Mountain

Album: single release only (2023)
Charted: 35
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Songfacts®:

  • "Mountain" is a song about perseverance and overcoming adversity. Sam Ryder passionately sings:

    Rough seas may try to engulf me, and dark clouds may cast shadows on my days.
    But within me, there are always brighter tomorrows


    With eyes closed, Ryder recalls overcoming the fires of adversity and how far he has come. He channels an indomitable force of nature, stating, "That's what you are."

    In the soaring chorus, he boldly declares, "I am a mountain, and down in the valley below lies everything I've conquered."
  • Speaking in an interview with Virgin Radio, Ryder shared the inspiration behind the song. He highlighted the common metaphor of mountains representing obstacles we must overcome in life, before adding, "But this song is flipping that narrative, and saying that you are the mountain and down in the valley below is all that you've overcome."
  • Ryder penned the song in the fall of 2022 before he released his #1 debut album, There's Nothing But Space, Man. "I was sitting on my couch at home and wrote it," he told The Sun. "This was the first song I've written by myself in years, which was really nice. This is quite special so I'm thankful that this idea fell out of the sky."
  • "Mountain" was lyrically inspired by fans Ryder met on his tour and how they overcame obstacles in their lives. "After having a lot of conversations with people that have been coming to the shows over the last year and a half, it's incredibly striking to hear of where people have come from and the resilience that they've had to garner to make it to this point in life today," he told The Metro.
  • Sam Ryder co-produced the track alongside Lewis Allen and Jimbo Barry.

    Allen is a guitarist, songwriter and musical director who has played on songs released by Little Mic, Katy B and Zayn. Barry is best known for writing and producing hits for the Irish band The Script, including their hit singles "Hall Of Fame" and "Rain." Barry co-wrote two songs on Sam Ryder's #1 album There's Nothing But Space, Man.
  • Ryder introduced "Mountain" into his live shows towards the end of 2022, and it was a standout on his UK and Ireland Tour 2023. He released it as a single on May 12, 2023.
  • "Mountain" received its first televised performance during the interval at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.

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