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

James Bond Theme Songs

James Bond Theme SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the 007 theme songs?

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

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.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."