The 10 Best Songs About Mountains
There is something special about visiting the mountains. This is especially true if you live in an urban area and live in a busy and stressful environment. There is a special serenity and sense of awe that captivates the mind. If you can’t physically go there, you can certainly listen to songs that transport you there in your mind. If you were raised in a place where there are mountains all around you, then you fully understand the powerful memories that are associated with these places. It makes listening to songs about the mountains even more inspiring. We’re drawn to these places of natural beauty because they offer a place of relaxation and repose when we’re weary of the hustle and bustle of city life or the crowded streets of the city. Here are the 10 best songs about mountains ever written for your enjoyment.
10. “Mountain Music” by Alabama
This is an older song that revives feelings of reverie for people who come from the South. It’s a song about playing mountain music to remind the protagonist of home and the good things about it. This song remains the anthem of the south. You can’t feel bad when you’re listening to this upbeat tune. It can give you a mental escape to a beautiful place.
9. “Rocky Top” The Osborne Brothers
“Rocky Top” performed by The Osborne Brothers is the equivalent of a fight song. If you’re from Tennessee you’ll feel a lump rise in your throat for just a few seconds. It’s a fast tune that pays tribute to Rocky Top, Tennessee, and the people who come from this mountain town. Even if you’ve never been there it’s a song that will stir emotions.
8. “Sugar Mountain” Neil Young
This song is best for Neil Young fans. It takes us all back to memories of lost youth in a lamentful song. It talks about a club that Mr. Young visited when he was a teen.
7. “Big Rock Candy Mountain” Harry McClintock
This is an old song that was revitalized in the hit film “O’ Brother Where Art Thou.” The song is a bit on the whimsical side but you get the definite theme about it being the theme song about what heaven would be like for a hobo in the early 1900s. My favorite line is “they kill the jerk That invented work.”
6. “Blue Ridge Cabin Home” Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs
This is a classic bluegrass hit performed by the two masters of the genre, Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt. Those from the Blue Ridge Mountain area will understand why they want to be buried on the mountain when they die. It will forever be home to those who have lived in the scenic region where life is peaceful and simple.
5. “Rocky Mountain Way” Joe Walsh
There is only one Joe Walsh. His song “Rocky Mountain Way” is a tune that he composed when he lived in Colorado. He was outside mowing his lawn when the world just came to him. It became one of his biggest hits. It became his breakthrough solo tune but it was also one that struck a resonating tone in the hearts of Americans.
4. “Half Moon Rising” Yonder Mountain String Band
If you’re a fan of progressive bluegrass that sprung up out of Colorado, this song about the mountains is something that you might enjoy. It’s a modern take on bluegrass music that can take you to a different region in your mind. The song talks about the Great Divide and makes you feel like you’re there.
3. “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs
This is one of the biggest hits from the late 1940 era for all fans of bluegrass music. There are no words associated with the instrumental, but there doesn’t need to be. It’s mountain music in its purest form and at its finest. The masters join forces on banjo and guitar. “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” is one of the classics that seems to never go out of style.
2. “Country Roads” John Denver
John Denver’s “Country Roads” paints a picture of West Virginia. The words with the most impact are “Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.” It talks about life there and how it is home. He refers to the mountains as being a maternal and nurturing force for his soul. Denver’s unique writing style creates a sense of longing for home when being far away. It’s intensified with the imagery of the mountains and their symbolism that represents home and the care that you receive from loved ones and familiar surroundings.
1. “Rocky Mountain High” John Denver
There isn’t much to be said about this song if you’ve heard it even once. It’s a tribute to the freedom and quality of life you find in the Rocky Mountains. John Denver had a way of writing songs that took the deep and complex emotions he felt about his home state of Colorado and the Mountains. He brought them to life in ways that made the listeners go through the experiences with him. It’s like being along for the ride into the Rocky Mountains, smoking a little weed with him and a group of good friends. Everybody’s high, but it isn’t necessarily from the pot. The Rocky Mountains have the power to take you on a natural high. When it comes to mountain songs, this is the number one favorite of all time. It is still beloved and relevant today.