Eric Church Releases Single Edit Of Powerful “Johnny” In Wake Of Tragic Week

Talk about a week when we could use a Johnny to send the devil back to hell again.

I’ve worked on the internet and social media for a long time, and I actually got my start as a public defender years ago, so I’m pretty used to seeing some gruesome stuff and unfortunately I’ve become pretty desensitized to it at this point. But I’ll admit that this past week has been hard even for me, with all the death and the worst of humanity that we’ve seen on social media.

Not only was yesterday the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, but my timeline has obviously been filled with posts about the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University, as well as the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska on a train in Charlotte. And tragically, we also had another school shooting this week, with two students being shot at Evergreen High School in Colorado.

It’s the first time in quite a while that I’ve had to take a break from social media, because it was all becoming too much.

If nothing else, this past week has been a stark reminder that evil walks among us, and of the need for good people to stand up against the darkness in our society.

That’s the theme of “Johnny,” the song released by Eric Church on his recent album Evangeline vs. The Machine. The song is an interpolation of “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” by Charlie Daniels, and calls for Johnny to come back once again to banish the devil back to hell.

“I was thinkin’ to myself this mornin’, watchin’ my boys play
Of how different my life was when I was their age
Now machines control the people, and the people shoot at kids
I shudder to think about what the next thing is

Johnny, oh, Johnny, where did you go?
The devil’s broke out of Georgia and he’s feastin’ on our souls
There’s fire on the mountain and the flames are closin’ in
So run, get your fiddle bow and send him to hell again
Yeah, back to hell again”

When he debuted the song at the Ryman Auditorium during CRS this spring (and during his To Beat The Devil residency at his Nashville bar, Chief’s), Church recalled writing “Johnny” after having to drop his children off at school the morning after the Covenant School shooting here in Nashville:

“About a year ago we had a shooting here in Nashville and where my kids go to school, is about a mile from that school. And I’m gonna tell you something, the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, parent or otherwise, is dropping them off at that school the day after that shooting, and watching them walk inside.

And I sat in the parking lot for a long time, and as fate would have it Charlie Daniels was playing “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” And I remember thinking, ‘Man, we could use Johnny right now’ because the devil is not in Georgia. He is everywhere. And I went home and wrote ‘Johnny.'”

As with his entire Evangeline vs. The Machine album, the song features a powerful orchestra, horn section and choir, and the album was recorded as one cohesive piece of art, with each song flowing into the next.

But Church apparently felt that this powerful song deserved to stand on its own.

Today, the Chief released a single edit of “Johnny,” which may just be a coincidence but the timing feels powerful giving everything that’s happened over the past week.

Church kicks off his Free The Machine tour tonight at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, and there’s no doubt that “Johnny” will make the setlist. Hopefully it’s a reminder to everyone that we need more good in this world right now.

Free the Machine Tour Dates

September 12      Pittsburgh, PA         PPG Paints Arena
September 13      Columbus, OH         Nationwide Arena
September 18      Philadelphia, PA*   Wells Fargo Center
September 19      Boston, MA              TD Garden
September 20     Brooklyn, NY           Barclays Center
September 25      Green Bay, WI        Resch Center
September 26     Milwaukee, WI        Fiserv Forum
September 27     Des Moines, IA        Wells Fargo Arena
October 2            Detroit, MI                Little Caesars Arena
October 3            Lexington, KY          Rupp Arena
October 9            Indianapolis, IN      Gainbridge Fieldhouse
October 10          Grand Rapids, MI   Van Andel Arena
October 11           Cleveland, OH         Rocket Arena
October 23          Salt Lake City, UT  Delta Center
October 24          Boise, ID                  ExtraMile Arena
October 25          Spokane, WA           Spokane Arena
November 6        Vancouver, BC        Rogers Arena
November 7        Portland, OR           Moda Center
November 8        Seattle, WA             Climate Pledge Arena
November 13      Sacramento, CA     Golden 1 Center
November 14      Fresno, CA              Save Mart Center at Fresno State
November 15      Inglewood, CA        Intuit DomeThe post Eric Church Releases Single Edit Of Powerful “Johnny” In Wake Of Tragic Week first appeared on Whiskey Riff.