Eric Church Demands More From Country Music in 'Stick That in Your Country Song'

Eric Church has never shied away from discussing difficult topics in his songs, and his latest offering, "Stick That in Your Country Song," is no exception. The driving track is a rallying cry to artists to not shy away from touching on topics like the struggles in American cities like Detroit and Baltimore, veterans returning from war and underpaid teachers. Written by Jeffrey Steele and Davis Naish, the song is a defiant message to the country music genre that Church is primed to deliver.

"Stick that in your country song / take that one to number one / get the world singing along / stick that in your country song," he declares in the chorus. Like the production of the song, Church's voice ranges from ominous and quiet to a raging roar as he obliquely criticizes his country peers and their subject material. "Stick That in Your Country Song" is another preview of Church's next project, which will be the follow-up to his 2018 album Desperate Man. In May, he performed a new song, "Never Break Heart," for ACM Presents: Our Country, he sang "Jenny" for the Stagecouch live stream and he recently teased another new track, "Through My Ray-Bans."

In April, Church told the Associated Press that just before the coronavirus spread, he spent time in a makeshift studio in the North Carolina mountains with several writers and his band, where he wrote and recorded a song every day. "I don't know if this is an album, if it's two albums, if it's three," he said. "I feel confident enough with the material that people will get to hear all of these songs at some point."

He also discussed the future of live music, sharing that he thinks concerts will return in the summer or fall of 2021. 'For me, I think it's summer or fall of '21," said Church, who has become known for his impressive stadium shows. "I am going on the promise of a vaccine. I'm going on the possibility of a therapeutic that could change the game." The 43-year-old added that he wants fans to be able to experience concerts the way they are used to rather than apprehensively. "When people come back, they have to feel that it's OK to be there, that they can experience it the way they want to experience it," Church said. "They should be able to go up and throw their arms around the person next to them. They should not be scared about being three feet away and not six."