Past
A few years ago, Darius Rucker joined Jimmy Fallon to sing “Only Wanna Thank The Troops,” a patriotic remake of a classic Hootie & the Blowfish Song.
Long before he became a solo country star, Rucker was the frontman of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. Known for songs such as “Hold My Hand,” “Let Her Cry,” and “Time,” the group has sold millions of records worldwide.
Although Hootie & the Blowfish went on hiatus for awhile, the members have reunited for occasional performances.
Rucker also keeps some Hootie songs in his setlist. He famously performed “Hold My Hand” with an ensemble of country stars to open the 2017 CMA Awards.
Rucker revisited another one of his old band’s famous hits when he visited The Tonight Show. But rather than sing the song’s original version, he rewrote it for a good reason.
Old Hootie Hit Gets Revised For Tonight Show Tribute & Becomes “Only Wanna Thank The Troops”
Leading up to Memorial Day in 2018, The Tonight Show hosted a week of shows with an all-military audience. Wanting to honor servicemembers, host Jimmy Fallon joined Rucker to perform a rewritten Hootie & the Blowfish classic.
Fallon and Rucker revised the song “Only Wanna Be with You,” which was a 1995 hit for Hootie & the Blowfish.
Rucker was one of the cowriters on the original track, which was also crafted by Mark Bryan, Bob Dylan, Dean Felber, and Jim Sonefeld.
Overall, “Only Wanna Be with You” is Hootie & the Blowfish’s highest-charting song on the Billboard rock chart, reaching second place. It also reached the sixth spot on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.
In other words, “Only Wanna Be With You” is a song that many people know and know well. So Fallon and Rucker felt it provided the perfect backbone for their tribute, which they titled “Only Wanna Thank the Troops.”
Rucker’s appearance was kept a complete surprise. So the studio audience was beyond thrilled to see him stroll out on stage to join Fallon.
Of course, it wouldn’t be The Tonight Show without a few jokes, and Fallon and Rucker snuck a few into their song. For example, Fallon offered credit to the troops for staying so fit, singing, “You serve with six-pack abs, I can barely run a mile.”
But although there was a little humor in the song, the stars’ main sentiment was serious one. As they repeated over and over, “Well, we owe it all to you. I only wanna thank the troops.”
You can tune in below to watch Rucker and Fallon’s tribute to the troops. It may make you laugh, it may make you cry, but no matter what, you’re sure to enjoy it.