Two for Tuesday
Providing background information on music from popular genres like Country, Classic Rock, Southern Rock etc.
Two for Tuesday
Between Grief and Love: Exploring Vince Gill's Most Powerful Songs
Vince Gill has crafted some of the most heartfelt music ever recorded, with two songs in particular standing out for their deeply personal inspiration and lasting impact. We explore the stories behind "Go Rest High on That Mountain" and "Whenever You Come Around" - powerful songs of love and loss by this country music legend.
• The personal journey of becoming a Vince Gill fan after seeing him play electric guitar live
• The four-year writing process behind "Go Rest High on That Mountain" following Keith Whitley's death
• How the death of Vince's brother Bob finally allowed him to complete the song
• The collaboration with Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless that created a spiritual dimension
• The famous emotional breakdown at George Jones' funeral triggered by Patty Loveless' voice
• The romantic inspiration behind "Whenever You Come Around" - Amy Grant, who later became his wife
• How the song became a personal favorite and "our song" for the host and his wife
• Why these two different expressions of love showcase Vince Gill's emotional range and authenticity
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and check out the archives for more artist stories and song secrets. Until next time, I'm Michael Pezent of 2nd Round Music, reminding you every song has a story.
Hear Michael perform these two songs on the 2nd Round Music YouTube channel. LINK:
Website: http://2ndRoundMusic.com
Welcome back to the Two for Tuesday podcast, where each week we dig deep into the stories behind either an iconic artist or band and two of their songs are like. This week two unforgettable songs by an artist or a band week two unforgettable songs by an artist or a band. So this week I'll be talking about two songs by country music legend Vincent Grant Gill, obviously better known as Vince Gill. Now I'm your host, michael Pezzin of Second Round Music, and, if you're a first-time listener to the show, thank you for your time and welcome. I hope you enjoy it and become a regular listener. If you've been a weekly listener so far, hey, a big shout out to you also. With a career spanning over four decades, more than 20 Grammys and countless hits, vince Gill has crafted some of the most heartfelt music ever recorded. But two songs in particular Go Rest High on that Mountain and, whenever you Come Around, stand out for their deeply personal inspiration and lasting impact. So let's explore the stories behind these two powerful songs of love and loss and the man who brought them to life. Now, before we get started, I need to make a confession.
Speaker 1:When Vince Gill first hit the country music scene back in 1990, I wasn't all that impressed. I appreciated his smooth tenor voice but honestly, it didn't grab me at first. That all changed the night I saw him live in concert. I had great seats close enough to really take in the stage setup and as the band started out I found myself scanning the musicians, wondering who was going to handle the electric guitar parts. I mean, this was modern country music and someone is going to be playing an electric guitar, right? Well, then walks out Vince carrying a black Fender Stratocaster. He steps up plugs in, started playing and let me tell you, he tore it up. His guitar work was every bit as impressive as his employees, maybe even more so. I was absolutely blown away and from that moment on I became a full-fledged Vince Gill fan. Now we're not going to dive into Vince's full musical career or personal history today that's coming in a later episode. But I just want to share that story before we dig into the songs.
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Speaker 1:So let's start with Go Rest High on that Mountain, a song that was released in 1995, this song has become a modern gospel standard. It's performed at funerals, memorials and tribute concerts across the country. As a matter of fact, I had the honor as hard as it was to sing this song at a funeral of a really good friend of mine. But what many don't know is how long that song took to come to life and how deeply personal its message is to Vince himself. Vince began writing the song back in 1989 after the death of his friend and fellow country artist Keith Whitley. If you listened to my second episode, we talked about this topic but, to catch everyone up, whitley had passed away tragically at the age of 34 due to alcohol poisoning. Vince started the first verse shortly after that, but for years he couldn't finish it and it was stuck in a drawer somewhere. He said the grief was just too raw and the words just wouldn't come. Now. It wasn't until 1993 when Vince lost his own brother, bob, to a heart attack. Now the rest of the song finally came, as Vince had shared in interviews, interviews. He went home after the funeral, picked up his guitar and the words just poured out like a flood, his heartbreak finally giving way to the music. So Now, boy, there's no mistake in Vince's guitar tone when he plays. Is there Now?
Speaker 1:The recording of this song brought together a powerful trio Obviously Vince on lead vocals, but bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs and country star Patti Loveless sang harmonies. Now, skaggs' bluegrass roots and Loveless's Appalachian soul added a spiritual dimension that elevated the entire recording. The instrumentation was intentionally sparse and subtle, with Vince on electric guitar, stuart Duncan on the fiddle, john Huey on steel guitar, John Barlow Jarvis on a Hammond B3 organ, tom Rohde on percussions, michael Rhodes on bass guitar, randy Scruggs on an acoustic guitar, stuart Smith on electric guitar and yes, that is the Stuart Smith we talked about in episode 5, that played with the Eagles, carlos Vega on drums. That is the Stuart Smith we talked about in episode 5, that played with the Eagles Carlos Vega on drums and Pete Washtenaw on keys and piano. Now, this lineup lets the lyrics carry the emotional weight of this song.
Speaker 1:Now, the song was released in August of 1995 as the sixth single from the album when Love Finds you. And there's actually two versions of this song, a radio cut and an album cut. The difference between the two album cut has an extended instrumental break that adds Vince's sweet guitar tone solo, and it's actually my favorite. It takes this song to another level, in my opinion. Now, while it peaked modestly on the charts, only reaching number 14 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, it found a much larger life outside of radio. It won both the CMA Song of the Year and a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1996.
Speaker 1:And of all of Vince's success. This is his only platinum selling single, but more than awards. Go Rest High on that Mountain became a song that people needed. Vince has performed at countless times at funerals and memorials, most famously at George Jones' funeral in 2013, where he broke down mid-performance. But now there's a backstory to that event also, I've just heard about it and it's the reason we're doing this episode. Let's give a listen to Vince in this short clip.
Speaker 2:That's beautiful baby. What do you say? We do one more. All right, you want to do one?
Speaker 1:more I'd love to.
Speaker 2:It's been a while I know it's been way too long Miss hearing your voice and speaking of your voice. Years ago, when the great George Jones passed away I don't know if any of you saw the service where Patty and I sang for George and I completely fell apart. I lost it more than I've ever lost it performing in my life and a lot of people thought it was probably the moment and my friendship with George and a lot of it was. But the truth of that is, if you ever watch that again, if you ever watch the video of it, when Patty started singing with me and I heard her voice, that's what took me under, that's what took me down, and that voice has always done that to me for the last 35, 36 years.
Speaker 1:Something like that I didn't mean to make you cry, that's all right.
Speaker 2:I didn't mind, it was all good. Well, I got even with you, because I can't tell you how many times you made me cry, darling. My grandma used to say, son, if your eyes, if your eyes don't leak, your head won't swell. If your eyes leak, your head won't swell. But anyway, this is a song that I wrote for my brother after his passing, and to have Patty sing on the record with me on that, and also Ricky Skaggs singing with us on that record, was powerful. And this is the 30th anniversary of me losing my brother, so I think about him often, and especially when I sing this song. So we'll leave you with this. Thanks for coming to be with us, god bless.
Speaker 1:Boy. That's good stuff. Now, that comes from a video that I recently saw on Facebook and it was posted by the Barnyard Beats page, and I want to give them credit for sharing that. We appreciate it. That moment spoke of how personal the song remains for him even after all these years. It's not just a song, it's a farewell letter, a prayer and a comfort all wrapped into one, and in many ways it's Vince Gill's signature song. Now, also in that video, he sang a third verse that I'd never heard, and it was very well written and very fitting for the original song. If you want to hear it, check out my performance of it and our next song on my YouTube channel. There'll be a link in the description that'll take you to it, and I hope you enjoy it. So from now Lost to Love, let's move to a song that captures that aching feeling of seeing someone you can't forget, a song born from heartbreak, longing and maybe a little hope On the other side of this short break let's talk about Whenever you Come Around. Hey guys, thank you for listening today and I hope you're enjoying this podcast. If you are, please subscribe or follow the podcast, click the like button, share it with other music lovers, and please consider giving a five-star rating so we can reach a bigger audience. Now back to the show.
Speaker 1:Now, before we get into our next song, I've got to share a personal story behind it as well. When I first heard this one, I'd only listened to it a couple of times, just enough to get a feel for the tempo and the mood, but not much beyond that. Around the same time, I came across a guitar magazine might have been Guitar World, or maybe Guitar Player with a featured article on how to play the song. So I flipped through it, looked over the chord progression and started humming along and I thought you know what? This is a pretty solid tune. This was during my band days years ago and I decided to bring the song to the guys at a rehearsal to see if we might add it to our set list. We ran through it a couple of times and it just clicked. Everything fell into place pretty quickly and before long it became a staple at our shows. Now, around the same time, I met this beautiful creature who, lucky for me, eventually became my wife. Beautiful creature who, lucky for me, eventually became my wife. Now we've been together now for over 25 years and that song kind of became our song, so to speak. So yeah, it holds a special place in my heart. And here's the funny part, since I'd only heard the song a few times early on, the way I sang those first couple of lines, the vocal phrasing and the cadence ended up being a little bit different than Vince's original version. I didn't even realize this difference until we had been performing it for quite a while. By then I was already locked in and it had become my version. And that, to me, is one of the beautiful things about music we get to bring our own interpretation to it, and I hope you enjoy hearing that side of it too.
Speaker 1:Now, this song was released in 1994, and Whenever you Come Around was a lead single from Vince's album when Love Finds you. It's a slow, soulful ballad that perfectly captures the vulnerability of being love-struck and afraid to say a word, kind of like I was. But here's the thing this wasn't just a made-up love song. Vince co-wrote this tune with Nashville songwriter and legend Pete Washington. Now you remember him. He was the piano player on Go Rest High and this song, well, it's inspired by someone real. At the time Vince was still married, but in his heart he was growing increasingly attached to someone else. Now I am not saying I'm condoning those actions, but well that someone was, christian singer Amy Grant, who would eventually become his wife and has been now for over 25 years, though both are still married to other people. At the time of the writing, the emotions running through whenever you come around were genuine. Vince has said that he wrote it about Amy, though he wouldn't act on those feelings for years. Now there's something else I have to add about this song. I heard a story several years ago so I can't remember the source, but the story goes that the song was actually written for Vince's daughter, jenny Gill, and to be honest with you, I kind of like that story a little better.
Speaker 1:Now the song is a masterclass in restraint. From the opening lines face of an angel, pretty eyes that shine Vince sets the tone with gentle vocals and heart-tugging lyrics. Musically, the production is equally restrained. The arrangement features soft piano, clean guitar tones and a subtle steel guitar feel that echo the ache in Vince's voice and that's Trisha Yearwood's voice singing harmony vocals and the break between the second and the third chorus. Now, that is vintage Vince Gill, and while the production was delicate, the impact was powerful. Whenever you Come Around climbed to number two on the Billboard Hot Country chart and was a gold-selling single. This song became one of the biggest hits in Vince's career. It also crossed into the adult contemporary stations as well, broadening his fan base beyond country. And years later, vince and Amy did end up together. They married in March of 2000, and they've been a musical and personal partnership ever since.
Speaker 1:Listening back now, you can hear the seeds of that story in this song. It's more than just a love ballad, it's a musical diary entry. So there you go, two songs, two very different types of love. One a farewell to a brother and a friend, the other a quiet confession to a future soulmate. That's the magic of Vince Gill. Whether he's writing about grief or love or anything in between, his music goes straight to the heart, and that's why, decades later, songs like Go Rest High on that Mountain and Whatever you Come Around continue to be so impactful. Thank you for joining me for this episode of Two for Tuesday. If you enjoyed this deep dive, be sure to subscribe, leave a review and check out the archives for more artist stories and song secrets. So, as always, we love you and we need you, and until next time, I'm Michael Pezzin of Second Round Music, reminding you every song has a story and on Tuesdays, well, I'll tell them to you. God bless you.