LISTEN: Thomas Rhett Channels Eric Church’s Greatest Hits in His New Track ‘Church’

Thomas Rhett’s highly anticipated new album, About A Woman, is out now and one track that has everyone talking is “Church,” inspired by the one and only, Eric Church. 

Song References Many Eric Church Songs

The song, written by Thomas Rhett with Andy Albert, Jordan Minton, and Mark Trussell, includes references to a slew of Eric Church’s biggest hits, including “Drink In My Hand,” “Sinners Like Me,” “Carolina,” “Springsteen,” “Young and Wild,” “Love Your Love The Most,” “These Boots,” “Smoke A Little Smoke,” “Jesus Does,” “Talladega,” “Livin’ Part of Life,” “How ‘Bout You,” and more. 

The clever lyrics tell the story of a romance that begins with the girl introducing the song’s narrator to Eric Church’s music after a chance run-in at a bonfire. As the story unfolds, references to Church’s songs are woven into the lyrics, with the phrase “she took me to Church” carrying multiple meanings—it signifies both her introduction of music that left a lasting mark on him and the enduring impact of their relationship. The song also makes reference to the “Chief” – Eric Church’s longtime moniker.

Now, every time an Eric Church song plays, the narrator is overcome with happy memories as he relates the lyrics to their relationship. 

“That summer came and went but those songs stuck around/ And I still catch a buzz when she smiles and cranks it loud,” he sings. 

“Church” Originally Had A Different Ending

During an interview on Today’s Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen on Apple Music Country, Rhett revealed that the song originally played out a bit differently.

“When this song got pitched to me, the original way that it got pitched to me was it ended in heartbreak. Like the guy and the girl never saw each other again, but he always reminisced over that time that they bonded over Eric Church,” he shared. “And so I kind of came in on the back half and just rewrote the bridge and the last chorus because our story ended differently.” 

Rhett Was A Big Eric Church Fan

Recording a song about Eric Church and the impact of his music came naturally to Rhett, who was deeply impacted by his music during his teenage years. 

“I mean those first, the first three, but really the first two Eric Church records, ‘These Boots’ and ‘Carolina’… I remember getting my first truck at 16 and Eric Church then was like listening to Zach Bryan now. Does that make sense? It was kind of underground… He was the outlaw,” the father of four explained. “He would sing about words that you couldn’t say on mainstream radio, all this stuff. Me and all my buddies, that was our favorite.”

He went on to share how he learned to play guitar and immediately memorized the chords to some of Church’s biggest hits. 

“I was the biggest Eric Church fan that I knew,” he admitted. “When I learned how to play guitar it was ‘Carolina,’ it was ‘Livin’ Part of Life,’ it was ‘Love Your Love The Most,’ it was ‘Two Pink Lines,’ it was ‘Sinners Like Me.’ It was all those songs.” 

New Album Out Now

“Church” is featured on Rhett’s 14-track About A Woman album. The project was inspired by his wife and includes his current single, “Beautiful As You,” as well as previously released favorites “Gone Country,” “Overdrive,” and “After All The Bars Are Closed.” 

“From top to bottom, I wanted to exude joy and fun with this project – and really just make people move,” the superstar previously shared. “I went into making this record with a fearless attitude, put my blinders on and my head down to try and make really fun music.”

Thomas Rhett celebrated the release with an appearance on NBC’s TODAY show. On August 27, he will sign records at Nashville’s Grimey’s.