I already regret doing this…
Not because I know we will inevitably disagree on many of the song choices that will make this list, but because I know I could come up with a completely different set of Eric Church’s greatest hits tomorrow.
And to me, that’s the mark of a truly great artist.
Different songs can resonate differently at different times in your life, so it’s truly special when you find an artist who you can relate to on such a deep level regardless of anything else. Their music can ebb and flow with the changing seasons of your life, and you can always find a different song to fall back on when you need one that fits where you are at any given time. But at the same time, none of them ever really get old.
Really, this whole idea came about because it hit me (no pun intended, but we’ll go with it), that The Chief doesn’t have a greatest hits album yet. Certainly, he has a catalog lengthy enough to fill a track list (or two) with his incredible music, but the tangible record has yet to come to fruition.
People like Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan each have at least a greatest hits volume 1 album, and seeing as Eric has been doing his thing for a similar amount of time, I think he deserves his own greatest hits record, too.
So, I’ve come up with my own tracklist… but, there’s a twist. Typically, this type of album would include songs that were and are the most popular and had the most commercial success, like all of an artists #1 hits. Instead, I chose the tracks that mean the most to me.
Therefore, this list includes songs that I always find myself going back to. Some of them are #1 hits and some of them are deep cuts a lot of people have probably never heard of. I have songs included on his first 2006 album Sinners Like Me, one or two from Heart & Soul, and of course plenty from the records in between.
And as it turns out, his extensive catalog is enough to make a greatest hits album a double album too.
So without further ado, here’s what I’m going with:
‘Eric Church Greatest Hits, Volume 1’ Tracklist:
Side A:
“Sinners Like Me” (Eric Church, Jeremey Spillman)
“A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young” (Eric Church, Jeremy Spillman)
“Russian Roulette” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell)
“Mixed Drinks About Feelings” Feat. Susan Tedeschi (Eric Church, Casey Beathard)
“Round Here Buzz” (Eric Church, Jeff Hyde, Luke Dick)
“Carolina” (Eric Church)
“Give Me Back My Hometown” (Eric Church, Luke Laird)
“These Boots” (Eric Church, Michael Heeney)
“Those I’ve Loved” (Eric Church, Brett Beavers)
“Like Jesus Does” (Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell)
“Drowning Man” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard)
“Crazyland” (Eric Church, Luke Laird, Michael Heeney)
Side B:
“Like A Wrecking Ball” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard)
“Over When It’s Over” (Eric Church, Luke Laird)
“Two Pink Lines” (Eric Church, Victoria Shaw, Jodi Horovitz)
“Pledge Allegiance To The Hag” (Eric Church, Brett Beavers)
“How ‘Bout You” (Eric Church, Brandon Church, Brett Beavers)
“Can’t Take It With You” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Marla Cannon-Goodman)
“Where She Told Me To Go” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard)
“His Kind Of Money (My Kind Of Love)” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Shane Minor)
“Drink In My Hand” (Eric Church, Luke Laird, Michael Heeney)
“Springsteen” (Eric Church, Jeff Hyde, Ryan Tyndell)
“Knives Of New Orleans” (Eric Church, Jeremy Spillman, Travis Meadows)
“Mistress Named Music” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard)
Now, ask me again in a few weeks and I could probably swap out a few, but overall, these are my absolute favorites.
However, I’m willing to commit to the fact that this one will forever be the best of them all:
