"Go Rest High on That Mountain" is a song written and recorded by American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
artist
Vince Gill
Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist b ...
. It was released in August 1995 as the sixth single from his album ''
When Love Finds You
''When Love Finds You'' is the sixth studio album from American country music artist Vince Gill. It was released in 1994 on Universal Music Group Nashville, MCA Nashville. It features the singles "Whenever You Come Around," "What the Cowgirls D ...
''. It is a
eulogic ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
. Gill began writing the song following the death of country music singer
Keith Whitley
Jackie Keith Whitley (July 1, 1954 – May 9, 1989) was an American country music singer and songwriter. During his career, Whitley released only two albums but charted 12 singles on the ''Billboard'' country charts, and 7 more after his death.
...
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
"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.
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.”
Critical reception
Deborah Evans Price of ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' 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." In 2019, ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' ranked "Go Rest High on That Mountain" No. 17 on its list of the 40 Saddest Country Songs of All Time.
The song won the
CMA's Song of the Year award in 1996 and a
BMI Most-Performed Song award in 1997. It also received two
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song in the
38th Grammy Awards
The 38th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 28, 1996, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. The awards recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Alanis Morissette was the main recipient, being awarded four trophies, in ...
. The single reached No. 14 on the Country Singles chart in 1995. It has sold 857,000 digital copies in the US since becoming available for download.
Music video
The music video was directed by
John Lloyd Miller
John Lloyd Miller is an American filmmaker who has directed, produced and/or written music videos, short films, features, documentaries, commercials and television programming.
Career
Miller has worked in virtually every aspect of the film an ...
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
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
Melba Joyce Montgomery (born October 14, 1938) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is known for a series of duet recordings made with George Jones, Gene Pitney and Charlie Louvin. She is also a solo artist, having reaching the ...
during the 1960s.
Personnel
Compiled from the liner notes.
*
Stuart Duncan
Stuart Duncan (born April 14, 1964) is an American bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and banjo.
Life
Duncan was born in Quantico, Virginia, and raised in Santa Paula, California, where he played in the school band. He ...
– fiddle
*
Vince Gill
Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist b ...
– lead vocals, electric guitar, electric guitar solo
*
John Hughey
John Hughey (December 27, 1933 – November 18, 2007) was an American musician. He was known for his work as a session pedal steel guitar player for various country music acts, most notably Vince Gill and Conway Twitty. A member of the Steel Guit ...
–
steel guitar
A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...
*
John Barlow Jarvis –
Hammond B-3 organ
*
Patty Loveless – backing vocals
*Tom Roady – percussion
*
Michael Rhodes – bass guitar
*
Randy Scruggs – acoustic guitar
*
Ricky Skaggs – backing vocals
*
Steuart Smith – electric guitar
*
Carlos Vega – drums
*Pete Wasner – keyboards, piano
Chart performance
"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.
Year-end charts
See also
*
Vince Gill discography
Notes
{{authority control
1995 singles
1994 songs
Vince Gill songs
Ricky Skaggs songs
Patty Loveless songs
Song recordings produced by Tony Brown (record producer)
Songs written by Vince Gill
Songs based on real people
MCA Records singles
Music videos directed by John Lloyd Miller
Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance winners