Creepin' (Eric Church song)

"Creepin'" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Eric Church. It was released in July 2012 as the fourth single from his third album Chief (2011). Co-written by Church and Marv Green, the mid-tempo track is a narrator describing a memory about a former lover that's similar to "creepin'". The song received positive reviews from critics. "Creepin'" peaked at numbers five and 10 on both the U.S. Billboard Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts respectively. It also reached number 56 on the Hot 100. "Creepin'" was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of over one million units in the United States. It achieved chart prominence in Canada, reaching number 65 on the Canadian Hot 100. The song garnered a Gold certification from Music Canada, denoting sales of 40,000 units in that country. The accompanying music video for the single, directed by Peter Zavadil, takes place around the turn of the 20th century and follows a man in a runaway train being haunted by a female ghost.

For the Lil Skies song, see Creeping (song).
"Creepin'"
The cover consists of a blue skull with leaves in the water, with a yellow skull-faced bug beside it. Both the artist's name and song title appear above the skull, colored in yellow and white respectively.
Single by Eric Church
from the album Chief
ReleasedJuly 16, 2012 (2012-07-16)
Recorded2011
GenreCountry rock
Length3:53
LabelEMI Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jay Joyce
Eric Church singles chronology
"Springsteen"
(2012)		 "Creepin'"
(2012)		 "The Only Way I Know"
(2012)

Background and development

"Creepin'" is a mid-tempo track in which the narrator describes the memory of a former lover as being similar to "creepin'". The song is set in the key of C major, mainly accompanied by guitars set in Drop C tuning (CGCFAD).[1] It also features a banjo and an electric guitar, as well as several vocal effects on Church's voice. Church came up with the song while hungover inside a screened in porch and as he continued to play it the title came to his head, which he later told co-writer Marv Green about the next day and loved it, helping to provide the track with the chorus and putting together the rest of the storyline.[2] In a Rolling Stone interview, Church said that the track was important to him after "Springsteen", and he wanted both the radio and the public to listen to something that's "so odd and boundary-pushing."[3]

Critical reception

Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine said that the song "slinks and slithers along a rhythm arrangement that owes more to vintage funk than traditional country".[4] Giving it four stars out of five, Jessica Nicholson of Country Weekly said that it had "vivid imagery" and that "this swampy tune grabs the listener's attention from the get-go."[5] In 2017, Billboard contributor Chuck Dauphin put "Creepin'" at number six on his top 10 list of Church's best songs.[6]

Commercial performance

On the week of July 7, 2012, "Creepin'" debuted at number 54 on both the Billboard Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts respectively.[7][8] It peaked at numbers five and 10 on both charts, and spent twenty-eight and twenty-nine weeks respectively.[9][10] On the Billboard Hot 100, the song debuted at number 95 the week of September 8.[11] Sixteen weeks later, it peaked at number 56 the week of December 29, and remained on the chart for twenty weeks.[12][13] It was certified platinum by the RIAA in the US on November 11, 2016.[14]

In Canada, the track debuted at number 100 on the Canadian Hot 100 the week of September 1, before leaving the chart.[15] Two weeks later, it reappeared at number 82 and peaked at number 65 the week of November 30, staying on the chart for twenty weeks.[13][16][17] It was certified gold by Music Canada in Canada on January 16, 2013.[18]

Music video

The music video was directed by Peter Zavadil and premiered in September 2012.[19] Shot in Chattanooga, the video takes place on a runaway train around the turn of the 20th century, following a man being haunted by a female ghost that's feeding said train with coal and having the man go through various memories.[3]

Charts and certifications

Parodies

Country music parodist Cledus T. Judd recorded a parody of "Creepin'", entitled "Tweetin'", on his 2012 album Parodyziac!!

References
  1. "Creepin' sheet music". MusicNotes.com. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  2. Conaway, Alanna (September 14, 2012). "Eric Church, 'Creepin'' – Lyrics Uncovered". Taste of Country. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  3. Doyle, Patrick (September 14, 2012). "Premiere: Eric Church Boards a Freight Train in 'Creepin''". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  4. Keefe, Jonathan (July 25, 2011). "Review: Eric Church, Chief". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  5. Nicholson, Jessica (August 27, 2012). "Reviews — 'Creepin". Country Weekly. 19 (35): 51. ISSN 1074-3235.
  6. Dauphin, Chuck (July 4, 2017). "Eric Church's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  7. "Country Airplay: July 7, 2012". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  8. "Hot Country Songs: July 7, 2012". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  9. "Eric Church Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  10. "Eric Church Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
  11. "The Hot 100: September 8, 2012". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  12. "The Hot 100: December 29, 2012". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  13. "Creepin' by Eric Church". aCharts.co. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  14. "American single certifications – Eric Church – Creepin". Recording Industry Association of America.
  15. "Canadian Hot 100: September 1, 2012". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  16. "Canadian Hot 100: September 15, 2012". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  17. "Canadian Hot 100: November 30, 2012". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  18. "Canadian single certifications – Eric Church – Creepin'". Music Canada.
  19. "CMT : Videos : Eric Church : Creepin'". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on July 12, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  20. "Eric Church Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
  21. "Eric Church Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
  22. "Eric Church Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
  23. "Hot Country Songs: Year-End 2012". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  24. "Billboard Country Update for December 16, 2013" (PDF). Billboard. December 16, 2013. p. 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  25. "Hot Country Songs: Year-End 2013". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
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