"Monday Morning Church" is a song written by Brent Baxter and Erin Enderlin, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for blending traditional honky-tonk and mainstream country pop sounds (for a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country"), as well as penning many o ...

. It was released in October 2004 as the second single from his album ''

What I Do ''What I Do'' is the twelfth studio album by American country music artist Alan Jackson. It was released on September 7, 2004, and produced four singles for Jackson on the Hot Country Songs charts: "Too Much of a Good Thing" and "Monday Morning C ...

''. It peaked at number 5 on the United States ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks. It features background vocals from Patty Loveless.

Background

Jackson told ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' that the song was almost recorded by

Lee Ann Womack Lee Ann Womack Liddell (; born August 19, 1966) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Her 2000 single, "I Hope You Dance" was a major crossover music hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart and the Top 15 ...

but he's glad he got it instead. "It's about trying to survive after you've lost a loved one and just how every little thing you touch or see stirs up the memories and makes it hard," Jackson says.''

'', September 18, 2004 Brent Baxter, one of the writers of the song, was inspired by the song after reading a poem that his mother wrote that included the line, "Empty as a church on Monday morning." He stated that the line had "such religious overtones that ehad to come up with something really heavy to fit around it." He went on to say that it was fascinating to explore what someone might go through when they lose a loved one. After writing the lyrics, Baxter gave them to Erin Enderlin, a music student at Middle Tennessee State University. Enderlin stated that she related to the lyrics because she had just lost a friend in a car accident, and proceeded to write "a really sad, beautiful melody", before circulating the song in Nashville. After hearing the song, Jackson decided to record it.

Content

The song follows the story of a man grasping for faith after the death of his wife. A preacher stops by to tell him that

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

loves him but he doubts if he deserves it because he no longer has any faith. He believes that his wife has made it to heaven but that without her, he can't bring himself to believe in God.

Critical reception

Deborah Evans Price, of ''

'' magazine reviewed the song favorably, calling it "one of the most potent ballads in country music since George Jones' ' He Stopped Loving Her Today'. In 2014,

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

named the song number 39 on its "40 Saddest Country Songs of All Time".

Music video

The music video was directed by Kristin Barlowe, and features a man who's struggling through his house, and running to a church, struggling from a lost lover.

Chart performance

"Monday Morning Church" debuted at number 47 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of October 16, 2004.

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 2004 singles Alan Jackson songs Patty Loveless songs Songs written by Erin Enderlin Song recordings produced by Keith Stegall Arista Nashville singles 2004 songs