Co-written by Cam along with Tyler Johnson and Jeff Bhasker, the song was inspired by a dream that she had about attempting to rescue her boyfriend from a house that was on fire.

The song was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold 1,125,000 copies in the United States as of November 2016.

According to Billboard, the idea for the song came when Cam learned that an ex-boyfriend of hers would be at a party that she was attending, and that night, she had a dream that she was trying to rescue him from a burning house.

She recounted the dream to producer Tyler Johnson via Skype, and he offered a guitar riff inspired by Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" while she came up with "two off-the-cuff opening lines that alternate between standard 4/4 time and 3/4 bars".

The song also features a piano, a muted bass, and a small string section arranged by Hamilton Ulmer.

[4] Billy Dukes of Taste of Country praised Cam’s voice and the musical arrangement, saying “The newcomer’s performance is stark and personal.

24 on its year-end list for 2015: "In one four-minute track, Cam manages to pack in frustration, despair, anguish, and torment.

"[6] At the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, "Burning House" was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance but lost to Chris Stapleton's "Traveller".