You Gave Me a Mountain
| "You Gave Me a Mountain" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Frankie Laine | ||||
| from the album You Gave Me a Mountain | ||||
| B-side | "The Secret of Happiness" | |||
| Released | 1969 | |||
| Recorded | 1968 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:45 | |||
| Label | ABC 11174 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Marty Robbins | |||
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Bowen | |||
| Frankie Laine singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"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.
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
Charts
Frankie Laine version
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 24 |
| U.S. Billboard Easy Listening | 1 |
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
Other artists who have recorded versions of "You Gave Me a Mountain" or performed it live include
.See also
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1969 (U.S.)
References
- ^ a b c d e Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications), page 71.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 356.
- ^ Marty Robbins It's a Sin CMT.com. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
