Man on the Silver Mountain
| "Man on the Silver Mountain" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Rainbow | |
| from the album Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow | |
| B-side | "Snake Charmer" |
| Released | 1975 |
| Genre | Heavy metal[1] |
| Length | 4:38 |
| Songwriter(s) | Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio |
| Producer(s) | Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio, Martin Birch |
"Man on the Silver Mountain" is the first single by Rainbow and the first track of their debut album, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. Written by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and singer Ronnie James Dio, this song is, as Dio said, "a semi-religious one, a man on the silver mountain is a kind of God figure everyone is crying out to".[2] This track became one of Rainbow's best-known tracks and was also a live favourite for any Rainbow line-up, and also the band Dio. The words "The man on the silver mountain Ronnie James Dio" are inscribed on his grave.[3]
Reception
Brad Sanders of The A.V. Club wrote that although the song's lyrics are essentially meaningless, the way that Dio sings them "sounds awesome".[4] After Dio's death, Rob Halford performed a cover of the song and said it "captures the things I personally love in metal tracks".[5]
References
- ^ Buckley, Peter (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. p. 496. ISBN 978-1-84353-105-0.
- ^ "Man On The Silver Mountain by Rainbow". SongFacts. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
- ^ "Ronnie James Dio (1942-2010)". Find A Grave Memorial. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ Sanders, Brad (12 May 2015). "Saluting Ronnie James Dio, metal's uncool godfather". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- ^ Grow, Kory (2 April 2014). "Why Metallica and Judas Priest's Rob Halford Bow Before Dio". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 May 2016.