"Mountain of Love" is a song written by Harold Dorman. Dorman released his version as a single in 1960. It was originally recorded in late 1959 at the Royal Recording Studios in Memphis before the backing vocals (and strings, much later) were overdubbed. It performed well, spending 19 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,[2] peaking at No. 21 in May 1960,[3] while reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot R&B Sides chart,[4] and No. 25 on Canada's "CHUM Hit Parade".[5] The song was his only top forty hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the highest-charting single of his career.[2]
| "Mountain of Love" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Harold Dorman | |
| B-side | "To Be with You" |
| Released | 1960 |
| Recorded | 1959 |
| Genre | Rock and roll |
| Length | 2:30 |
| Label | Rita |
| Songwriter(s) | Harold Dorman |
| Producer(s) | Roland Janes[1] |
Charley Pride version
edit| "Mountain of Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Charley Pride | ||||
| from the album Charley Sings Everybody's Choice | ||||
| B-side | "Love Is a Shadow" | |||
| Released | 1981 | |||
| Genre | Country-soul,[6] gospel[6] | |||
| Length | 2:46 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Harold Dorman | |||
| Producer(s) | Norro Wilson | |||
| Charley Pride singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In December 1981, Charley Pride released a cover version, which topped the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in March 1982.[7] Charley Pride's version of "Mountain of Love" was his twenty-sixth No. 1 on the country chart.
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (1981–1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] | 76 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 41 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[9] | 1 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (1982) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] | 38 |
Other cover versions
edit- In 1960, Kenny Lynch released a cover of the song, which reached No. 33 on Record Retailer chart in the U.K..[citation needed]
- In 1964, Johnny Rivers released his remake using members of the Wrecking Crew[11] as a single. It reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.[12]
- The Beach Boys recorded an acoustic rendition of the song for their 1965 album Beach Boys' Party!.[13] Music critic Richie Unterberger describes it as "a rousing run through" and one of the highlights of the album.[13]
- In 1968, singer Ronnie Dove had a minor hit when he released his version as the B-side of "Never Gonna Cry (The Way I'll Cry Tonight)" on Diamond Records. Ronnie Dove's version spent six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached No. 67. This recording featured A-list session musicians, such as Boots Randolph on saxophone and Glen Campbell on guitar.[14] It was originally issued as an album track on Ronnie Dove Sings the Hits for You two years earlier, and was the original B-side of this single.
- Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town (on their 2007 album, Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town). Bobby G. Rice took a rendition to No. 20 on the country music charts in 1971.[15]
- A cover by Molly & the Heymakers peaked at No. 79 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada in 1992.[16]
References
edit- ^ Brewer, Roy (2000). "String Musicians in the Recording Studios of Memphis, Tennessee". Popular Music. 19 (2). 3rd paragraph, line 7: Cambridge Press: 202. doi:10.1017/S0261143000000118. ISSN 0261-1430. JSTOR 853668. S2CID 163095947. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ a b Harold Dorman - Chart History - The Hot 100, Billboard.com. Accessed August 16, 2015
- ^ "The Billboard HOT 100", Billboard, May 23, 1960. p. 34. Accessed November 29, 2015
- ^ "The Billboard Hot R&B Sides", Billboard, May 16, 1960. p. 44. Accessed November 29, 2015
- ^ "CHUM Hit Parade – Week of May 16, 1960". CHUM. Archived from the original on November 7, 2006. Retrieved 2015-11-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Chart No. 159. - ^ a b Zaleski, Annie (March 18, 2021). "Top 10 Charley Pride Songs". The Bull — Amarillo. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book O\of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 277.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 239. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Charley Pride Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1982". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
- ^ Hartman, Kent (2012). The Wrecking Crew. St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 261–263. ISBN 978-1-250-03046-7.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 531.
- ^ a b "Beach Boys' Party! – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ^ Ronnie Dove - Chart History - The Hot 100, Billboard.com. Accessed August 16, 2015
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research. p. 349. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ "RPM Country Tracks". RPM. April 18, 1992. Retrieved September 8, 2013.