Country music stars often dedicate their songs to their significant others. But when Eric Church dedicated this edgy track to his wife, Katherine Blasingame, we can understand why she reacted the way she did.
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The "Over When It's Over" singer recently shared the story behind what happened when he thanked his wife for her years of support. Instead of offering a heartfelt ballad, he surprised her with a song that had very little to do with love.
Eric Church Got "Caught up in the Moment"
At a recent performance in Grand Rapids, Michigan, over the weekend, Church took a moment to tell a story about Blasingame. Once at a past show, he wanted to dedicate the next song on the setlist to her. We'll let Church take it from here.
"I was kind of caught up in the moment of the show, and I wanted to call them out and talk about how important this journey has been for me," he said. "And I happened to call them out and talk about that before the next song that I'm about to play you. The first few lines of this song are: 'It ain't a needle in a vein. It ain't backstage sex. It ain't lines of cocaine on a private jet.'"
For those familiar with Church's discography, it's clear he wasn't about to perform a beautiful ballad. He was gearing up to play "That's Damn Rock & Roll." This 2014 track from The Outsiders was Church's way of commenting on what rock and roll means to him. He also calls out certain performers who have their priorities a little skewed.
Church's Wife Wasn't Too Happy About the Gesture
When the show was over, Blasingame shared with Church what she thought of his "dedication."
Church said, "I walk off stage, and my wife goes, 'What the f*** is wrong with you?' She goes, 'There's 30 songs you could have dedicated to me, but those first three lines alone... that's f***** up.' So I've played this song every show since."
This moment isn't the first time Church has been misunderstood. While promoting The Outsiders, he released a mysterious video referencing Taylor Swift, who had thanked him for playing too long as Rascal Flatts' opener when she accepted the Pinnacle Award at the CMAs in 2013.
The video ended with a gloved hand writing, "ONE WILL RISE, ONE WILL FALL."
Fans took it as a threat toward Swift, so the video was taken down. As we reported in August, a new one was put up in its place.
At least this time around, Church didn't upset a legion of Swifties. However, given his wife's reaction, it seems he still managed to stir up some trouble at home.
Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ACM
