Carrie Underwood Earns RIAA 3x Platinum for "Church Bells"

Carrie Underwood's narrative-driven single "Church Bells" has officially been certified 3x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The certification, dated October 30, 2025, recognizes 3,000,000 units in sales and streaming equivalents in the United States. The country song was released by 19 Recordings Limited / Arista Nashville.

"Church Bells" was first released as part of Underwood's fifth studio album, Storyteller, on October 23, 2015. The track was later serviced to country radio as the album's third official single on April 3, 2016. Written by Zach Crowell, Brett James, and Hillary Lindsey, and produced by Mark Bright, the song tells the story of a young woman who escapes a violent marriage to a wealthy man. Underwood has referred to the track as "Fancy's little sister," a nod to Reba McEntire's iconic 1991 story-song.

Carrie Underwood rose to international fame after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Her debut single, "Inside Your Heaven," made her the first country artist to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and she remains the only solo country artist to top that chart in the 2000s. Her debut album, Some Hearts (2005), became the best-selling debut album by a solo female country artist, earned three Grammy Awards including Best New Artist, and was named the top country album of the 2000s by Billboard. Subsequent albums like Carnival Ride (2007) and Play On (2009) continued her success, securing multiple Grammy wins and establishing her as a dominant force in country music with a record-breaking string of number-one singles.