The Steeple (song)

"The Steeple"
Single by Halestorm
from the album Back from the Dead
ReleasedFebruary 4, 2022
GenreHard rock
Length3:27
LabelAtlantic
Songwriters
ProducerNick Raskulinecz
Halestorm singles chronology
"Back from the Dead"
(2021)		 "The Steeple"
(2022)		 "Wicked Ways"
(2022)
Music video
"The Steeple" on YouTube

"The Steeple" is a song by American rock band Halestorm. It was released on February 4, 2022, as the second single from their fifth studio album, Back from the Dead. The song topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in June 2022.

Background and release

Songwriter and producer Scott Stevens said frontwoman Lzzy Hale wanted a song for the moment when she had "her audience in the palm of her hands". He described the idea as "a church of rock and roll anthem", and said that the pair completed the melody, lyrics and vocals within a few days.[1] Hale said the band wrote "The Steeple" to re-create the "sanctuary" and sense of unity experienced at rock concerts. She added that the song was "a call to arms" and "a display of community".[2]

The single was released on February 4, 2022.[3] An acoustic version was released as a single on April 29, 2022.[4]

Composition and lyrics

"The Steeple" has been described as hard rock.[5][6][7] Guitar.com noted that Joe Hottinger's lead guitar parts are played over Drop C rhythm guitars,[8] while Hale told Guitar World that she played her Gibson Explorer Bird in the same tuning for "The Steeple".[9]

Rolling Stone called it a "defiant redemption song" in which Hale "emerg[es] from the wilderness of pandemic isolation", and noted that the song's dramatic high point comes after Hottinger's solo, when Hale repeats the chorus a cappella.[10] Jackson Maxwell of Guitar World wrote that Hale sings about reclaiming her "kingdom, cathedral and castle" after going through "hell", and that Hottinger's guitar solo bridges his metal and blues influences.[11] Fraser Lewry of Classic Rock wrote that it features a chorus "custom-built" for the band's crowd singalongs.[12]

Hale said the opening lyric, "It stopped raining in my head today", was inspired by a period of post-tour blues that lifted after Hottinger suggested they attend a concert together.[2] She said the lyric was connected to the sense of community she feels at live rock shows, adding that she uses religious terminology to describe the communion created through music, calling it "the closest thing to magic that you'll find here on earth".[13] American Songwriter wrote that the song is about rebirth after hardship and battling inner demons.[14]

Reception

Metal Hammer described "The Steeple" as a "rousing, metalhead call-to-arms" and an "outcast community statement".[15] Jazmin L'Amy of Distorted Sound called it the album's "staple live anthem",[16] while Metal Injection described it as a "rousing, uplifting song" that "should quickly become a live staple".[17] Riff Magazine described the song as an "anthemic, fist-pumping rallying cry" for the band's fanbase and the "family of rock and roll".[18] Steve Beebee of Kerrang! wrote that it is "a song made for crowds" and the stage.[19] Classic Rock wrote that it brings together the album's recurring religious imagery in the depiction of a church "where God and the Devil call home".[20]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Lzzy Hale and Scott Stevens.

"The Steeple" single[3]
No.TitleLength
1."The Steeple"3:27
2."Back from the Dead"3:30
Total length:6:57
"The Steeple (acoustic)" single[21][22]
No.TitleLength
1."The Steeple" (acoustic)3:27
2."The Steeple"3:27
Total length:6:54

Music video

The official music video premiered on the band's YouTube channel[23] on February 22, 2022.[24] It features the band alongside a group of backup dancers and focuses primarily on Hale before showing more of the band during the guitar solo.[25] A lyric video was released on April 21, 2022.[26]

Chart performance

"The Steeple" reached number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart dated June 4, 2022, becoming Halestorm's sixth song to top the chart and their second consecutive chart-topper.[27]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Apple Music.[28]

Charts

References

  1. ↑ Havens, Lyndsey (July 13, 2022). "In Demand: How 4 Horsemen Music Became Rock's Most Desired Hit Songwriting Team". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Hudak, Joseph (October 16, 2022). "Halestorm's Lzzy Hale: Hard Rock 'Has Nothing to Do With What's Between Anybody's Legs'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  3. 1 2 "The Steeple - Single by Halestorm". Spotify.
  4. ↑ "Halestorm Shares Acoustic Version Of 'The Steeple'". Blabbermouth.net. April 29, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  5. ↑ Kaufman, Spencer (February 4, 2022). "Halestorm Announce New Album Back From the Dead, Unleash "The Steeple": Stream". Consequence. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  6. ↑ Herold, Audrey (February 4, 2022). "Halestorm Announce New Album Back From The Dead For May 2022 Release, Unveil New Track "The Steeple"". MXDWN. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  7. ↑ van der Graaf, Arie (April 9, 2022). "Halestorm - Back From the Dead". Melodic.net. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  8. ↑ Mills, Matt (May 20, 2022). ""It's fun to write big and dumb": Halestorm talk simplifying their shredding on Back from the Dead". Guitar.com. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  9. ↑ Rogers, Ellie (May 16, 2022). "Halestorm's Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger on the restorative power of Gibson guitars, Marshall amps, and volume". Guitar World. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  10. ↑ Hudak, Joseph (February 4, 2022). "Halestorm Preach Devilish Hard-Rock Dogma in New Song 'The Steeple'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  11. ↑ Maxwell, Jackson (February 4, 2022). "Halestorm announce new album, Back From The Dead, premiere defiantly heavy new single, The Steeple". Guitar World. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  12. ↑ Lewry, Fraser (February 6, 2022). "Halestorm announce new album Back From The Dead, launch single The Steeple". Classic Rock. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  13. ↑ Reesman, Bryan (July 12, 2022). "Halestorm's Lzzy Hale Talks Roaring 'Back From the Dead' With No. 1 Hits, Summer Tour". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  14. ↑ Benitez-Eves, Tina (February 4, 2022). "Halestorm Reveal Fifth Album 'Back From the Dead,' Share New Single 'The Steeple'". American Songwriter. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  15. ↑ Glass, Polly (May 1, 2022). "Halestorm's Back From The Dead: what doesn't kill Lzzy Hale and co makes them stronger". Metal Hammer. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  16. ↑ L'Amy, Jazmin (May 2, 2022). "Album Review: Back From The Dead – Halestorm". Distorted Sound Magazine. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  17. ↑ Bowar, Chad (May 6, 2022). "Album Review: Halestorm Back From the Dead". Metal Injection. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  18. ↑ DeWald, Mike (May 2, 2022). "Album Review: Halestorm stands defiant on 'Back From the Dead'". Riff Magazine. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  19. ↑ Steve Beebee (May 4, 2022). "Album review: Halestorm – Back From The Dead". Kerrang!. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  20. ↑ Dalton, Stephen (May 6, 2022). "Halestorm are Back From The Dead and into unashamedly maximalist territory". Classic Rock. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  21. ↑ "The Steeple (Acoustic) - Single by Halestorm". Spotify.
  22. ↑ "The Steeple (Acoustic) - Single - Album by Halestorm". Apple Music.
  23. ↑ Scarlett, Liz (February 23, 2022). "Halestorm share striking new music video for The Steeple". Classic Rock. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Halestorm Releases Music Video For New Single 'The Steeple'". Blabbermouth.net. February 22, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  25. ↑ Cardenas, Federico (February 23, 2022). "Halestorm Unveil Artistic New Music Video For "The Steeple"". MXDWN. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Halestorm Shares Lyric Video For 'The Steeple'". Blabbermouth.net. April 21, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  27. 1 2 Rutherford, Kevin (June 2, 2022). "Halestorm's 'The Steeple' Stands Highest on Mainstream Rock Airplay Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 19, 2025. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  28. ↑ "The Steeple - Song by Halestorm". Apple Music.
  29. ↑ "Halestorm Chart History (Rock & Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Rock & Alternative Airplay Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 28, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Mainstream Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 15, 2026. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
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