July 22, 2025 • 16 mins
Vince Gill has crafted some of the most heartfelt music ever recorded, with two songs in particular standing out for their deeply personal inspiration and lasting impact. We explore the stories behind "Go Rest High on That Mountain" and "Whenever You Come Around" - powerful songs of love and loss by this country music legend.
• The personal journey of becoming a Vince Gill fan after seeing him play electric guitar live
• The four-year writing process behind "Go Rest High on That Mountain" following Keith Whitley's death
• How the death of Vince's brother Bob finally allowed him to complete the song
• The collaboration with Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless that created a spiritual dimension
• The famous emotional breakdown at George Jones' funeral triggered by Patty Loveless' voice
• The romantic inspiration behind "Whenever You Come Around" - Amy Grant, who later became his wife
• How the song became a personal favorite and "our song" for the host and his wife
• Why these two different expressions of love showcase Vince Gill's emotional range and authenticity
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and check out the archives for more artist stories and song secrets. Until next time, I'm Michael Pezent of 2nd Round Music, reminding you every song has a story.
Hear Michael perform these two songs on the 2nd Round Music YouTube channel. LINK:
Website: http://2ndRoundMusic.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome back to the Two for Tuesday podcast, where
each week we dig deep into thestories behind either an iconic
artist or band and two of theirsongs are like.
This week two unforgettablesongs by an artist or a band
week two unforgettable songs byan artist or a band.
So this week I'll be talkingabout two songs by country music
(00:31):
legend Vincent Grant Gill,obviously better known as Vince
Gill.
Now I'm your host, michaelPezzin of Second Round Music,
and, if you're a first-timelistener to the show, thank you
for your time and welcome.
I hope you enjoy it and becomea regular listener.
If you've been a weeklylistener so far, hey, a big
shout out to you also.
With a career spanning overfour decades, more than 20
(00:54):
Grammys and countless hits,vince Gill has crafted some of
the most heartfelt music everrecorded.
But two songs in particular GoRest High on that Mountain and,
whenever you Come Around, standout for their deeply personal
inspiration and lasting impact.
So let's explore the storiesbehind these two powerful songs
(01:17):
of love and loss and the man whobrought them to life.
Now, before we get started, Ineed to make a confession.
(01:42):
When Vince Gill first hit thecountry music scene back in 1990
, I wasn't all that impressed.
I appreciated his smooth tenorvoice but honestly, it didn't
grab me at first.
That all changed the night Isaw him live in concert.
I had great seats close enoughto really take in the stage
setup and as the band startedout I found myself scanning the
(02:06):
musicians, wondering who wasgoing to handle the electric
guitar parts.
I mean, this was modern countrymusic and someone is going to
be playing an electric guitar,right?
Well, then walks out Vincecarrying a black Fender
Stratocaster.
He steps up plugs in, startedplaying and let me tell you, he
tore it up.
His guitar work was every bitas impressive as his employees,
(02:30):
maybe even more so.
I was absolutely blown away andfrom that moment on I became a
full-fledged Vince Gill fan.
Now we're not going to diveinto Vince's full musical career
or personal history todaythat's coming in a later episode
.
But I just want to share thatstory before we dig into the
songs.
(02:51):
And on the other side of thissponsored message, we'll do just
that.
Are you ready to take controlof your finances and build a
brighter future?
Are you sick and tired of beingsick and tired and feeling
broke all the time?
My name is Michael Pezzin, acertified master coach and I
created Second Round Financialto provide personalized
financial coaching based on theproven principles of Dave
(03:13):
Ramsey's Seven Baby Steps.
Our services include, but arenot limited to, one-on-one
financial coaching through Zoomconference or face-to-face
budgeting strategies, debtreduction plans, emergency fund
creation, retirement planningand investment guidance.
But why choose us?
Because we believe inempowering our clients with the
(03:33):
knowledge and tools they need toachieve financial peace.
With our guidance, you'll gainclarity over your financial
situation, develop a realisticand achievable plan, and
experience, hope and confidencein your financial future.
I have over 15 years experienceteaching and guiding families
in the Ramsey Principles, alongwith a degree in finance and
(03:54):
work experience in the bankingand insurance industries.
So let's get started today.
Go to secondroundfinancialcomand click book now to schedule
your free consultation today.
So let's start with Go Rest Highon that Mountain, a song that
was released in 1995, this songhas become a modern gospel
standard.
(04:15):
It's performed at funerals,memorials and tribute concerts
across the country.
As a matter of fact, I had thehonor as hard as it was to sing
this song at a funeral of areally good friend of mine.
But what many don't know is howlong that song took to come to
life and how deeply personal itsmessage is to Vince himself.
(04:37):
Vince began writing the songback in 1989 after the death of
his friend and fellow countryartist Keith Whitley.
If you listened to my secondepisode, we talked about this
topic but, to catch everyone up,whitley had passed away
tragically at the age of 34 dueto alcohol poisoning.
Vince started the first verseshortly after that, but for
(05:01):
years he couldn't finish it andit was stuck in a drawer
somewhere.
He said the grief was just tooraw and the words just wouldn't
come.
Now.
It wasn't until 1993 when Vincelost his own brother, bob, to a
heart attack.
Now the rest of the songfinally came, as Vince had
(05:22):
shared in interviews, interviews.
He went home after the funeral,picked up his guitar and the
words just poured out like aflood, his heartbreak finally
giving way to the music.
So Now, boy, there's no mistakein Vince's guitar tone when he
(06:09):
plays.
Is there Now?
The recording of this songbrought together a powerful trio
Obviously Vince on lead vocals,but bluegrass legend Ricky
Skaggs and country star PattiLoveless sang harmonies.
Now, skaggs' bluegrass rootsand Loveless's Appalachian soul
added a spiritual dimension thatelevated the entire recording.
(06:30):
The instrumentation wasintentionally sparse and subtle,
with Vince on electric guitar,stuart Duncan on the fiddle,
john Huey on steel guitar, JohnBarlow Jarvis on a Hammond B3
organ, tom Rohde on percussions,michael Rhodes on bass guitar,
(06:52):
randy Scruggs on an acousticguitar, stuart Smith on electric
guitar and yes, that is theStuart Smith we talked about in
episode 5, that played with theEagles, carlos Vega on drums.
That is the Stuart Smith wetalked about in episode 5, that
played with the Eagles CarlosVega on drums and Pete Washtenaw
on keys and piano.
Now, this lineup lets thelyrics carry the emotional
(07:12):
weight of this song.
Now, the song was released inAugust of 1995 as the sixth
single from the album when LoveFinds you.
And there's actually twoversions of this song, a radio
cut and an album cut.
The difference between the twoalbum cut has an extended
(07:33):
instrumental break that addsVince's sweet guitar tone solo,
and it's actually my favorite.
It takes this song to anotherlevel, in my opinion.
Now, while it peaked modestlyon the charts, only reaching
number 14 on the Billboard HotCountry Singles chart, it found
a much larger life outside ofradio.
It won both the CMA Song of theYear and a Grammy for Best Male
(07:55):
Country Vocal Performance in1996.
And of all of Vince's success.
This is his only platinumselling single, but more than
awards.
Go Rest High on that Mountainbecame a song that people needed
.
Vince has performed atcountless times at funerals and
memorials, most famously atGeorge Jones' funeral in 2013,
(08:20):
where he broke downmid-performance.
But now there's a backstory tothat event also, I've just heard
about it and it's the reasonwe're doing this episode.
Let's give a listen to Vince inthis short clip.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
That's beautiful baby .
What do you say?
We do one more.
All right, you want to do one?
Speaker 1 (08:39):
more I'd love to.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
It's been a while I know it's been way too long Miss
hearing your voice and speakingof your voice.
Years ago, when the greatGeorge Jones passed away I don't
know if any of you saw theservice where Patty and I sang
for George and I completely fellapart.
I lost it more than I've everlost it performing in my life
(09:02):
and a lot of people thought itwas probably the moment and my
friendship with George and a lotof it was.
But the truth of that is, ifyou ever watch that again, if
you ever watch the video of it,when Patty started singing with
me and I heard her voice, that'swhat took me under, that's what
took me down, and that voicehas always done that to me for
(09:22):
the last 35, 36 years.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Something like that I didn't mean to make you cry,
that's all right.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
I didn't mind, it was all good.
Well, I got even with you,because I can't tell you how
many times you made me cry,darling.
My grandma used to say, son, ifyour eyes, if your eyes don't
leak, your head won't swell.
If your eyes leak, your headwon't swell.
But anyway, this is a song thatI wrote for my brother after
(09:49):
his passing, and to have Pattysing on the record with me on
that, and also Ricky Skaggssinging with us on that record,
was powerful.
And this is the 30thanniversary of me losing my
brother, so I think about himoften, and especially when I
sing this song.
So we'll leave you with this.
Thanks for coming to be with us, god bless.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Boy.
That's good stuff.
Now, that comes from a videothat I recently saw on Facebook
and it was posted by theBarnyard Beats page, and I want
to give them credit for sharingthat.
We appreciate it.
That moment spoke of howpersonal the song remains for
him even after all these years.
It's not just a song, it's afarewell letter, a prayer and a
(10:30):
comfort all wrapped into one,and in many ways it's Vince
Gill's signature song.
Now, also in that video, hesang a third verse that I'd
never heard, and it was verywell written and very fitting
for the original song.
If you want to hear it, checkout my performance of it and our
(10:52):
next song on my YouTube channel.
There'll be a link in thedescription that'll take you to
it, and I hope you enjoy it.
So from now Lost to Love, let'smove to a song that captures
that aching feeling of seeingsomeone you can't forget, a song
born from heartbreak, longingand maybe a little hope On the
other side of this short breaklet's talk about Whenever you
(11:15):
Come Around.
Hey guys, thank you forlistening today and I hope
you're enjoying this podcast.
If you are, please subscribe orfollow the podcast, click the
like button, share it with othermusic lovers, and please
consider giving a five-starrating so we can reach a bigger
audience.
Now back to the show.
Now, before we get into our nextsong, I've got to share a
personal story behind it as well.
(11:36):
When I first heard this one,I'd only listened to it a couple
of times, just enough to get afeel for the tempo and the mood,
but not much beyond that.
Around the same time, I cameacross a guitar magazine might
have been Guitar World, or maybeGuitar Player with a featured
article on how to play the song.
(11:57):
So I flipped through it, lookedover the chord progression and
started humming along and Ithought you know what?
This is a pretty solid tune.
This was during my band daysyears ago and I decided to bring
the song to the guys at arehearsal to see if we might add
it to our set list.
We ran through it a couple oftimes and it just clicked.
Everything fell into placepretty quickly and before long
(12:21):
it became a staple at our shows.
Now, around the same time, Imet this beautiful creature who,
lucky for me, eventually becamemy wife.
Beautiful creature who, luckyfor me, eventually became my
wife.
Now we've been together now forover 25 years and that song
kind of became our song, so tospeak.
So yeah, it holds a specialplace in my heart.
And here's the funny part,since I'd only heard the song a
(12:42):
few times early on, the way Isang those first couple of lines
, the vocal phrasing and thecadence ended up being a little
bit different than Vince'soriginal version.
I didn't even realize thisdifference until we had been
performing it for quite a while.
By then I was already locked inand it had become my version.
(13:03):
And that, to me, is one of thebeautiful things about music we
get to bring our owninterpretation to it, and I hope
you enjoy hearing that side ofit too.
Now, this song was released in1994, and Whenever you Come
Around was a lead single fromVince's album when Love Finds
you.
It's a slow, soulful balladthat perfectly captures the
(13:25):
vulnerability of beinglove-struck and afraid to say a
word, kind of like I was.
But here's the thing thiswasn't just a made-up love song.
Vince co-wrote this tune withNashville songwriter and legend
Pete Washington.
Now you remember him.
He was the piano player on GoRest High and this song, well,
(13:48):
it's inspired by someone real.
At the time Vince was stillmarried, but in his heart he was
growing increasingly attachedto someone else.
Now I am not saying I'mcondoning those actions, but
well that someone was, christiansinger Amy Grant, who would
(14:09):
eventually become his wife andhas been now for over 25 years,
though both are still married toother people.
At the time of the writing, theemotions running through
whenever you come around weregenuine.
Vince has said that he wrote itabout Amy, though he wouldn't
act on those feelings for years.
Now there's something else Ihave to add about this song.
(14:30):
I heard a story several yearsago so I can't remember the
source, but the story goes thatthe song was actually written
for Vince's daughter, jenny Gill, and to be honest with you, I
kind of like that story a littlebetter.
Now the song is a masterclass inrestraint.
From the opening lines face ofan angel, pretty eyes that shine
(14:54):
Vince sets the tone with gentlevocals and heart-tugging lyrics
.
Musically, the production isequally restrained.
The arrangement features softpiano, clean guitar tones and a
subtle steel guitar feel thatecho the ache in Vince's voice
and that's Trisha Yearwood'svoice singing harmony vocals and
(15:16):
the break between the secondand the third chorus.
Now, that is vintage Vince Gill, and while the production was
delicate, the impact waspowerful.
Whenever you Come Aroundclimbed to number two on the
Billboard Hot Country chart andwas a gold-selling single.
This song became one of thebiggest hits in Vince's career.
(15:37):
It also crossed into the adultcontemporary stations as well,
broadening his fan base beyondcountry.
And years later, vince and Amydid end up together.
They married in March of 2000,and they've been a musical and
personal partnership ever since.
Listening back now, you can hearthe seeds of that story in this
(15:59):
song.
It's more than just a loveballad, it's a musical diary
entry.
So there you go, two songs, twovery different types of love.
One a farewell to a brother anda friend, the other a quiet
confession to a future soulmate.
That's the magic of Vince Gill.
Whether he's writing aboutgrief or love or anything in
(16:23):
between, his music goes straightto the heart, and that's why,
decades later, songs like GoRest High on that Mountain and
Whatever you Come Aroundcontinue to be so impactful.
Thank you for joining me forthis episode of Two for Tuesday.
If you enjoyed this deep dive,be sure to subscribe, leave a
review and check out thearchives for more artist stories
(16:46):
and song secrets.
So, as always, we love you andwe need you, and until next time
, I'm Michael Pezzin of SecondRound Music, reminding you every
song has a story and onTuesdays, well, I'll tell them
to you.
God bless you.
Welcome back to the Two for Tuesday podcast, where
each week we dig deep into thestories behind either an iconic
artist or band and two of theirsongs are like.
This week two unforgettablesongs by an artist or a band
week two unforgettable songs byan artist or a band.
So this week I'll be talkingabout two songs by country music
(00:31):
legend Vincent Grant Gill,obviously better known as Vince
Gill.
Now I'm your host, michaelPezzin of Second Round Music,
and, if you're a first-timelistener to the show, thank you
for your time and welcome.
I hope you enjoy it and becomea regular listener.
If you've been a weeklylistener so far, hey, a big
shout out to you also.
With a career spanning overfour decades, more than 20
(00:54):
Grammys and countless hits,vince Gill has crafted some of
the most heartfelt music everrecorded.
But two songs in particular GoRest High on that Mountain and,
whenever you Come Around, standout for their deeply personal
inspiration and lasting impact.
So let's explore the storiesbehind these two powerful songs
(01:17):
of love and loss and the man whobrought them to life.
Now, before we get started, Ineed to make a confession.
(01:42):
When Vince Gill first hit thecountry music scene back in 1990
, I wasn't all that impressed.
I appreciated his smooth tenorvoice but honestly, it didn't
grab me at first.
That all changed the night Isaw him live in concert.
I had great seats close enoughto really take in the stage
setup and as the band startedout I found myself scanning the
(02:06):
musicians, wondering who wasgoing to handle the electric
guitar parts.
I mean, this was modern countrymusic and someone is going to
be playing an electric guitar,right?
Well, then walks out Vincecarrying a black Fender
Stratocaster.
He steps up plugs in, startedplaying and let me tell you, he
tore it up.
His guitar work was every bitas impressive as his employees,
(02:30):
maybe even more so.
I was absolutely blown away andfrom that moment on I became a
full-fledged Vince Gill fan.
Now we're not going to diveinto Vince's full musical career
or personal history todaythat's coming in a later episode
.
But I just want to share thatstory before we dig into the
songs.
(02:51):
And on the other side of thissponsored message, we'll do just
that.
Are you ready to take controlof your finances and build a
brighter future?
Are you sick and tired of beingsick and tired and feeling
broke all the time?
My name is Michael Pezzin, acertified master coach and I
created Second Round Financialto provide personalized
financial coaching based on theproven principles of Dave
(03:13):
Ramsey's Seven Baby Steps.
Our services include, but arenot limited to, one-on-one
financial coaching through Zoomconference or face-to-face
budgeting strategies, debtreduction plans, emergency fund
creation, retirement planningand investment guidance.
But why choose us?
Because we believe inempowering our clients with the
(03:33):
knowledge and tools they need toachieve financial peace.
With our guidance, you'll gainclarity over your financial
situation, develop a realisticand achievable plan, and
experience, hope and confidencein your financial future.
I have over 15 years experienceteaching and guiding families
in the Ramsey Principles, alongwith a degree in finance and
(03:54):
work experience in the bankingand insurance industries.
So let's get started today.
Go to secondroundfinancialcomand click book now to schedule
your free consultation today.
So let's start with Go Rest Highon that Mountain, a song that
was released in 1995, this songhas become a modern gospel
standard.
(04:15):
It's performed at funerals,memorials and tribute concerts
across the country.
As a matter of fact, I had thehonor as hard as it was to sing
this song at a funeral of areally good friend of mine.
But what many don't know is howlong that song took to come to
life and how deeply personal itsmessage is to Vince himself.
(04:37):
Vince began writing the songback in 1989 after the death of
his friend and fellow countryartist Keith Whitley.
If you listened to my secondepisode, we talked about this
topic but, to catch everyone up,whitley had passed away
tragically at the age of 34 dueto alcohol poisoning.
Vince started the first verseshortly after that, but for
(05:01):
years he couldn't finish it andit was stuck in a drawer
somewhere.
He said the grief was just tooraw and the words just wouldn't
come.
Now.
It wasn't until 1993 when Vincelost his own brother, bob, to a
heart attack.
Now the rest of the songfinally came, as Vince had
(05:22):
shared in interviews, interviews.
He went home after the funeral,picked up his guitar and the
words just poured out like aflood, his heartbreak finally
giving way to the music.
So Now, boy, there's no mistakein Vince's guitar tone when he
(06:09):
plays.
Is there Now?
The recording of this songbrought together a powerful trio
Obviously Vince on lead vocals,but bluegrass legend Ricky
Skaggs and country star PattiLoveless sang harmonies.
Now, skaggs' bluegrass rootsand Loveless's Appalachian soul
added a spiritual dimension thatelevated the entire recording.
(06:30):
The instrumentation wasintentionally sparse and subtle,
with Vince on electric guitar,stuart Duncan on the fiddle,
john Huey on steel guitar, JohnBarlow Jarvis on a Hammond B3
organ, tom Rohde on percussions,michael Rhodes on bass guitar,
(06:52):
randy Scruggs on an acousticguitar, stuart Smith on electric
guitar and yes, that is theStuart Smith we talked about in
episode 5, that played with theEagles, carlos Vega on drums.
That is the Stuart Smith wetalked about in episode 5, that
played with the Eagles CarlosVega on drums and Pete Washtenaw
on keys and piano.
Now, this lineup lets thelyrics carry the emotional
(07:12):
weight of this song.
Now, the song was released inAugust of 1995 as the sixth
single from the album when LoveFinds you.
And there's actually twoversions of this song, a radio
cut and an album cut.
The difference between the twoalbum cut has an extended
(07:33):
instrumental break that addsVince's sweet guitar tone solo,
and it's actually my favorite.
It takes this song to anotherlevel, in my opinion.
Now, while it peaked modestlyon the charts, only reaching
number 14 on the Billboard HotCountry Singles chart, it found
a much larger life outside ofradio.
It won both the CMA Song of theYear and a Grammy for Best Male
(07:55):
Country Vocal Performance in1996.
And of all of Vince's success.
This is his only platinumselling single, but more than
awards.
Go Rest High on that Mountainbecame a song that people needed
.
Vince has performed atcountless times at funerals and
memorials, most famously atGeorge Jones' funeral in 2013,
(08:20):
where he broke downmid-performance.
But now there's a backstory tothat event also, I've just heard
about it and it's the reasonwe're doing this episode.
Let's give a listen to Vince inthis short clip.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
That's beautiful baby .
What do you say?
We do one more.
All right, you want to do one?
Speaker 1 (08:39):
more I'd love to.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
It's been a while I know it's been way too long Miss
hearing your voice and speakingof your voice.
Years ago, when the greatGeorge Jones passed away I don't
know if any of you saw theservice where Patty and I sang
for George and I completely fellapart.
I lost it more than I've everlost it performing in my life
(09:02):
and a lot of people thought itwas probably the moment and my
friendship with George and a lotof it was.
But the truth of that is, ifyou ever watch that again, if
you ever watch the video of it,when Patty started singing with
me and I heard her voice, that'swhat took me under, that's what
took me down, and that voicehas always done that to me for
(09:22):
the last 35, 36 years.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Something like that I didn't mean to make you cry,
that's all right.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
I didn't mind, it was all good.
Well, I got even with you,because I can't tell you how
many times you made me cry,darling.
My grandma used to say, son, ifyour eyes, if your eyes don't
leak, your head won't swell.
If your eyes leak, your headwon't swell.
But anyway, this is a song thatI wrote for my brother after
(09:49):
his passing, and to have Pattysing on the record with me on
that, and also Ricky Skaggssinging with us on that record,
was powerful.
And this is the 30thanniversary of me losing my
brother, so I think about himoften, and especially when I
sing this song.
So we'll leave you with this.
Thanks for coming to be with us, god bless.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Boy.
That's good stuff.
Now, that comes from a videothat I recently saw on Facebook
and it was posted by theBarnyard Beats page, and I want
to give them credit for sharingthat.
We appreciate it.
That moment spoke of howpersonal the song remains for
him even after all these years.
It's not just a song, it's afarewell letter, a prayer and a
(10:30):
comfort all wrapped into one,and in many ways it's Vince
Gill's signature song.
Now, also in that video, hesang a third verse that I'd
never heard, and it was verywell written and very fitting
for the original song.
If you want to hear it, checkout my performance of it and our
(10:52):
next song on my YouTube channel.
There'll be a link in thedescription that'll take you to
it, and I hope you enjoy it.
So from now Lost to Love, let'smove to a song that captures
that aching feeling of seeingsomeone you can't forget, a song
born from heartbreak, longingand maybe a little hope On the
other side of this short breaklet's talk about Whenever you
(11:15):
Come Around.
Hey guys, thank you forlistening today and I hope
you're enjoying this podcast.
If you are, please subscribe orfollow the podcast, click the
like button, share it with othermusic lovers, and please
consider giving a five-starrating so we can reach a bigger
audience.
Now back to the show.
Now, before we get into our nextsong, I've got to share a
personal story behind it as well.
(11:36):
When I first heard this one,I'd only listened to it a couple
of times, just enough to get afeel for the tempo and the mood,
but not much beyond that.
Around the same time, I cameacross a guitar magazine might
have been Guitar World, or maybeGuitar Player with a featured
article on how to play the song.
(11:57):
So I flipped through it, lookedover the chord progression and
started humming along and Ithought you know what?
This is a pretty solid tune.
This was during my band daysyears ago and I decided to bring
the song to the guys at arehearsal to see if we might add
it to our set list.
We ran through it a couple oftimes and it just clicked.
Everything fell into placepretty quickly and before long
(12:21):
it became a staple at our shows.
Now, around the same time, Imet this beautiful creature who,
lucky for me, eventually becamemy wife.
Beautiful creature who, luckyfor me, eventually became my
wife.
Now we've been together now forover 25 years and that song
kind of became our song, so tospeak.
So yeah, it holds a specialplace in my heart.
And here's the funny part,since I'd only heard the song a
(12:42):
few times early on, the way Isang those first couple of lines
, the vocal phrasing and thecadence ended up being a little
bit different than Vince'soriginal version.
I didn't even realize thisdifference until we had been
performing it for quite a while.
By then I was already locked inand it had become my version.
(13:03):
And that, to me, is one of thebeautiful things about music we
get to bring our owninterpretation to it, and I hope
you enjoy hearing that side ofit too.
Now, this song was released in1994, and Whenever you Come
Around was a lead single fromVince's album when Love Finds
you.
It's a slow, soulful balladthat perfectly captures the
(13:25):
vulnerability of beinglove-struck and afraid to say a
word, kind of like I was.
But here's the thing thiswasn't just a made-up love song.
Vince co-wrote this tune withNashville songwriter and legend
Pete Washington.
Now you remember him.
He was the piano player on GoRest High and this song, well,
(13:48):
it's inspired by someone real.
At the time Vince was stillmarried, but in his heart he was
growing increasingly attachedto someone else.
Now I am not saying I'mcondoning those actions, but
well that someone was, christiansinger Amy Grant, who would
(14:09):
eventually become his wife andhas been now for over 25 years,
though both are still married toother people.
At the time of the writing, theemotions running through
whenever you come around weregenuine.
Vince has said that he wrote itabout Amy, though he wouldn't
act on those feelings for years.
Now there's something else Ihave to add about this song.
(14:30):
I heard a story several yearsago so I can't remember the
source, but the story goes thatthe song was actually written
for Vince's daughter, jenny Gill, and to be honest with you, I
kind of like that story a littlebetter.
Now the song is a masterclass inrestraint.
From the opening lines face ofan angel, pretty eyes that shine
(14:54):
Vince sets the tone with gentlevocals and heart-tugging lyrics
.
Musically, the production isequally restrained.
The arrangement features softpiano, clean guitar tones and a
subtle steel guitar feel thatecho the ache in Vince's voice
and that's Trisha Yearwood'svoice singing harmony vocals and
(15:16):
the break between the secondand the third chorus.
Now, that is vintage Vince Gill, and while the production was
delicate, the impact waspowerful.
Whenever you Come Aroundclimbed to number two on the
Billboard Hot Country chart andwas a gold-selling single.
This song became one of thebiggest hits in Vince's career.
(15:37):
It also crossed into the adultcontemporary stations as well,
broadening his fan base beyondcountry.
And years later, vince and Amydid end up together.
They married in March of 2000,and they've been a musical and
personal partnership ever since.
Listening back now, you can hearthe seeds of that story in this
(15:59):
song.
It's more than just a loveballad, it's a musical diary
entry.
So there you go, two songs, twovery different types of love.
One a farewell to a brother anda friend, the other a quiet
confession to a future soulmate.
That's the magic of Vince Gill.
Whether he's writing aboutgrief or love or anything in
(16:23):
between, his music goes straightto the heart, and that's why,
decades later, songs like GoRest High on that Mountain and
Whatever you Come Aroundcontinue to be so impactful.
Thank you for joining me forthis episode of Two for Tuesday.
If you enjoyed this deep dive,be sure to subscribe, leave a
review and check out thearchives for more artist stories
(16:46):
and song secrets.
So, as always, we love you andwe need you, and until next time
, I'm Michael Pezzin of SecondRound Music, reminding you every
song has a story and onTuesdays, well, I'll tell them
to you.
God bless you.
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