"Go Rest High on That Mountain" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Vince Gill | ||||
from the album When Love Finds You | ||||
B-side | "Maybe Tonight" | |||
Released | August 28, 1995 | |||
Recorded | 1994 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 5:15 (Album version) 4:27 (Radio edit) | |||
Label | MCA Nashville | |||
Songwriter(s) | Vince Gill | |||
Producer(s) | Tony Brown | |||
Vince Gill singles chronology | ||||
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"Go Rest High on That Mountain" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Vince Gill. It was released in August 1995 as the sixth single from his album When Love Finds You . It is a eulogic ballad. Gill began writing the song following the death of country music singer Keith Whitley in 1989. Gill did not finish the song until a few years later following the death of his older brother Bob of a heart attack in 1993. Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless both sang background vocals on the record.
"Go Rest High on That Mountain" is a tribute to Vince Gill's step brother who has died recently before the song was composed. [1] It is composed in the key of D major with a slow tempo, largely following the chord pattern D-G-D-A-D. [2]
Gill added a third verse in December 2019 saying “Yeah, it doesn’t make much sense, does it?” he told People. “Yeah, ‘Leave it alone, you idiot!’ That should be my mantra. But in my heart, I think this makes it better.” [3]
Country music singer Carrie Underwood covered the song from the television special CMT Giants: Vince Gill.
Deborah Evans Price of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably calling the song "beautiful, majestic, and easily one of the best singles of Gill's already distinguished career." She goes on to say that the composition "boasts a touching spiritual lyric and Gill's consistently impeccable vocal delivery." [4] In 2019, Rolling Stone ranked "Go Rest High on That Mountain" No. 17 on its list of the 40 Saddest Country Songs of All Time. [5]
The song won the CMA's Song of the Year award in 1996 [6] and a BMI Most-Performed Song award in 1997. [7] It also received two Grammy Awards for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song in the 38th Grammy Awards. [8] The single reached No. 14 on the Country Singles chart in 1995. [9] It has sold 857,000 digital copies in the US since becoming available for download. [10]
In 2003, the song ranked #60 on CMT's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music."
The music video was directed by John Lloyd Miller and premiered in mid-1995. Filmed at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville, it features Gill performing the song (accompanied by Loveless and Skaggs on the choruses) while images of nature such as mountains, forests, and sunrises play on screens behind him.
On May 2, 2013, Gill performed the song with Loveless at the funeral of fellow country artist George Jones. At one point during the performance, Gill became too emotional to sing some of the words, but was able to complete the song by focusing primarily on his guitar playing, with Loveless stepping up to complete the back-up vocals and harmony. In a speech just prior to Gill's and Loveless' performance, Gill underlined their duet by stating that he always was aware of a "special anointing" in his duets with Loveless, and compared them particularly to Jones' duets with singer Melba Montgomery during the 1960s. [11]
Compiled from the liner notes. [12]
"Go Rest High on That Mountain" debuted at number 70 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of September 2, 1995. The song has sold 857,000 digital copies as of November 2019 after it became available for download in the U.S. [10]
Chart (1995) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [13] | 7 |
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [14] | 14 |
Chart (1995) | Position |
---|---|
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [15] | 74 |
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)Vincent Grant Gill is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He began in a number of local bluegrass bands in the 1970s, and from 1978 to 1982, he achieved his first mainstream attention as lead singer of the soft rock band Pure Prairie League. Gill sang lead on their hit single "Let Me Love You Tonight" in addition to writing several songs of theirs. After leaving Pure Prairie League, Gill briefly played guitar in Rodney Crowell's backing band the Cherry Bombs before beginning a solo career in country music in 1984. Gill recorded for RCA Records Nashville from then until 1988 with minimal success. A year later he signed with MCA Nashville, and he has recorded for this label ever since.
Patty Loveless is an American country music singer. She began performing in her teenaged years before signing her first recording contract with MCA Records' Nashville division in 1985. While her first few releases were unsuccessful, she broke through by decade's end with a cover of George Jones's "If My Heart Had Windows". Loveless issued five albums on MCA before moving to Epic Records in 1993, where she released nine more albums. Four of her albums—Honky Tonk Angel, Only What I Feel, When Fallen Angels Fly, and The Trouble with the Truth—are certified platinum in the United States. Loveless has charted 44 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including five which reached number one: "Timber, I'm Falling in Love", "Chains", "Blame It on Your Heart", "You Can Feel Bad", and "Lonely Too Long".
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1995.
If My Heart Had Windows is the second studio album by American country music artist Patty Loveless, and was released in 1988. The title track — a cover of a George Jones song from 1967 — became Loveless' first top ten hit, peaking on the Billboard Country Music charts at number 10. It was then followed by her biggest chart position at the time with "A Little Bit In Love," a song written by country artist Steve Earle. It also features a recording of the song "Baby's Gone Blues", which would be recorded by Shelby Lynne for her 1990 album Tough All Over and by Reba McEntire for her 1992 album It's Your Call.
Classics is the second compilation album by American country music singer Patty Loveless, released on March 23, 1999.
Anthony Graham Brown, known professionally as T. Graham Brown, is an American country music singer. Active since 1973, Brown has recorded a total of thirteen studio albums, and has charted more than twenty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Three of these singles — "Hell and High Water" and "Don't Go to Strangers" from 1986, and "Darlene" from 1988 — reached Number One, and eight more made Top Ten.
Rebecca Lynn Howard is an American country music artist. She has charted seven singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and has released three studio albums. Her highest-charting single, "Forgive", peaked at No. 12 on the country music charts in 2002. She is a founding member of the country-rock group Loving Mary.
These Days is the eleventh studio album and the first box set by American country music artist Vince Gill. Consisting of 43 original songs spanning four discs, the album displays the range of Gill’s lyrical and musical styles, ranging from traditional country and bluegrass to jazz and rock. The album was nominated for two Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and won Best Country Album. In 2012, the album was number 10 on People Magazine's "Top 10 Best Albums of the Century ". It is also ranked #9 on Country Universe's "The 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade."
It's Your Call is the eighteenth studio album by American country music artist Reba McEntire, released in December 1992. It contains the song "The Heart Won't Lie", which featured Vince Gill and which was later ranked at #18 on CMT's list of the 100 Greatest Country Duets. The album also includes a re-recording of the song "Baby's Gone Blues", which was recorded in 1987 by Patty Loveless for her album If My Heart Had Windows.
"House of Love" is a song by American Christian music singer Amy Grant, recorded as a duet with country singer Vince Gill. It was released in November 1994 as the second single from her House of Love album in the United States and the fourth and final single from the album in the United Kingdom.
Rickie Lee Skaggs, known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, mandocaster, and banjo.
"Timber, I'm Falling in Love" is a song written by Kostas, and recorded by American country music artist Patty Loveless. It was released in May 1989 as the third single from her album Honky Tonk Angel.
Sonya Melissa Isaacs is an American country, bluegrass gospel and Christian music singer. Isaacs grew up near Morrow, Ohio, and graduated from Little Miami High School in 1992. Her maternal grandparents are Polish Jewish Holocaust survivors and were liberated from a concentration camp in Germany in 1945.
"My Kind of Woman/My Kind of Man" is a song written by and recorded by American country music artist Vince Gill, who recorded it as a duet with ex-labelmate Patty Loveless. It was released in May 1999 as the fourth single from Gill's album The Key and the second single from Loveless' compilation album Classics.
American country music artist Patty Loveless has released 16 studio albums, 11 compilation albums, two video albums and 52 singles. Recording a tape of her own music, Loveless signed her first recording contract with MCA Records in 1985. Her self-titled studio album was released in January 1987 and peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. She followed it with her second studio release, If My Heart Had Windows (1988). It peaked at number 33 on the country albums list and spawned her first major country hits: "If My Heart Had Windows" and "A Little Bit in Love". Her third studio album, Honky Tonk Angel (1988), would certify platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and produced her first number one country hits, "Timber, I'm Falling in Love" and "Chains". Loveless went on to release the studio albums On Down the Line (1990) and Up Against My Heart (1991). Together, both albums produced three top 10 singles including the number three hit "Hurt Me Bad ".
When Love Finds You is the sixth studio album from American country music artist Vince Gill. It was released in 1994 on MCA Nashville. It features the singles "Whenever You Come Around," "What the Cowgirls Do," "When Love Finds You," "Which Bridge to Cross ," "You Better Think Twice" and "Go Rest High on That Mountain."
Mountain Soul II is the sixteenth studio album by American country music singer Patty Loveless. The album was released on September 29, 2009. It is a follow-up to her previous album, Mountain Soul, released in 2001. Four of the album's 15 songs, "Half Over You"; "Blue Memories"; "Feelings of Love"; and "A Handful of Dust", were previously recorded by Loveless on earlier albums. "Big Chance" was also previously included in the same form on 2005's Dreamin' My Dreams.
"When I Call Your Name" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Vince Gill. It was released in May 1990 as the third single and title track from the album When I Call Your Name. The song reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was written by Gill and Tim DuBois. Patty Loveless performed backing vocals on the song. Session veteran Barry Beckett played piano on the track. The Common Linnets performed a cover of the song to celebrate 50 years of the CMA Awards. \
"Pretty Little Adriana" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Vince Gill. It was released in October 1996 as the third single from the album High Lonesome Sound. The song reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and won Gill a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.
John Lloyd Miller is an American filmmaker who has directed, produced and/or written music videos, short films, features, documentaries, commercials and television programming.