The lyrics to Eric Church‘s “Springsteen” are a page out of the singer’s life, and it’s a song that resonates deep down with his fans.

“Out of the entire record, this is the song I’ve been the most excited about the entire time,” Church told Taste of Country in 2012 of the song he co-wrote with Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell. “It’s my favorite song on the record. I think it’s going to be our biggest record. It’s been one of the best songs we play live.

“‘Springsteen’ was born on the road,” continues Church. “Jeff is in my band. I wrote ‘Smoke a Little Smoke’ with him. It was the first time Ryan came out on the road. He had kind of this drum loop and piano part. When we recorded it, we didn’t try to reproduce it; we just used it. It’s very haunting and cool. We started painting this picture with the song. I’ve always wanted to do a song about the experience that fans have and that I had myself, on the lawn at an amphitheater at a concert.”

“To this day when I hear that song / I see you standin’ there all night long / Discount shades, store bought tan / Flip flops and cut-off jeans / Somewhere between that setting sun / I’m on fire and born to run / You looked at me and I was done / And we’re, we’re just getting started / I was singin’ to you, you were singin’ to me / I was so alive, never been more free / Fired up my daddy’s lighter and we sang / Ooohh,” they wrote in the opening lyrics.

“For me particularly, I remember being at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Charlotte, N.C., and I remember a big group of us on the lawn at this concert,” Church recalls. “I started falling for one of the girls in the group. Throughout the course of this concert was kind of our first date. The relationship went nowhere … I think it lasted two weeks, but to this day when I hear that artist’s song, I think about her. I don’t even think I could tell you her last name, but I still see her and think about her.”

“When I think about you, I think about 17 / I think about my old jeep / I think about the stars in the sky / Funny how a melody sounds like a memory / Like the soundtrack to a July Saturday night / Springsteen,” they wrote in the lyrics of the chorus.

“I love how powerful music is, and this is a song directly about that,” Church notes. “And, I’m a big Springsteen fan. I just paid homage to him and what his music meant to me. Of all the songs on the record … this is the one when we put the record out, I was the most excited about ‘Springsteen.’”