"Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)" is a

contemporary folk Contemporary folk music refers to a wide variety of genres that emerged in the mid 20th century and afterwards which were associated with traditional folk music. Starting in the mid-20th century a new form of popular folk music evolved from tradit ...

song written by

Patty Griffin Patricia Jean Griffin (born March 16, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician.Griffin, Patrici She is a vocalist and plays guitar and piano. She is known for her stripped-down songwriting style in the folk music genre. Her songs ha ...

. The song touches upon emotions surrounding

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

's famous 1968 "

I've Been to the Mountaintop "I've Been to the Mountaintop" is the popular name of the last speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr.

" speech, given the day before his assassination in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. Originally recorded by

Solomon Burke Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke (born James Solomon McDonald, March 21, 1936 or 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American singer who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s. He has been ...

in 2006 and Griffin herself in 2007, it has found greater prominence in performances and recordings since then by

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

and

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...

Susan Boyle Susan Magdalane Boyle (born 1 April 1961) is a Scottish singer. She rose to fame in 2009 after appearing as a contestant on the third series of ''Britain's Got Talent'', singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from '. Boyle's debut studio album, ''I D ...

Crystal Bowersox Crystal Lynn Bowersox (born August 4, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter and actress who was the runner-up on the ninth season of ''American Idol''. She was the first female finalist in three years. Bowersox's debut album, ''Farmer's Daug ...

, and

Kree Harrison Kree Annette Harrison (born May 17, 1990) is an American singer and musician, who was the runner-up on the twelfth season of ''American Idol.'' Early life Kree Annette Harrison was born on May 17, 1990 at St. Mary's Hospital in Port Arth ...

Patty Griffin original and Solomon Burke recording

The song has been variously described as "gospely" or "folkie spiritual". In writing about King, Griffin followed other songwriters, such as U2 with "

Pride (In the Name of Love) "Pride (In the Name of Love)" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the second track on the band's 1984 album, ''The Unforgettable Fire'', and was released as its lead single in September 1984. The song was produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lano ...

" and " MLK",

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

with "Shed a Little Light", and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

, whose song " Happy Birthday" about King provided a boost in bringing about the

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., and sometimes referred to as MLK Day) is a federal holiday in the United States marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Mond ...

national holiday. Griffin's take on King uses visual, naturalistic imagery to describe various states of mind expressed in the speech, but with a generality that could extend to other contexts as well: :''Some days I look down,'' :''Afraid I will fall— :''And though the sun shines ...'' :''I see nothing at all.'' "Up to the Mountain" first appeared in public during Griffin's concert appearances in the spring of 2005; she has performed it both with her own

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

accompaniment and also with a band member's

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

. Based upon a rough

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

, it was suggested to and selected by soul artist

(who had known King) for recording on his September 2006 album ''Nashville''. Griffin participated in the recording, singing a backup part; she later said, "He sang it ten times I think, and I could tell when he got his take—little chills came on my arms." Griffin recorded it herself officially in a slow rendition built around

Ian McLagan Ian Patrick McLagan (; 12 May 1945 – 3 December 2014) was an English keyboardist, best known as a member of the rock bands Small Faces and Faces. He also collaborated with the Rolling Stones and led his own band from the late 1970s. He was in ...

's piano, with an accompanying string section, which appeared on her February 2007 album ''

Children Running Through ''Children Running Through'' is Patty Griffin's sixth commercially released album, and fifth studio album. The album debuted at number 34 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in mid-February, the highest chart position achieved by Griffin in her career. It ...

''. It was praised by ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'' for being "reverent and inspired without ever becoming over-the-top or heavy-handed," while a

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

review said it had "a feel of cinematic grandness." Thom Jurek of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

stated that Griffin "carries

ing Ing, ING or ing may refer to: Art and media * '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film * i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group * The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes'' * "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 1992 ...

s inspiration in the grain of her voice" and complimented her respectful and unassuming singing.

Kelly Clarkson performance

"Up to the Mountain" gained visibility through a live rendition by

, featuring intertwined

, on an April 25, 2007 charity episode of the sixth season of ''American Idol'', entitled '

Idol Gives Back ''Idol Gives Back'' was the name of a charitable campaign that spanned two episodes of ''American Idol'' during its sixth season. A second ''Idol Gives Back'' concert and fundraiser occurred on April 9, 2008, during the seventh season of the s ...

'. The event was dedicated to poverty relief in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

and in

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

-related areas in the United States. This event came in the middle of Clarkson's artistic struggle with her record company and management; they wanted her to promote her new single "

Never Again "Never again" is a phrase or slogan which is associated with the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides. The phrase may originate from a 1927 poem by Yitzhak Lamdan which stated "Never again shall Masada fall!" In the context of genocide ...

", while she thought to do so at a charity event would be "beyond crass". Clarkson—an avowed Griffin fan—instead picked "Up to the Mountain". The audience gave the song and the performance a

standing ovation A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim. In Ancient Rome returning military commanders (such as Marcus Licinius Crassus a ...

; Beck subsequently said, "

he has He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

this fully developed soul voice that I wasn't expecting. It just knocked me out. It was quite riveting to listen to. At one point, the audience started to stand up. They were so moved by her." ''Idol'' judge

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of ''The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on t ...

stated the performance was the best of the show. A live recording of the Clarkson-Beck performance was made available for download on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

shortly after being broadcast on television and "Up To The Mountain" entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, debuting at number 56. This became the highest chart placement for a Griffin song. Clarkson added the song to the

setlist A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...

for her 2007

My December Tour The My December Tour was the fourth headlining concert tour by American pop rock recording artist Kelly Clarkson, and followed the release Clarkson's third studio album, ''My December'' (2007). Originally a large-scale summer tour timed to coinci ...

, and sang it together with

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...

on the pair's

2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour The 2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American recording artists Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson that took place in two segments during 2008. The tour only visited North America. The tour's shows featured the two singe ...

in 2008. The song was also included on Scottish singer

's November 2009 debut album, ''

I Dreamed a Dream "I Dreamed a Dream" is a song from the 1980 musical ''Les Misérables''. It is a solo that is sung by the character Fantine during the first act. The music is by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with orchestrations by John Cameron. The English lyri ...

'', which became the biggest-selling album in the world for that year. She commented regarding her choice of the song: "Reassurance, love and the ability to keep going no matter what 'slings and arrows of outrageous fortune' life throws at you.... God is our Light."

Chart

Crystal Bowersox version

The song's ''Idol'' visibility continued in May 2010, when

performed it as her potential "coronation song" in the final round of ''American Idol'' season 9. Her performance of "Up to the Mountain" was well-received, both on the show—judge

Randy Jackson Randall Darius Jackson (born June 23, 1956) is an American record executive and television presenter, perhaps best known as a judge on ''American Idol'' from 2002 to 2013. Jackson began his career in the 1980s as a session musician playing bas ...

characterized it as "an amazing song by an amazing singer" and Cowell said "that was by far the best performance and the song of the night"—and off—

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

said she showed an unmistakable connection to the lyric, while ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' said her performance of this "great song" was the night's only true highlight. After Bowersox finished up as runner-up to Lee DeWyze, her recording of "Up to the Mountain" was released as a single on May 28, 2010.

Chart performance

References