Eric Church is one of country music's most successful artists. He has seven studio albums, has sold millions of records, and has 10 GRAMMY nominations. In 2013, Church won the Country Music Television Award for Collaborative Video of the Year, and in 2014, he won Favorite Country Album for The Outsiders from the American Music Awards. He's a prolific songwriter and has written and co-written songs for other artists, including "Quittin' Time" performed by Morgan Wallen.

While Church writes most of his own songs, such as the award-winning "Springsteen" and "Drink In My Hand," one of his most rebellious songs that makes him stand out, "Stick That In Your Country Song," was written by Nashville songwriters Davis Naish and Jeffrey Steele in 2015, five years before Church made it popular. This song makes a bold statement about America, and only a master storyteller with a gruff yet emotional persona could send the powerful message this song portrays.

Eric Church was born on May 3, 1977, in Granite Falls, North Carolina. He went to Appalachian State University, where he graduated with a degree in marketing. He played with a band, the Mountain Boys, at local bars to earn extra cash. 

Soon after graduation, Church moved to Nashville and began his songwriting career with Terri Clark's "The World Needs a Drink." After signing with Sony Publishing and releasing "Lightning," he moved to Capitol Records, where his career skyrocketed with his hit, "How 'Bout You." Since then, Church has been on a roll and has a new song out called "Evangeline."  

The lyrics of "Stick That in Your Country Song" include the following:

"Take me on up to Detroit city
Jails are full, the factories empty
Momma's cryin', young boys dyin'
Under that red, white, and blue still flyin'

Drop me off in Baltimore
Where every other window's got a plywood board
Where dreams become drugs and guns
The only way out is to shoot or run

Stick that in your country song, yeah
Take that one to number one, yeah
And get the whole world singing along, yeah
Stick that in your country song, yeah

Sing about the man coming back from war
23 going on 54
He lost a friend, his sight, his hands
Baby girl he'll never see again"

These are powerful lyrics. How did the rebellious song come about? In an interview with The Boot, co-writer Davis Naish stated, "Jeff and I used to have these conversations, later at night, where we would just kind of talk about what's going on in the world...and kind of keeping a pulse on what is really happening and what's really going on, and be able to tell those stories and tell the truth of what's happening in the country with our people. That's kind of our job as songwriters..."

Once they finished writing the song, they had Eric Church in mind to deliver their message. With Church's emotional storytelling style and natural ability to push boundaries in country music, he made this song his own and moved audiences who heard it. Although this song only reached No. 92 for one week on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, it had a significant impact on country music fans.

Country music is evolving with genre-blending styles. Eric Church embraces changes in traditional country music while staying true to country roots. He's not afraid to speak his mind and to write about challenges Americans face. He also pushes against the norm of country music standards, as seen in his firing by Rascal Flatts on their 2006 tour, due to his failure to meet opening act requirements.

Church wants to stick to the freedom of being able to express himself, similar to newer country artists such as Shaboozey, who blends country with hip-hop and Americana, i.e., "A Bar Song (Tipsy)." Church blends Southern rock with outlaw country, such as in "The Outsiders" and "Talladega."

The "Stick That in Your Country Song" meaning portrays the social unrest of the time around 2015. The song talks about poverty, unpaid teachers, soldiers coming home changed, and the fall of many American cities. One of the reasons Church took this song was because of the powerful social lyrics that reflected his moral philosophy of life. The song also demonstrates Church's willingness to go against the norms of traditional country music themes.

Church has always pushed against what's considered normal, starting with his 2006 song "Sinners Like Me," with its distinctive rock/country sound and plenty of twang thrown in. After the release of his 2011 album Chief, with hit songs such as "Springsteen" and "Drink in My Hand," the country music industry took notice of this country/rocker with a rebellious attitude. While Church doesn't have a load of No. 1 hits, he wants to be known more for his powerful storytelling and creative spirit.

As Church said in a 2023 interview with The Boot about winning awards, "They mean a lot more for the people that have believed in me. I don't get caught up in winning or losing awards. But I want them for the people who believed. I want them for the fans, I want them for those people in radio, for those people in the industry who have always believed in us. That's what I want to win an award for, so they can stand up and say, 'I was right.'"

Although Church says he's changed since having children and wants a more positive outlook on life, he'll always speak his mind and write and perform the way he wants to. In 2024, Church opened a six-story bar, restaurant, and entertainment venue in Nashville that caters to new country music performers who may have an edgy side to them. Fans are also thrilled to see Church in 2025 with his Free the Machine Tour with Elle King and the Marcus King Band. Even the name of his tour reflects Church's renegade side.