Gravity

Album: Here on Earth (Ultimate Edition) (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Tim McGraw recorded "Gravity" for the 2018 American documentary film Free Solo. The motion picture tells the story of rock climber Alex Honnold's quest to climb the 3,200-foot El Capitan rock formation in California's Yosemite National Park on his own, and without ropes.
  • McGraw wrote the song with singer-songwriter Lori McKenna, who previously penned his hit single "Humble and Kind." It describes the courage and perseverance of Honmold as he overcomes the obstacles and doubts that threatened to derail his mission.

    Look what you have overcome to get here
    Look at the distance you've run
    The doubt that you push down
    Fear you have drawn out
    When they said that it couldn't be done
    In your head
    In your heart
    And In your hands


    McGraw explained that Lori McKenna and him wanted song's lyrics "to be a reminder that fear is a battle fought on a variety of planes, from mental to spiritual to physical."

    He added: "We tend to think 'fearlessness' is synonymous with big bold gestures, but there's also a fragility inherent in risk - and we wanted that to come through."
  • Tim McGraw was initially reluctant after being asked to write a song for Free Solo, as he has no interest in mountain climbing and is afraid of heights. However once he started watching the film, he was hooked.

    McGraw explained to Billboard he was drawn to Alex Honnold's passion and commitment and his contrasting calmness. "As we were watching the movie, I had a little notebook and I started writing down phrases and ideas and things that struck me," he said. "I was emotionally invested in the movie right away."
  • This was the third song that McGraw had written for a film, following "My Little Girl" from Flicka and "Keep Your Eyes on Me " from The Shack.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Barney Hoskyns Explores The Forgotten History Of Woodstock, New York

Barney Hoskyns Explores The Forgotten History Of Woodstock, New YorkSong Writing

Our chat with Barney Hoskyns, who covers the wild years of Woodstock - the town, not the festival - in his book Small Town Talk.

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the Song

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the SongSong Writing

How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.

Pete Anderson

Pete AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Pete produced Dwight Yoakam, Michelle Shocked, Meat Puppets, and a very memorable track for Roy Orbison.

Yacht Rock!

Yacht Rock!Song Writing

A scholarly analysis of yacht rock favorites ("Steal Away," "Baker Street"...) with a member of the leading YR cover band.