Church Bells (song)

Content

The song follows Jenny, a poor young woman who marries a wealthy oilman. She soon discovers he is an abusive alcoholic. Jenny poisons his drink with an untraceable substance, killing him. Underwood described the character as similar to Bobbie Gentry's Fancy: young, pretty, poor, and doing what she can to survive.

Critical reception

Billboard called the song a Southern-gothic blockbuster and a rags-to-riches murder ballad. Taste of Country gave a mixed review, noting the plot points resemble Goodbye Earl and stating the song may perform well on country radio without pushing Underwood's artistry forward.

Commercial performance

After its album release, Church Bells sold 2,300 copies and charted at number 49 on Hot Country Songs, then fell off. Following its release as a single and Underwood's performance at the 51st Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, it re-entered at number 34 and peaked at number two for three weeks. It debuted at number 50 on Country Airplay and reached number one, giving Underwood her 15th number one on that chart and making her the first female artist of 2016 with two Country Airplay number ones.

On the Billboard Hot 100, it debuted at number 90 and peaked at number 43. In Canada, it peaked at number two on the Canada Country chart and number 64 on the Canadian Hot 100. As of January 2017, it had sold 456,000 copies in the US.

Live performances

The song made its live debut on the first night of the Storyteller Tour in Jacksonville, Florida, and was a regular part of that tour. Its first TV performance came at the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards. Underwood later sang it at the 2016 American Country Countdown Awards and the 2016 CMT Music Awards, and included it in a hits medley at the 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards.