This week at WAIM Radio, we are taking a trip over the mountains. As we get ready to ascend to great heights and hit the thinning air, what songs are on your alpine playlist?
Not specifically about mountains, but features one of my favourite lyrics ever. "Smile" by The Jayhawks. "Before you climb the mountain, first the foothills must appear".
"My rucksack has oft been me pillow / The heather has oft been me bed / And sooner than part from the mountains / I think I would rather be dead"
That makes me think of Dave Goulder's "Sandwood Down To Kyle." The song doesn't explicitly mention mountains but the story behind the song: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=50563
Gus Langlands says, "Dave did me the extraordinary honour of actually writing this song for me, in (if my memory serves me correctly) 1970. I should sing it more often. I was living in Whitley Bay at the time and I remember well receiving his letter which contained the words, "Your song is ready - when can you come and collect?". At that time, Dave was living in Glen Cottage, Glen Torridon, Wester Ross, where he was running a climbers' hostel. "
It tells the story of meeting someone on the road is who is walking down from the Scottish highlands towards the coast in search of food/shelter/warmer weather
"For the bird must flee the winter, sir / She cannot stay behind / To build her nest upon the snow /Nor can I look for mine."
Not specifically about mountains, but features one of my favourite lyrics ever. "Smile" by The Jayhawks. "Before you climb the mountain, first the foothills must appear".
Any reason to think of The Jayhawks is A-Okay with me.
Snowin on Raton, Townes Van Zandt
Man of the Hills, The Heavy Heavy
Talkin Bear Mountain Picnic Blues, Bob Dylan
Houses on the Hill, Whiskeytown
I was just thinking of "Snowing on Raton"
So good. I love the McMurtry-TVZ duet version
Gretchen Peters also has a nice cover (with Tom Russell): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWZPFaePsK0
FYI, most of Gretchen Peter's CDs (including that one) are only $5 -- https://gretchenpeters.com/product-category/cds/
Midnight Oil- King of the Mountain
Ronnie Milsap- Smoky Mountain Rain
Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell- Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Grateful Dead- Fire on the Mountain
Jimmy Buffett- Volcano
Jane's Addiction- Mountain Song
Related: Shonen Knife's version of Top of the World
Nice. Extra points for the Shonen Knife pull.
The Man On the Silver Mountain - Rainbow
Under a Mountain - Black Crowes
Mountain Song - Jane's Addiction
Misty Mountain Hop - Led Zeppelin
I knew I could count on you to bring the Rainbow.
On the Natural-Hoyt Axton
River Deep Mountain High-Deep Purple version
The Mountain Low-Palace
Gold Heart Mountain Top Queen Directory-Guided By Voices. It’ll jerk a tear to your eye.
Love all of these. The GBV tune gets me every damned time.
You know what Will Oldham would do to a mountain... If he could.
The same thing he would do to anything else he puts in a song, right?
First song I think of is Ewan MacColl's "Manchester Rambler" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3H60NgsAzw
"My rucksack has oft been me pillow / The heather has oft been me bed / And sooner than part from the mountains / I think I would rather be dead"
That makes me think of Dave Goulder's "Sandwood Down To Kyle." The song doesn't explicitly mention mountains but the story behind the song: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=50563
Gus Langlands says, "Dave did me the extraordinary honour of actually writing this song for me, in (if my memory serves me correctly) 1970. I should sing it more often. I was living in Whitley Bay at the time and I remember well receiving his letter which contained the words, "Your song is ready - when can you come and collect?". At that time, Dave was living in Glen Cottage, Glen Torridon, Wester Ross, where he was running a climbers' hostel. "
It tells the story of meeting someone on the road is who is walking down from the Scottish highlands towards the coast in search of food/shelter/warmer weather
"For the bird must flee the winter, sir / She cannot stay behind / To build her nest upon the snow /Nor can I look for mine."
John Renbourn plays it beautifully: https://youtu.be/lzuo40bIhLQ
Digging the Reborn version of this. Thanks for sharing.
So glad you gave it a listen. His guitar playing is just amazing (and the song is great).
More metaphorical, but Mountain at My Gates by Foals
Mountain Sound by Of Monsters and Men
Blood on the Mountain by Ani DiFranco
Mountains by LSD
Nice. I can confirm at least one of these will make the final show.
John Denver - Rocky Mountain High.