Country star drops midnight surprise on storm-ravaged NC: ‘It just didn’t feel right to wait’

A week ago, North Carolina’s Eric Church — the 10-time-Grammy-nominated singer responsible for country-music hits like “Springsteen” and “Drink in My Hand” — had no plans to release new music in 2024.

Then Hurricane Helene swept through his home state, leaving many of the parts he’s most familiar with totally devastated.

And in response, at midnight Friday, the 47-year-old native of Granite Falls (a small town northwest of Hickory) released a surprise single he said was dedicated to “the unsung heroes, the people who show up when the world’s falling apart.”

But Church added an even bigger twist: He signed over all of his publishing royalties for “Darkest Hour,” according to a news release, “to the people of North Carolina.”

“We’ve been helping with boots on the ground efforts,” the 2000 App State grad said in a statement, “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.”

Royalties from “Darkest Hour” will be funneled to and distributed by Church’s Chief Cares Fund (which plays on the “Chief” nickname he inherited from his grandfather, a former police chief of Granite Falls).

The charity also will be assisting “in all states and communities affected from Appalachia to the Gulf,” the news release said.

“When the night’s at its blackest, this is for those who are holding the light, guiding the lost and pulling us through,” Church said of “Darkest Hour.” “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.”

A sampling of the lyrics:

All I really know is I never know

What’s coming around the bend

But you should know you’re not alone

Hang on and hold my hand

-

In your darkest hour

Baby I’d come runnin’

In your darkest hour

I’d light your way

Baby don’t give up

I’ll do everything in my power

To take even a minute off your darkest hour

“It’s always important to know that in your darkest hour,” he explained, “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.”

The song marks the first new solo release in more than three years from Church, a part-time resident of Banner Elk.

“I’ve been in the studio for a while,” the singer said in his statement, “trying some different things and exploring creativity. ...

“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.”

“Darkest Hour” can be streamed here.

This story was originally published October 4, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Country star drops midnight surprise on storm-ravaged NC: ‘It just didn’t feel right to wait’."

Théoden Janes

The Charlotte Observer

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Théoden Janes has spent nearly 20 years covering entertainment and pop culture for the Observer. He also thrives on telling emotive long-form stories about extraordinary Charlotteans and — as a veteran of three dozen marathons and two Ironman triathlons — occasionally writes about endurance and other sports. Support my work with a digital subscription