Eric Church’s Record Label Said They Would Drop Him If He Released This Song

Before Eric Church recorded his single "Smoke a Little Smoke" back in 2010, he was told by his record label, Capitol Records Nashville, that if he did, they would drop him.

"My label told me if I release that, they were gonna drop me," he recalls.

During a guest interview on The Bobbycast, Church was asked to name a song he almost didn't record. He named "Smoke a Little Smoke."

"No marijuana song ... there was no song like that in the year that it came out."

The song was his 7th single off of his second album, Carolina.

"The label was like, 'Listen, if you do this, you might as well go somewhere else,'" Church says. "So that was a big moment. But yeah, I got close to going, 'Yeah, I don't think this is gonna work.'"

In 2010, he might not have had as much influence over his label deal as he does now, nearly 20 years into his major label career. If this song were to come up now, it'd be easier to laugh it off for all parties.

"Smoke a Little Smoke" ultimately went Top 20 on the  U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, giving him "huge" credibility within his record label, he says.

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Because of its success, he went on to record his Chief album and release the first single off of that, "Homeboy" — another one the label might push back on if his first risk hadn't paid off.

"Instead of fighting that, they just went, 'Hey, I don't know, that smoke song works, just let him run a minute,'" Church recalls.

Church just released his 8th studio album for Capitol Records Nashville, Evangeline vs. The Machine, on May 2. It's a good thing they let him take the risk — it worked out.