Behind The Song: The Eli Young Band’s ACM-Nominated ‘Even If It Breaks Your Heart’

View Comments
Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

The Eli Young Band was handed an awesome surprise at last year’s Academy of Country Music Awards, when their hit “Crazy Love” was awarded Song of the Year. And at this year’s ACM Awards, the four bandmates (Mike Eli, Jon Jones, Chris Thompson, and James Young) have a solid chance of repeating that success–perhaps even twice over, as their Number One single “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” has been nominated for both Song of the Year and Single Record of the Year.

It was “a song that we really believed in, that we felt told out story,” Jon Jones told Radio.com about “Breaks Your Heart.” “We didn’t know if it was going to work on country radio because it’s such a passion song about playing music. And we were really lucky that people latched onto it and put themselves in the song.”

“Even If It Breaks Your Heart” was the Texas group’s second consecutive Number One country single, topping charts last July. (They had a third later that year, too, with their self-proclaimed “sappy love song” ”Say Goodnight.”)

Appearing on the group’s 2011 album Life at Best, “Breaks Your Heart” was written by Will Hoge and and Eric Paslay. (Paslay cowrote “Barefoot Blue Jean Nights” for Jake Owen and “Angel Eyes” for Love & Theft, among other songs, while Hoge has spent years as both a writer and recording artist, with a long string of independent album releases under his belt.)

As Mike Eli told Radio.com, the EYB members initially heard “Break Your Heart” on one of Hoge’s own albums. “When we talked about making the next record, that song just popped up. We knew right away that we wanted to put it on [our] record. Once it crossed our mind, we couldn’t get our brain off of it.”

Read more about the Eli Young Band and “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” on Radio.com

View Comments
blog comments powered by Disqus
Listen Live!

Follow WQYK 99.5 Tampa Bay’s Country Station

Like us on foursquare

Contact WQYK

Pinellas: 727-579-9999
Toll Free: 1-800-992-1099
Text Us: 24261
Meet our personalities

Max 4 msgs/wk. Msg & data rates may apply. Text STOP to 24261 to cancel.

Music Videos

Someone Else's Dream
Adam Harvey
VEVO
I'm Doin' Alright
Adam Harvey
VEVO
Genie In The Bottle
Adam Harvey
VEVO
King Of The Road
John Williamson
VEVO
Stuck In The Middle
Adam Harvey
VEVO
Easy
Adam Harvey
VEVO
Better Than This
Adam Harvey
VEVO
You Don't Know My Love
Adam Harvey
VEVO
Falling Into Place
Adam Harvey
VEVO
They Killed John Henry (Live)
Justin Townes Earle
VEVO
Ain't Glad I'm Leaving (Live)
Justin Townes Earle
VEVO
Lone Pine Hill (Live)
Justin Townes Earle
VEVO
I Don't Care (Live)
Justin Townes Earle
VEVO
Mama's Eyes (Live)
Justin Townes Earle
VEVO
Ordinary Fool (Live)
Justin Townes Earle
VEVO
Far Away in Another Town (Live)
Justin Townes Earle
VEVO
Georgia Bound (Live)
Justin Townes Earle
VEVO
Turn Out My Lights (Live)
Justin Townes Earle
VEVO
What I Meant To You (Live)
Justin Townes Earle
VEVO
You Can't Leave (Live)
Justin Townes Earle
VEVO

CBS Radio Tampa

1  CBS Radio Tampa 2  CBS Radio Tampa 3  CBS Radio Tampa
4  CBS Radio Tampa 5  CBS Radio Tampa 6  CBS Radio Tampa
7  CBS Radio Tampa 8  CBS Radio Tampa 9  CBS Radio Tampa