You Gave Me a Mountain

Last updated
"You Gave Me a Mountain"
Single by Frankie Laine
from the album You Gave Me a Mountain
B-side "The Secret of Happiness"
Released1969
Recorded1968
Genre Country
Length3:45
Label ABC 11174
Songwriter(s) Marty Robbins
Producer(s) Jimmy Bowen
Frankie Laine singles chronology
"Please Forgive Me"
(1968)
"You Gave Me a Mountain"
(1969)
"Dammit Isn't God's Last Name"
(1969)

"You Gave Me a Mountain" (sometimes credited as "Lord, You Gave Me a Mountain") is a song written by country singer-songwriter Marty Robbins during the 1960s. It has been recorded by many artists, including Robbins himself, but the highest-charting version of the song was by Frankie Laine in 1969. This version was included on Laine's album of the same name.

Contents

History

In Laine's autobiography That Lucky Old Son, he stated that, "Marty Robbins once told me that he'd been trying to bring 'You Gave Me a Mountain' to my attention for several years before he finally succeeded in November 1968. I wish he'd been quicker about it. There were many times in the mid-60s when I longed for a song of its quality." [1]

The lyrics to the song detail a series of challenges that the singer has endured in his life, including the death of his mother while giving birth to him, Deprived of the love of his father was like time spent in prison "for something that I never done" and the singer's wife taking their child and leaving. He describes these setbacks as hills that he has scaled in the past, but then states that "this time, Lord, you gave me a mountain / A mountain you know I may never climb". The original third line of Robbins' song mentioned that he was "despised and disliked from my father", but Laine requested that this line be changed to "deprived of the love of my father" when he recorded his version, since Laine's father had died shortly before the recording took place. [1]

Reception

Released as a single in early 1969, Laine's version of the song was a hit single for the 55-year-old singer on U.S. singles charts. It peaked at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March of that year, remaining in the Top 40 for seven weeks, [2] and was the final Top 40 hit of Laine's long career. That same month, the song spent two weeks atop the Billboard Easy Listening chart. [1]

Charts

Frankie Laine version

Chart (1969)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 10024
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening1

Other versions

Robbins recorded a version of his song, and although it wasn't released as a single, it is included on his 1969 album It's a Sin [3] as well as some of his "greatest hits" compilation albums. Country music singer Johnny Bush also recorded a version of this song in 1969, and his version reached #7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart that year. [1] Also recording this song was Elvis Presley, who performed the song at his 1973 Honolulu concert Aloha from Hawaii being included on the subsequent live album Aloha from Hawaii: Via Satellite . [1] Presley's version was included in many of his other releases throughout the 1970s.

Other artists who have recorded versions of "You Gave Me a Mountain" or performed it live include Elvis Presley, Don McLean, Eddy Arnold, Ray Price, Jerry Vale, Margie Singleton, Gene Watson, Jim Nabors, Dean Martin and Christer Sjögren.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marty Robbins</span> American singer, songwriter and racing driver (1925–1982)

Martin David Robinson, known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and NASCAR racing driver. Robbins was one of the most popular and successful country and western singers for most of his nearly four-decade career, which spanned from the late 1940s to the early 1980s. He was also an early outlaw country pioneer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suspicious Minds</span> 1968 single by Mark James

"Suspicious Minds" is a 1968 song written and first recorded by the American songwriter Mark James. After this recording failed commercially, it was recorded by Elvis Presley with the producer Chips Moman. Presley's version reached No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, his 18th and final no. 1 single on that chart. In 1999, the 1969 recording by Elvis Presley on RCA Victor Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can't Help Falling in Love</span> 1961 single by Elvis Presley

"Can't Help Falling in Love" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley for the album Blue Hawaii (1961). It was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss and published by Gladys Music, Inc. The melody is based on "Plaisir d'amour", a popular French love song composed in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini. The song was initially written from the perspective of a woman as "Can't Help Falling in Love with Him", which explains the first and third line ending on "in" and "sin" rather than words rhyming with "you".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">That's All Right</span> 1946 song by Arthur Crudup

"That's All Right" is a song written and originally performed by the American blues singer Arthur Crudup and recorded in 1946. It was rereleased in early March 1949 by RCA Victor under the title "That's All Right, Mama", which was issued as RCA's first rhythm and blues record on its new 45 rpm single format.

"Blue Moon" is a popular song written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934 that has become a standard ballad. Early recordings included those by Connee Boswell and by Al Bowlly in 1935. The song was a hit twice in 1949, with successful recordings in the U.S. by Billy Eckstine and Mel Tormé.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singing the Blues</span> 1956 song performed by Guy Mitchell

"Singing the Blues" is a popular song composed by Melvin Endsley and published in 1956. The highest-charting version was by Guy Mitchell and the first recording of the song was by Marty Robbins. It is not related to the 1920 jazz song "Singin' the Blues" recorded by Frank Trumbauer and Bix Beiderbecke in 1927.

<i>Elvis in Concert</i> (album) 1977 live album by Elvis Presley

Elvis in Concert is the live album released by RCA Records in October 1977 in conjunction with the television special of the same name which featured some of the final performances of American singer and musician Elvis Presley. Videotaped and recorded in June 1977, both the special and album were broadcast and released on October 3, six weeks after Presley's death. The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard chart in late 1977. It was certified Gold and Platinum on October 14 and 3× Platinum on August 1, 2002, by the RIAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sweet Inspirations</span> American R&B vocal group

The Sweet Inspirations are an American R&B girl group mostly known for their work as backup singers on studio recordings for other R&B and rock artists. A founding member of the group was Dionne Warwick, who was later replaced by her aunt, Cissy Houston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In the Ghetto</span> 1969 single by Elvis Presley

"In the Ghetto" is a 1969 song written by Mac Davis and recorded by Elvis Presley. It was a major hit released in 1969 as a part of Presley's comeback album, and was also available on the single release of "Any Day Now" as the flip side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Are You Lonesome Tonight?</span> Song written and composed by Lou Handman and Roy Turk; first recorded by Charles Hart

"Are You Lonesome Tonight?" is a song written by Roy Turk and Lou Handman in 1926. It was recorded several times in 1927—first by Charles Hart, with successful versions by Vaughn De Leath, Henry Burr, and the duet of Jerry Macy and John Ryan. In 1950, the Blue Barron Orchestra version reached the top twenty on the Billboard's Pop Singles chart.

"Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" is a popular song written by Scotty Wiseman for the 1944 musical film, Sing, Neighbor, Sing and performed by Lulu Belle and Scotty. It was their greatest hit and one of the first country music songs to attract major attention in the pop music field. Although the song was featured in the movie, it was not released by Lulu Belle and Scotty until 1947. The first released version of this song was by Gene Autry in 1945.

<i>My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy</i> 1969 studio album by Dolly Parton

My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy is the fourth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on September 8, 1969, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Bob Ferguson. It peaked at number six on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, Parton's first solo top ten, and number 194 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album spawned three singles: "Daddy", "In the Ghetto", and the title track. "Daddy" was the most successful, peaking at number 40 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steamroller Blues</span> 1970 song by James Taylor

"Steamroller Blues", is a blues parody written by James Taylor, that appeared on his 1970 album Sweet Baby James. It was intended to mock the inauthentic blues bands of the day. The song later appeared on two of Taylor's compilation albums and has been recorded by a variety of other artists.

"Hawaiian Wedding Song" originally entitled; "Ke Kali Nei Au" was adapted from a 1926 love song written by Charles E. King and originally recorded by Helen Desha Beamer in its original version but re-written by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning and renamed as "Hawaiian Wedding Song". The song was recorded by Bing Crosby, Andy Williams and Elvis Presley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's Now or Never (song)</span> English-language song

"It's Now or Never" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and released as a single in 1960. The song is one of the best-selling singles by Presley, and one of the best-selling physical singles of all time. It was recorded by Bill Porter at RCA Studio B in Nashville. It is written in E major and has a tempo of 80 BPM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Any Day Now (Burt Bacharach song)</span> 1962 song by Bacharach and Bob Hilliard

"Any Day Now" is a popular song written by Burt Bacharach and Bob Hilliard in 1962. It has been recorded by numerous artists over the years, including notable versions by Chuck Jackson in 1962, Alan Price in 1965, Elvis Presley in 1969, Scott Walker in 1973 and Ronnie Milsap in 1982. In the lyrics, the singer predicts the imminent demise of a romantic relationship and describes the sadness this will leave.

"Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Leon Ashley. Recorded in 1967 and released on his own Ashley Records label, the song was his only No. 1 single that September. Frankie Laine and Brook Benton took cover versions to the pop and Adult Contemporary charts that year, while Claude King, Marty Robbins and Kenny Rogers charted their own versions on the country charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">She Thinks I Still Care</span> Song written by Dickey Lee and Steve Duffy

"She Thinks I Still Care" is a country song written by Dickey Lee and Steve Duffy. The song was recorded by multiple artists, including George Jones, Connie Francis, Anne Murray, Elvis Presley and Patty Loveless.

"Ribbon of Darkness" is a song written by Gordon Lightfoot that was released in 1965 as a single by Marty Robbins. The song was Robbins' eleventh number one on the U.S. country singles chart, where it spent one week at the top and a total of nineteen weeks on the chart.

"Return to Me" is a song with music by Carmen Lombardo and lyrics by Danny Di Minno. The song was released in 1958 by Dean Martin. Martin recorded the song again in 1961 for his album Dino: Italian Love Songs.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications), page 71.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 356.
  3. Marty Robbins It's a Sin CMT.com. Retrieved 9 August 2009.