Hell on the Heart
| "Hell on the Heart" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Eric Church | ||||
| from the album Carolina | ||||
| Released | October 12, 2009 | |||
| Format | Digital download | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:44 | |||
| Label | Capitol Nashville | |||
| Writer(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Jay Joyce | |||
| Eric Church singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Hell on the Heart" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Eric Church. It was released in October 2009 as the second single from his album Carolina. It is the seventh single release of his career, and his second top 10 hit. Church wrote the song with Deric Ruttan and Jeremy Spillman.
Content
In "Hell on the Heart," the male narrator addresses a friend of a girl whom he knows, telling him that she is "heaven on the eyes / but boy, she's hell on the heart."[1]
Critical reception
Giving it three stars out of five, Chris Neal of Country Weekly magazine said that it "plays like an afterthought tucked away near the end of Carolina, but its modest charms stand up reasonably well on their own."[2] Karlie Justus of Engine 145 gave the song a thumbs-up, criticizing the "lazy" lyrics and "awkward" production, but said that it showed Church's "knack for composing a hook that can make even the most inane song[…]stick with listeners after its three minutes expire."[1] Both Neal and Justus compared the song's theme to Terri Clark's 1998 single "You're Easy on the Eyes."
Chart performance
"Hell on the Heart" debuted at number 52 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts dated for the week of October 24, 2009, and, like his previous hit, "Love Your Love The Most," this one peaked at number 10.
| Chart (2009–10) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] | 10 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 67 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 54 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[6] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
References
- 1 2 Justus, Karlie (1 October 2009). "Eric Church — "Hell on the Heart"". Engine 145. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
- ↑ Neal, Chris (16 November 2009). "Reviews: Singles". Country Weekly. 16 (40): 54. ISSN 1074-3235.
- ↑ "Eric Church – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Eric Church.
- ↑ "Eric Church – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Eric Church.
- ↑ "Best of 2010: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
- ↑ "American single certifications – Eric Church – Hell on the Heart". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 4, 2013. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH