About the song
Background
“Mountain of Love” is a song recorded by country music legend Charley Pride. It was released in 1982 as part of his album “Everybody’s Choice” and the B-side to the single “Love Is a Shadow.” The song’s writer is Harold K. Dorman.
There’s no definitive information readily available about the song’s inspiration or origin. However, considering Pride’s usual themes and the lyrics themselves, it likely explores a classic country trope of heartbreak and loss.
Themes
The primary theme of “Mountain of Love” is heartbreak and loneliness. The lyrics paint a picture of a man heartbroken after a lost love. He reflects on their past happiness on a metaphorical “mountain of love” and the pain of their separation. The imagery of the wedding bells ringing below adds a layer of sadness, highlighting the lost opportunity for his own happiness.
Lyrics
The song opens with the narrator standing on a mountain, overlooking a city. He’s filled with sorrow, and tears fall like rain down the mountainside. This melancholic scene is juxtaposed with memories of happier times “high on a mountain of love.”
The narrator spends his nights alone, longing for his lost love and hoping for a chance encounter. He feels the mountain itself should be ashamed for the change in his situation.
The lyrics shift to depict a wedding happening below, with church bells ringing. This image intensifies the narrator’s pain as it represents the happiness he could have had. The song ends with him feeling lonely and dreaming of their past love on the “mountain of love.”