How time flies.
Before Eric Church became the superstar he is today, he had minor radio hits with “Love Your Love The Most” and “Hell on the Heart” both going Top 10, along with “How ‘Bout You,” “Two Pink Lines” and “Guys Like Me” all netting him Top 20 hits.
Everything changed when he released Chief on July 26, 2011. The album netted the North Carolinian singer/songwriter his first two #1 singles, “Drink in My Hand,” and most importantly, Springsteen.
“Springsteen” was released to radio on February 21, 2012, and it didn’t take long for it to connect with fans and critics alike. The track received two Grammy nominations in 2013 for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song. Additionally, it received two ACM nominations in 2013 for Single and Song of the Year. Finally, it received three CMA nominations the same year for Single, Song and Music Video of the Year.
“Springsteen” is currently certified 8x platinum with over 525 million streams on Spotify, making it Church’s most commercially successful song to date.
As for the inspiration behind “Springsteen,” ironically, Church’s inspiration for the song did not come at a Bruce Springsteen concert; it was an entirely different artists’ concert that spawned the creation of the song. However, given the impact the “I’m On Fire” singer has had on the North Carolina native, he felt the need to base the song around him. Church said:
“I went to a concert when I was younger with a girl, and to this day, when I hear that artist, it’s the soundtrack to that girl. I never think about her any other time, except when that song is on. That’s where the ‘Springsteen’ came from, and he seemed to be the perfect guy to craft that story around because of my love for him … I have such a reverence for Bruce Springsteen’s career and how he’s built it.”
Written by Church, Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell, the track is one of the most nostalgic songs ever written. Church recounts a lost love while expertly weaving together classic Springsteen tracks such as “I’m On Fire,” “Born to Run,” “Born In the U.S.A.” and “Glory Days” throughout the verses.
The verses build up to, in my opinion, one of the greatest country choruses of all time. To this day, “Funny how a melody sounds like a memory” is still one of the most universal and relatable lyrics ever written.
Listen here: