Eric Church Hits a High Note With the Boss

Posted Aug 27th 2012 5:20PM by Vernell Hackett
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Eric Church has heard from The Boss. The country star was recently surprised by a visit from a representative from Bruce Springsteen's office, who gave him a very special gift from the namesake of his two-week No. 1 hit, "Springsteen."

Wayne LeBeaux came on Eric's bus after a show in Gilford, N.H., and explained that when he was at Boston's Fenway Park, he mentioned to his boss, Bruce Springsteen, that he had tickets to see Eric in concert. The rock icon then quickly came up with a gift for Wayne to take to the country show.

"He said that when Bruce heard he was coming to my show, he immediately grabbed a set list and wrote me a note, talking about how he was a fan of the song and how his family was a fan of the song," Eric says. "He signed it and wrote, 'I hope we cross paths somewhere.' Then he told Wayne to make sure he delivered it to me in Gilford."

Needless to say, Eric is thrilled with the gift. "It's a pretty incredible note," he says, adding that it is now locked up in a safe place. "It's the first time I've officially heard from him. I had heard he was a fan of the song, but it's the first time I officially heard. It means the world to me ... And the set list is three hours and 37 minutes! That impressed me, too.

"I'm a big Springsteen fan," Eric continues. "I love the way Bruce built his career. It's similar to the way we built ours in bars and clubs and teeny-tiny places that we would sell out multiple nights."

The story depicted in the "Springsteen" lyrics really happened to Eric when he was younger, but not at one of Bruce's concerts. "There was a love affair, and it did begin at a concert, and the idea was that years later the two individuals would hear that singer and think of their relationship," the singer-songwriter explains.

When Eric started writing the song with co-writers Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell, he says that he "thought The Boss seemed to be the perfect guy to craft that story around, because I'm such a big fan."

Watch Eric Church Perform 'Springsteen' in Our Studio

Watch 'Bruce Springsteen: National Treasure'