Format Digital download Length 2:44 | Genre Country Label Capitol Nashville | |
Released October 12, 2009 (2009-10-12) Writer(s) Eric Church
Deric Ruttan
Jeremy Spillman | ||
"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.
Contents
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."
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." 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." 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.