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Many of the songs written about in this weekly feature were collaborative writing efforts. It isn’t nearly as often that a song covered here was written and performed single-handedly by an artist, though those are often the most personal and emotional ones. Such is the case with a track that was the only one not a collaboration with another writer on Vince Gill’s 1995 album When Love Finds You, “Go Rest High On That Mountain.” A song that has almost become a funeral and memorial service standard in the minds of many, Gill started writing “Go Rest High On That Mountain” after the death of country singer Keith Whitley in 1989. The last line of the first verse contains the title of Whitley’s biggest hit, “I’m No Stranger to the Rain”: I know your life on earth was troubled Gill finished the song after a heartbreaking death in his family in 1993. “I wrote it right after my brother died,” Gill told Rolling Stone Country in 2014. “I wasn’t going to record it, I didn’t want to. But [producer] Tony Brown talked me into it … When people are hurting the most, in the worst place they can be, they’re reaching out to that. To that song. And that means way more to me than where it landed on the charts.” The life of Tony Brown, who is sometimes called “The King of Nashville” for his incredible success as a producer, is chronicled in an upcoming book of iconic photos, Elvis, Strait, to Jesus, which features Gill. Brown believed the song needed to
be recorded even if Gill didn’t. “I really think that was just a serendipitous moment that came out of [Gill’s] pen, and it was very powerful!” he said. “After we cut it, Vince suggested we get Patty Loveless and Ricky Skaggs to sing on it.” Skaggs had originally come to prominence as a teenager playing bluegrass with Whitley in Dr. Ralph Stanley’s band. Strangely enough – or not, since we are talking about the music business – “Go Rest High On That Mountain” almost never saw airplay, and was the sixth and final single released from When Love Finds You. “I vaguely remember that the radio promotion department was being a bit analytical about the track being too slow or something like that,” Brown recalled. But it became an enduring classic, an example of how radio programmers and record label executives don’t always know what will resonate with the public. It’s also interesting that while the song seemingly comes from a Christian place, with the lines Go to Heaven a shoutin’/Love for the Father and the Son, it can appeal to people who aren’t necessarily believers. “It’s become the ‘How Great Thou Art’ of memorial services for Nashville industry folks,” Brown said. “It never fails to work as a song to sing as a final goodbye. It’s already on its way to becoming the ‘standard’ in Nashville, and even in Gospel circles, as well. I’m proud to have played a small part in working on that tune with Vince.”
"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. Content[edit]"Go Rest High on That Mountain" is a tribute to an unnamed party who has died. It is composed in the key of D major with a slow tempo, largely following the chord pattern D-G-D-A-D.[1] 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.”[2] Critical reception[edit]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."[3] 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.[4] The song won the CMA's Song of the Year award in 1996[5] and a BMI Most-Performed Song award in 1997.[6] It also received two Grammy Awards for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song in the 38th Grammy Awards.[7] The single reached No. 14 on the Country Singles chart in 1995.[8] It has sold 857,000 digital copies in the US since becoming available for download.[9] Music video[edit]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. George Jones eulogy[edit]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.[10] Personnel[edit]Compiled from the liner notes.[11]
Chart performance[edit]"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.[9]
Year-end charts[edit]
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Notes[edit]
Who sings Go Rest High on That Mountain with Vince Gill?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.
What song did Vince Gill sing at George Jones Funeral?Mountain" at George Jones' Funeral.
What is Vince Gill's most famous song?The soaring love song, “Whenever You Come Around,” turned out to be Gill's biggest hit in the pop charts – reaching No. 72 on Billboard's Hot 100. Gill revealed that the muse behind the lyrics is his wife, Amy Grant, who he recently met at that time.
Who wrote Go Rest High on That Mountain lyrics?Vince GillGo Rest High on That Mountain / Lyricistnull
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Vince gill singing high on the mountain
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