Country Music Jesus

Album: Chief (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song finds Church declaring there is room for new sounds in country music. It was written by the singer with Jeremy Spillman, who also co-penned his "Hell On The Heart" single.
  • Church told The Boot he was stirred to write the tune by country traditionalists who don't want the format to evolve. He explained: "There were a couple reporters, critics who kept saying, 'We need a country music Jesus to save the format.' When I read that I thought that's the biggest crock I've ever heard. It's one of my pet peeves. I get tired of people who in this day and time keep looking for people like those outlaws, those iconic figures. If we're making the same music as Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, why not just listen to that? They didn't do the music before them, they completely changed. And down the line, Garth, Shania, they also changed the format. You have to be continually changing or evolving. That's what's healthy about music. You take your influences and you put another twist on them. I grew up listening to AC/DC, Metallica, Bob Seger, Tom Petty, and I took those influences and made them my own."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gary Numan

Gary NumanSongwriter Interviews

An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.

N.W.A vs. the World

N.W.A vs. the WorldSong Writing

How the American gangsta rappers made history by getting banned in the UK.

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")Songwriter Interviews

Holly Knight talks about some of the hit songs she wrote, including "The Warrior," "Never" and "The Best," and explains some songwriting philosophy, including how to think of a bridge.

Sam Phillips

Sam PhillipsSongwriter Interviews

Collaborating with T Bone Burnett, Leslie Phillips changed her name and left her Christian label behind - Robert Plant, who recorded one of her songs on Raising Sand, is a fan.