We're long overdue for some new Eric Church at this point. It's been four years since his duo of albums Heart and Soul respectively. However, we've had plenty of time to adore and cherish that record, "Hell of a View" is my favorite personally. Moreover, we've also had plenty of time to salivate over the idea of more records from Church. Now, he's finally satiating our appetite by teasing a new song for a new album.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Recently, Eric Church performed at Country Radio Seminar, an industry event for country music to network and tease what an artist's next move might be. He was there to accept his Artist Humanitarian Award for his relief efforts towards Hurricane Helene. However, he also took the opportunity to blow everyone away with a performance of his own. Aided by a full choir, he performs an unreleased record called "Johnny." It plays on Charlie Daniels' 1979 song, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," where a character named Johnny beats the devil in a fiddle playing contest.
Eric Church takes a different spin on it for modern contexts. Instead of honing in on a specific story, he reflects personally and longs for a new Johnny to exorcise modern day evils. It may sound a little vague but the performance definitely lends Church the kind of weight and drama this kind of song needs. Additionally, he shares what inspired such a heavy song in the first place.
Eric Church Plays New Song and Reveals The Meaning and Inspiration Behind The Song
Eric Church recalls what made him want to reexamine the story of Johnny in the Charlie Daniels record. According to Eric, it was the devastating shooting at Nashville's Covenant School that spurred "Johnny." "About a year ago we had a shooting here in Nashville and where my kids go to school, is about a mile from that school. And I'm gonna tell you something, the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, parent or otherwise, is dropping them off at that school the day after that shooting, and watching them walk inside," Eric recalls.
And I sat in the parking lot for a long time, and as fate would have it Charlie Daniels was playing "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" And I remember thinking, 'Man, we could use Johnny right now' because the Devil is not in Georgia. He is everywhere, and I went home and wrote 'Johnny,'" Eric Church concludes.
Heavy stuff but if I trust anyone to knock this out with any measure of tact, it's Church.
