It has been more than three years since North Carolina native Eric Church has shared new music. His last solo release was the 2021 triple album Heart & Soul. Now, with his home state in need, he is back with a new single “Darkest Hour (Helene Edit).” All proceeds from the new track will go directly to the state of North Carolina.
Videos by American Songwriter
Last week, hurricane Helene made landfall and devastated a large portion of the Southeast. Areas that typically don’t deal with the destructive forces of hurricanes like Western North Carolina, East Tennessee, and Northern South Carolina saw unprecedented levels of damage from the storm. Church hopes that money garnered by his latest single will help his home state as it rebuilds and recovers. Listen to “Darkest Hour (Helene Edit)” below.
He signed over his publishing rights for “Darkest Hour” to the state of North Carolina. This means that any money he would have received from the single will go directly to his home state for the life of the song. Additionally, any money he would have made from future covers of the song will go to the Tar Heel State.
Eric Church Discusses the Release of “Darkest Hour”
Eric Church opened up about his new single and his hopes for it in a press release. “From Western North Carolina, East Tennessee, Upstate South Carolina, parts of Georgia and even Florida which took a direct hit, there are so many places that were impacted,” he said of the reach of Helene’s destruction. “Specifically in the area that I’m from, the mountains of Western North Carolina were devastated. There are places that are just biblically gone. These are our family members, they’re our friends, they’re our neighbors – and they’re in dire need of help,” Church shared.
Church went on to say that he has been in the studio working on new music for quite some time. Initially, he planned to start releasing singles from the upcoming project in 2025. However, after seeing the impact of the storm on his stomping grounds, he knew he had to do something. “I had this song that I’d written, and the line that struck me in light of the recent devastation was ‘I’ll come running,’ because there are a lot of people out there right now who are in their darkest hour and they need people to come running,” he explained. “We were going to wait to release music until next year, but it just didn’t feel right to wait with this song. Sometimes you give songs their moment and sometimes they find their own moment.”
The Meaning Behind “Darkest Hour”
In the statement, Eric Church shared the meaning behind the new track and why he felt compelled to release it now. “‘Darkest Hour’ is a song dedicated to the unsung heroes, the people who show up when the world’s falling apart,” he said. “This is for the folks who show up in the hardest times, offering a hand when it’s most needed, and standing tall when others can’t. Even in your darkest hour, they come running. When the night’s at its blackest, this is for those who are holding the light, guiding the lost, and pulling us through,” he added.
“The message of the song specifically in this time is about Hurricane Helene and the people that need help, but in a broader view, it’s about any challenging times that we have in our life, which we’ll all have. And it’s always important to know that in your darkest hour, there are people that will come running, there are people that will help. And I think it’s also important to be one of the people that go running when other people need help.”
Eric Church Is in It for the Long Haul
Eric Church’s charitable foundation, Chief Cares, is currently assisting with relief efforts not only in North Carolina but also in all other areas impacted by Helene, “from Appalachia to the Gulf.” However, Church felt that he could do more. “This song, ‘Darkest Hour,’ was the best way I could think to try to help,” he shared. “We’ve been helping with boots-on-the-ground efforts, but this is something that will live beyond just the immediate recovery. This is not a quick thing to fix, so hopefully ‘Darkest Hour’ will be able to contribute to that for a long time to come. This song goes to my home, North Carolina, now and forever.”
Featured Image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ACM
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.