14 Unreleased Eric Church Songs You Need To Listen To

Eric Church hardly needs an introduction.

Arguably the most influential country artist of the 21st century, the Chief has a long history of delivering some of the most captivating work in the genre since his debut in 2005. From his experimental new release, Evangeline vs. The Machine, to his magnum opus, Mr. Misunderstood, in 2015, Church has proven time and time again that there truly isn’t anyone who can match him, especially in the mainstream.

When talking about Church, it’s hard to even point to where he peaks. From his smash hits such as the 8x platinum, “Springsteen,” “Record Year” and “Drink In My Hand” to his severely underrated deep cuts like “Lightning,” “Knives of New Orleans,” and “Those I’ve Loved,” his discography is filled top-to-bottom with some of the most introspective songwriting that has been released over the past two decades.

Despite the fact that he’s released so many undeniably brilliant songs, there is an entire world of unreleased tracks that few know about. From scrapped studio versions of songs that have resurfaced over the years to one-off live performances, there are plenty of great songs that never saw the light of day out there online.

Here are 14 songs that the Chief never released.

“Why Not Me”

Undoubtedly the most popular song Church has never officially released, “Why Not Me” serves as a haunting reflection of the devastation of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, which took the lives of 61 attendees at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Though Jason Aldean was on stage when tragedy struck the festival, Church performed just two days earlier.

In response to the shooting, the North Carolina native took to the Opry Stage just three days afterwards and delivered what can only be described as one of the most raw, moving performances ever displayed at the venue. Before performing the song, he gave a nearly five-minute monologue detailing the storm of emotions he felt in response to the tragedy.

Church would finish the powerful monologue by saying:

“And that night, something broke in me, on Sunday night when that happened. And the only way I’ve ever fixed anything that’s been broken in me is with music. So I wrote a song…”

He’s only performed it twice, both times at the Grand Ole Opry.

“New Old Me”

In what can only be described as an all-time moment for us here at Whiskey Riff, Church’s newest unreleased song was inspired by our article titled, “2012 Broke Out In Here” – Eric Church Proves He’s Still The Undisputed Chief During Night Two Of Red Rocks Shows.”

In the midst of a rain-soaked third night at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado, Church delivered his final show of the run in style acoustically. After performing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and “On The Road” (another unreleased track), Church stopped the show to debut a new song, “New Old Me.”

Introducing “New Old Me,” Church said he was inspired by our article and wrote the track the day of the performance:

“I read an article. I never read anything. And I read this article today, it’s a site I really like, and the article said, ‘Eric Church played Red Rocks last night, and the old Eric Church, the Chief was back. It was 2012 all over again.’ And I’m a songwriter. So I wrote this song today. Why not, right?”

“Michael”

Easily one of the most popular unreleased songs from Church, “Michael” debuted all the way back in 2009 at CMA Fest. For years, the track was only available to be heard through poor-quality live videos complete with bad audio and crowd members yelling over the “Springsteen” singer. In 2021, however, a studio recording resurfaced, and it’s arguably one of the best songs Church has ever written.

Written by Church, Jeremy Spillman and his late brother, Brandon, “Michael” serves as a stark, heartbreakingly realistic reminder of the dangers of alcoholism and how addiction affects everyone, not just the addict. As one of the most heartbreaking and powerful songs in Church’s deep catalog, “Michael” is nothing short of a must-listen.

“Alzheimer’s”

Though the track was eventually recorded and released as “I Know Who He Is” by William Michael Morgan on his 2016 debut album, Vinyl, “Alzheimer’s” was first performed by Church back in March 2015 at a radio seminar. Interestingly, Church doesn’t have a writing credit on Morgan’s release of the song, with the lone writer being Casey Beathard. Given the fact that Beathard has had a hand in plenty of Church’s biggest hits, including “Hell of a View,” “Like a Wrecking Ball” and “Homeboy,” it’s safe to assume that Church had some influence on the track. However, the extent of his influence is currently unknown.

As for the song itself, it’s a brutal depiction of losing a loved one to the disease while their mind and memory slowly slip away. Like “Michael,” it’s another heartbreakingly realistic depiction of a struggle that’s affected so many.

“Standing Their Ground”

“Standing Their Ground” technically has an official release, given the fact that it appears on Church’s series of live albums, 61 Days in Church, in Volume 5 specifically. With that being said, however, the studio version, which also resurfaced back in 2021, has never officially been released.

Serving as a haunting reminder of the sacrifices made by members of the military, “Standing Their Ground” is a beautifully-penned ode to the fallen, complete with some beautiful violin throughout.

“Woke Up This Morning”

One of the earliest unreleased songs that has resurfaced online, “Woke Up This Morning” was first uploaded to YouTube back in January of 2011. Though there’s not much known about the track, it’s safe to assume that it was originally intended for either his 2009 album, Carolina, or his 2011 EP, Caldwell County.

As for the song itself, it’s one of those fun, tongue-in-cheek songs from Church. Lamenting a breakup, he matter-of-factly decides the best course of action after waking up is simply to go back to bed and not deal with the world. Pretty funny stuff here.

“Lovin’ Me Anyway”

The fact that “Lovin’ Me Anyway” never got an official release will always be a head-scratcher to me. Easily being one of the most radio-friendly and overall fun songs in his discography, it’s one of those songs that simply had “#1 hit” written all over it.

As it turns out, “Lovin’ Me Anyway” was originally intended to be on Church’s breakthrough 2011 record, Chief, but instead was scrapped and became a free reward/bonus track for those who promoted the album on Facebook. Though the Facebook post is still up, the link to download the track is currently dead. Luckily, there’s still a YouTube video up with the song available today.

“Good For That”

Originally intended to be included on The Outsiders, “Good For That” was cut from the 12-song record for unknown reasons. Though there is no high-quality studio version available to listen to today, there is a camera-recorded version from Church’s SiriusXM show, Outsiders Radio, back in March 2015. Additionally, there is an acoustic performance from a private Church Choir show back in 2015.

Being another brilliant write from Church, “Good For That” grapples with the fact that there’s no medication for heartbreak. Complete with great lines like, “Everything that cures you says it’ll kill you on the back” and “Nothing breaks the fall like kill-the-pain grain alcohol,” the track is chock-full of great wordplay from the North Carolina native.

“On The Road”

First being played live on his Outsiders Revival Tour on August 11, 2023, in Noblesville, Indiana, “On The Road” remains a song that has only been played live a handful of times. Though he’s played it 17 times over the past two years, including last month at the aforementioned Red Rocks show back in July, the song did not find its way onto his most recent release, Evangeline vs. The Machine.

Given its continued presence on his setlist, there’s still hope that it’ll appear on his next project. For now, however, we have this live video from its debut performance.

“Whatever That Was”

During a 2015 private Church Choir performance, Church debuted “Whatever That Was.” Since then, the track has never appeared at a public live show or on any record. It’s safe to assume this was a song church penned close to the show that was ultimately scrapped from an album release.

“Old Testament Me”

Similar to “Whatever That Was,” “Old Testament Me” is another exclusive, private Church Choir performance, this time from his 2017 show. Not much is known about the song other than the fact that Church said he penned the song in just 20 minutes while he was stuck in traffic before the event.

“Becky’s Back in Birmingham”

Similar to “On The Road,” “Becky’s Back in Birmingham” is one of those songs that only got played and has never been performed or recorded again. Debuting in October 2019 at a Birmingham show, Church performed the song live alongside long-time co-writer and bandmate, Jeff Hyde.

It is safe to assume that it was intended for a record before Church decided to embark on the mountain getaway involved in the creation of his 2021 triple album, Heart & Soul.

“‘Cause My Dad Did”

Like “Why Not Me,” “‘Cause My Dad Did” is another song that debuted at the Opry that never got an official release. As of now, it seems like it may remain an Opry-exclusive song, given the fact that it has never once been performed live again.

“I’m Just Sayin'”

“I’m Just Sayin'” is quite an interesting one. Only being played a handful of times during his 2012 Blood, Sweat and Beers Tour. It would quickly fall out of Church’s setlist, never to be recorded or played live since 2012.

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