Songfacts®:

• Eric Church has a very strong connection to North Carolina, which he sings about here. He was born and raised in Granite Falls, which is located in the western part of the state. He attended Appalachian State University in Boone, where he performed at local bars with his band, the Mountain Boys. He moved to Nashville in 2001 to pursue music, but stays rooted to the state.
  
  "I come from the mountains of North Carolina," he said on social media. "It's what made me. It's my home. I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for the people there and the influence they had on me. I wouldn't make the music that I make if it weren't for the people there and the influence they had on me."
• "Carolina" is the title track to Eric Church's second album, released in 2009. Songs from the set like "Love Your Love The Most" and "Smoke a Little Smoke" helped him build an audience, which grew considerably when he released his next album, Chief, in 2011. That one made him a stadium-filler with his first #1 Country hits, "Drink In My Hand" and "Springsteen."
• The album cover is the last one where we see Church without his sunglasses. He started wearing those signature shades to deal with the bright lights at large venues where he performed.
• Carolina is one of more singable state names, right up there with California. Others to sing about it include Parmalee, Cole Swindell, and two Taylors: James and Swift.
• Eric Church and Luke Combs closed out the Concert For Carolina, held in Charlotte on October 26, 2024, with his song. Church and Combs organized the show, which featured performances from Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Bailey Zimmerman and a host of others, and raised over $25 million for Hurricane Helene relief efforts, including $1 million pledged by Dolly Parton.