Eric Church hardly needs an introduction. The former CMA Entertainer of the Year and songwriting aficionado has a long history of penning incredible tracks for himself and others. From murder ballads to love songs to nostalgia-filled odes to classic artists, there’s seemingly not a type of song that Church can’t write well.
From Terri Clark to Zac Brown Band to Morgan Wallen, The Chief has provided a plethora of different artists with fantastic tracks over the years.
Whiskey Wings – Dean Miller (2005)
The earliest Eric Church co-write predates his debut album, Sinners Like Me, by a year. The track is co-written by Church and Miller himself. The song takes a unique approach to the classic country trope of drinking to forget a lost love, likening getting drunk to flying on “whiskey wings.”
The World Needs a Drink – Terri Clark (2008)
This song feels even more relevant than ever today than it was in 2008. Written with longtime collaborator, Casey Beathard, the track flashes Church’s underrated sense of humor in his songwriting. A live version sung by Church off of his first volume of 61 Days in Church is available for streaming today.
Life Off My Years – Lee Brice (2012)
Life Off My Years features a collaboration with bandmate and fellow songwriter, Jeff Hyde. This Lee Brice track feels like a subdued follow-up to Church’s Young and Wild. The hook “I’ll take years off my life ‘fore I take life off my years” is an example of classic wordplay that The Chief is known for.
All Alright – Zac Brown Band (2013)
All Alright is one of four songs on the Zac Brown Band EP, The Grohl Sessions, Vol. 1. The EP is, obviously, in collaboration with legendary rock drummer and guitarist, Dave Grohl. The track is co-written with many members of the band, including Brown himself, Jimmy De Martini, John Driskell Hopkins and long-time ZBB collaborator, Wyatt Durrette. The band’s harmonies pair incredibly well with the Church-penned lyrics.
Wildfire – Zac Brown Band (2015)
The second collaboration with the Zac Brown Band is featured in their highly experimental album, Jekyll and Hyde. Wildfire is once again co-written with Wyatt Durrett. Bandmate, Clay Cook, and long-time Taylor Swift collaborator, Liz Rose, also appear as co-writers.
We Were – Keith Urban (2019)
We Were is yet another Church and Jeff Hyde co-write. The song was originally released as a single only featuring Urban. However, five months after its initial release, Eric Church appears in a second version of the song as a feature. This marks the second collaboration between the pair; the first since 2013’s Grammy-nominated, Raise ‘Em Up.
Don’t Blame It on Whiskey – Jon Pardi (2019)
Don’t Blame It on Whiskey is one of the biggest what-ifs from a songwriting perspective. Before becoming a Jon Pardi and Lauren Alaina duet, the track was written by Church and fellow superstar Miranda Lambert. An Eric Church-Miranda Lambert collaboration has been on many country fans’ wishlists for what seems like decades at this point. The track is also penned by Church collaborator, Michael Heeney, and Lambert collaborator and Grammy-winner, Luke Laird.
Jacksonville to Jackson Hole – The Wild Feathers (2019)
Jacksonville to Jackson Hole is arguably the most obscure song on the list. It is currently unavailable to stream on Apple Music and Spotify, only available on Youtube. The Wild Feathers are a fairly small band, garnering just over 150k monthly listeners on Spotify. The track is yet another cowrite with Casey Beathard, and it once again confirms that everything the pair writes turns to gold.
Quittin’ Time – Morgan Wallen (2021)
A writing room consisting of Eric Church, Luke Laird and Josh Thompson simply was not going to disappoint. Quittin’ Time appears on the 4x Platinum LP, Dangerous: The Double Album. The track feels like a classic Eric Church co-write, changing the phrase “quittin’ time” from a way to mark the end of the work day to a way to mark the end of a relationship.
You, Me & The River – Chris Janson (2022)
You, Me & The River, penned independently by Church, is sure to be classic. He appears on this track as a duet with Chris Janson. The swampy production pairs incredibly well with the lyrical content provided by The Chief. Additionally, who doesn’t love a good murder ballad?
My Song Will Never Die – Luke Combs (2023)
Finally, the most recent Church cowrite appears on Luke Comb’s fourth studio album, Gettin’ Old. The track, co-written by Church, Jonathan Singelton and Travis Meadows, takes a look at the transcendent nature of music and the written word. The concept of the artist dying but their song living forever is an incredibly thought-provoking one.