The Climb (song)

Name	The Climb
Alt	A female teenager lies on her back with her head is tilted over her shoulder to face the viewer. Her straight brunette hair frames her face. The teen wears a plaid shirt, pink lipstick, and has blue green eyes. The words "Miley" and Cyrus", separated by a blue star, are printed in white above her face, and the words "the climb" are printed below her face.
Cover	Miley Cyrus - The Climb.png
Border	yes
Artist	Miley Cyrus
Album
B-side	"The Climb" (Stripped Version)
Released
Format	CD single, music download
Recorded	2008
Genre	Country pop
Length	3:55
Label	Walt Disney
Writer	Jessi Alexander, Jon Mabe
Producer	John Shanks
Last single	"Fly on the Wall"(2009)
This single	"The Climb"(2009)
Next single	"Party in the U.S.A."(2009)

"The Climb" is a song performed by American recording artist and actress Miley Cyrus, for the 2009 film . The song was written by Jessi Alexander and Jon Mabe, and produced by John Shanks. It was released on March 5, 2009, as the lead single of the film's by Walt Disney Records. The song is a power ballad with lyrics that describe life as a difficult but rewarding journey. It is styled as a country pop ballad, and was Cyrus' first solo song to be released to country radio. The instrumentation includes piano, guitar and violins.

"The Climb" was generally well received by critics and was nominated for the Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media at the 52nd Grammy Awards. However, the song was withdrawn from consideration by Walt Disney Records because it had not been written specifically for a movie as the category's eligibility rules required. The song achieved worldwide success and became a top ten hit on charts in Australia, Canada, Norway and the United States. In the United States, the song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the eighth best selling digital single of 2009. Five months after its release, the single was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The song's accompanying music video was directed by Matthew Rolston, and depicts scenes of Cyrus climbing a mountain or singing, intercut with clips of Hannah Montana: The Movie. Cyrus promoted the song with several live performances. The first, at the event on January 19, 2009, was the first time the song had ever been publicly heard. Cyrus also performed the song as the closing number of her Wonder World Tour.

"The Climb" has been covered by several artists and was the most popular choice of song among auditioners for the ninth season of the American singing contest, American Idol. Simon Cowell, creator of the British television talent show The X Factor, chose "The Climb" to be the debut single of the winner of the competition's sixth series. Winner Joe McElderry's cover, released on December 14, 2009 by Syco Music, was produced by Quiz & Larossi and topped the Irish Singles Chart and the UK Singles Chart.

Background

"The Climb" was not intentionally written for the 2009 musical film Hannah Montana: The Movie. Co-writer Jessi Alexander conceived the song's melody while driving to the home of songwriting partner Jon Mabe. Once she arrived, she and Mabe developed a song about overcoming life's obstacles inspired by their personal struggles in the music industry. Alexander referred to the process as a form of "therapy" Alexander described the original song as "more spiritual" than the version that was released, and said it contained lines about prayer. However, she claimed she knew it was pop and suitable for The Walt Disney Company. Chelsom found what would become "The Climb" while visiting Nashville, Tennessee, during a quest to find eleven new songs for Hannah Montana: The Movie. As with the other songs featured in Hannah Montana: The Movie, the song is "tightly woven into the fabric of the story and the characters". In the film, Cyrus plays Miley Stewart, a character with a secret double life as superstar Hannah Montana. Keeping this secret causes trouble between Miley and many of the other characters in the film, and leaves Miley confused and contrite. She expresses her emotions by writing "The Climb". Warren Truitt, also of About.com, referred to the song as "Miley's serious attempt to break into the contemporary country world." "The Climb" was leaked to the Internet on February 4, 2009, two days prior to its official release for airplay. In October 2009, it was re-released to countries outside the United States in the international version of Cyrus's extended play, The Time of Our Lives.

Composition

"The Climb" is a country pop power ballad that incorporates soft rock and pop rock styles and lasts three minutes and fifty-five seconds. The song is sung in the key of E major and Cyrus's vocals span two octaves, from E₃ to G♯₅. with the chord progression, E5—Asus2—F♯7sus. Both Martens and McAlpine took special interest in the line "It's always gonna be an uphill battle/Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose". Martens interpreted the line as an acknowledgment by the singer of her own mistakes in life, Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe praised "The Climb" for being a "pretty liberation anthem". Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly said, "On tunes like [...] 'The Climb', the 16-year-old Tennessee native turns up her homegrown inflections, but a few elongated r's won't exactly shut out her huge pop audience." Todd Martens of The Los Angeles Times believed that "The Climb" was "buried in cheese" and described it as "pre-Valentine's Day gooeyness". Hann said the song was added to the extended play in order to "add some ballast since this collection's US release." While reviewing a concert performance, James Reed of The Boston Globe called the song "bland but inspirational fare".

Awards and nominations

"The Climb" won "Best Song from a Movie" at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards and "Music Choice: Single" at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. At the 52nd Grammy Awards, "The Climb" received a nomination for the Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, a songwriter's award. However, Walt Disney Records withdrew the song from consideration because the song was not "written specifically for a motion picture, television or other visual media", as the Grammy eligibility rules dictated. According to Rolling Stone magazine, "The Climb" was submitted for consideration by mistake. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), the presenters of the Grammy Awards, released a statement stating, "Walt Disney Records was proactive and forthcoming to our awards department and verified that the song was not written specifically for the film Hannah Montana: The Movie. Based on this information, the Academy has complied with the label's request." NARAS replaced the nomination with the song with the next highest initial vote count, "All is Love", which was written by Karen O and Nick Zinner for the film Where the Wild Things Are. "The Climb" eventually peaked at number twenty-five on the country-genre chart. For the week ending March 14, 2009, the song debuted at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 due to sales of 166,000 digital downloads, thus making "The Climb" Cyrus's highest-charting effort at the time, surpassing her previous best-charting effort "7 Things", which peaked at number nine in July 2008. "The Climb" also peaked at number seven on the Pop 100 chart, forty-two on Hot Christian Songs, and at number one for fifteen consecutive weeks on Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks. According to Billboard, "The Climb" was the eighth best selling digital single of 2009. The single was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for the sales of over two million copies. In Canada, "The Climb" entered at number seventeen and eventually peaked at number five. The single was certified triple platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for the sales of 240,000 digital downloads. After ten weeks on the chart, "The Climb" reached number five on the chart, where it stayed for two consecutive weeks. On September 4, 2009, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for sales exceeding 7,500 copies. With its peak at number eleven, it tied for Cyrus's best-charting effort on the chart with "See You Again" from October 2008. The single was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for the shipment of over 200,000 copies. The song experienced similar commercial outcomes throughout the rest of Europe; it appeared within the top thirty of charts in Austria, Belgium (Wallonia), and France. which premiered on Cyrus's MySpace page on February 11, 2009. The video commences with a shot of Cyrus holding a guitar and a suitcase as she begins to walk down a long path extending through a valley. At the end of the valley, the sun breaks out over a distant mountain. The entire scene is enhanced with computer-generated imagery.

Bill Lamb of About.com said the video took an "inspirational approach". Lyndsey Parker of Yahoo! Music remarked that the summit setting was similar to that of the music video for Britney Spears' "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman". In 2009, the video received a MuchMusic Video nomination for Best International Artist Video, but lost to Lady Gaga's music video for "Poker Face".

Live performances

Cyrus opened the event with the premiere of "The Climb". The event was held on January 19, 2009, in Washington D.C. at the Verizon Center to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States. Cyrus, dressed in an embroidered red ball gown made by Reem Acra, dedicated the song to Obama's daughters, Sasha and Malia Obama. Following the song's official release in March 2009, Cyrus resumed promotion for "The Climb", performing live for shows including American Idol, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, Good Morning America, and Live with Regis and Kelly throughout April. On April 13, Cyrus performed "The Climb" as part of her set for the AOL Sessions.

On April 24, Cyrus sang "The Climb" and other songs in a London Apple Store. The performances were recorded and sold exclusively by the United Kingdom iTunes Store as a live extended play titled iTunes Live from London. Cyrus also sang "The Climb" on The Today Show on August 28 and at the first D23 Expo on September 11, 2009.

To promote the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack, Cyrus performed "The Climb" on a six-day, five-city acoustic radio promo tour that reached over 250 radio shows. The song was also used as the closing number of Cyrus' 2009 Wonder World Tour, her first world tour. During the tour performances, Cyrus performed in a white tank top and shorts, boots, and a metallic vest, while giant overhead video screens displayed sunsets. After finishing, Cyrus exited through a passageway in the stage while the images of shooting stars and the earth in space appeared on the screen. Melinda M. Thompson of The Oregonian described the performance as "really a moment to remember — Miley's soulful and touching rendition of 'The Climb'", while Jim Harrington of The Oakland Tribune said the performance was a "tender closer" that drew a large response at the September 18 concert in Oakland, California, at the Oracle Arena. Cyrus later performed the song at the Rock in Rio concert in Lisbon, Portugal and the London, England nightclubs Heaven and G-A-Y.

Track listings

EU/US CD Single # "The Climb" (Album Version) – 3:55 # "The Climb" (Stripped Version) – 3:56

UK CD Single # "The Climb" (Album Version) – 3:55 # "Fly on the Wall" (David Khane Remix) – 2:34

EU Maxi CD Single # "The Climb" (Album Version) – 3:55 # "The Climb" (Stripped Version) – 3:56 # "The Climb" (Full Pop Mix) – 3:51

Charts, sales, and procession

Charts

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Chart (2009) ! Peakposition |- | Australian Singles Chart | align="center"|30 |- | Belgian Tip Singles Chart (Flanders) | align="center"|18 |- | Canadian Hot 100 |align="center"|17 |- | Danish Singles Chart | align="center"|37 |- | Eurochart Hot 100 Singles | align="center"|16 |- | German Singles Chart | align="center"|62 |- | Spanish Singles Chart | align="center"|46 |- | Swedish Singles Chart | align="center"|40 |- | Swiss Singles Chart | align="center"|40 |- | UK Singles Chart |align="center"|16 |- |Canadian Hot 100 |align="center"|17 |- |New Zealand Singles Chart |align="center"|43 |- |UK Singles Chart |align="center"|84 |- |U.S. Billboard Hot 100 |align="center"|21 |- |}

Decade-end charts

{|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Decade-end chart (2000s) ! Position |- | Australian Singles Chart |align="center"|84 |- |}

Certifications

Chart procession and succession

Cover versions

"The Climb" has been covered by several amateurs and established acts. Mirror Image Records' indie rock group HelenaMaria covered the song and released it as a digital single in March 2009. Pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson and two other singers covered the song in a YouTube video published in September 2009. The three singers harmonized together in an intimate performance while one strummed an acoustic guitar. At auditions for the ninth season of the television singing competition American Idol, "The Climb" was the most popular choice of song amongst contestants. Mandi Bierly, writing for Entertainment Weekly, commented, "it sounds like we could get an Idol whose voice actually suits the inspirational tune that he or she will be forced to record as a first single. (Though the odds of that song being anywhere as good as 'The Climb'...)". Cyrus replied, Kidz Bop Kids recorded a cover of the song for Kidz Bop 16. Heather Phares of Allmusic commented, "The Kidz Bop Kids' version of Miley Cyrus' 'The Climb' sounds like an especially good elementary school choir performance". Thia Megia, aged 14, performed a cover version of "The Climb" while competing in the semi-final of America's Got Talent. Her performance was well received by the judges, with praise from Sharon Osbourne for her age-appropriate choice. Australian singer Stan Walker performed the song as a contestant on the seventh season of Australian Idol. After winning the competition, he recorded the song for his debut album, Introducing... Stan Walker. Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic said the cover turned out "well in large part because of Walker's vocal talents". American Idol finalist Haeley Vaughn performed the song during the top twenty rounds of the ninth season. The song was covered by Lea Michele, portraying Rachel Berry, in the 2010 Glee episode "Laryngitis". Filipino singer Charice has also done a live cover of this song.

Joe McElderry

Name	The Climb
Cover	Joe McElderry - The Climb.jpg
Artist	Joe McElderry
Album	Wide Awake
Released
Format	CD single, digital download
Genre	Power pop
Length	3:36
Label	Syco Music
Producer	Quiz & Larossi
This single	"The Climb"(2009)
Next single	"Ambitions"(2010)
Misc

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Background and composition

In the same year of "The Climb"'s original release, British executive Simon Cowell chose for Joe McElderry, Olly Murs, and Stacey Solomon, the three finalists of the sixth series of the British television talent contest The X Factor, to record the song in preparation for a single release as soon as the winner was announced. After Solomon's elimination, Murs and McElderry sang the song on December 13, 2009, as their final performance in the competition. Upon winning the competition, McElderry's version of "The Climb", produced by Quiz & Larossi, was released on December 14, 2009 by Syco Music as the first single from his upcoming album Wide Awake (2009). McElderry said that the lyrics to "The Climb" mean a lot to him: "It's an emotional song because it's what's been happening in the last few months. It all feels very, very surreal."

Reception

Peter Robinson of The Guardian described "The Climb" as a "controversially uncontroversial choice" for a cover and continued, "While 'The Climb' might be a suitable choice for a winner's single, the fact that it's a cover of such a recent song means that it's still slightly odd." In the following week, the song reached number one, where it maintained for a week. The single was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments exceeding 600,000 copies. "The Climb" debuted at number one on the Irish Singles Chart on the week ending December 17, 2009, where it maintained in the top position for four consecutive weeks. In mainland Europe, the song charted in the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles at number four on the week ending January 9, 2010.

Music video

The video was shot on December 16, 2009, in London, England. The video begins with footage from The X-Factor and then transitions to a close-up shot of McElderry in the main setting, a flooded cityscape — the scene was shot in a flooded set with a cityscape backdrop. |align="center"|1 |- |UK Singles Chart |align="center"|5 |- |}

Chart procession and succession

References

External links

Category:2009 singles Category:Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one singles Category:Country ballads Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Miley Cyrus songs Category:Music videos directed by Matthew Rolston Category:Joe McElderry songs Category:Pop ballads Category:Singles certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America Category:Songs produced by John Shanks Category:Songs written by Jessi Alexander Category:Songs from films Category:The X Factor (UK)