Mountains

Album: Our Version Of Events (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Adele Emeli Sandé was born in the north east of England to Zambian technology and maths teacher Joel Sandé and his Caucasian English wife. The family moved to rural Alford in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in October 1992 - the first mixed-race family in the village. Sandé wrote this song about her parents and the struggles that they faced. She explained to Q magazine: "I'm in a very tight family, and I'm always mindful of the struggles my parents had to go through so that we could have opportunities. My dad's from Zambia and my mum is from Cumbria and they were the first people in their families to go to university, against all the odds. Being an interracial couple in '80s Sunderland led to them getting a lot of abuse. Some of the stories they tell me are awful, so it's really for them."
  • Sandé wrote the song with her producer Shahid "Naughty Boy" Khan the same weekend that they penned her second single, "Daddy."
  • The song was originally written for Leona Lewis after the pair struck up a friendship arising from Sandé penning the X-Factor alumni's single "Trouble." However for reasons unknown Sandé reclaimed the tune.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Ralph Casale  - Session Pro

Ralph Casale - Session ProSongwriter Interviews

A top New York studio musician, Ralph played guitar on many '60s hits, including "Lightnin' Strikes," "A Lover's Concerto" and "I Am A Rock."

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

Edwin McCain

Edwin McCainSongwriter Interviews

"I'll Be" was what Edwin called his "Hail Mary" song. He says it proves "intention of the songwriter is 180 degrees from potential interpretation by an audience."