Man on the Silver Mountain
| "Man on the Silver Mountain" | |
|---|---|
| File:Man on the silver mountian french.jpg | |
| Single by Rainbow | |
| from the album Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow | |
| B-side | "Snake Charmer" |
| Released | 1975 |
| Format | 7" |
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal, progressive rock |
| Length | 4:38 |
| Writer(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".[1] This track became one of Rainbow's greatest hits and was also a live favourite for any Dio fronted band. When Dio died and was buried in Los Angeles, the words on his grave were "The man on the silver mountain Ronnie James Dio".[2]
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".[3] After Dio's death, Rob Halford performed a cover of the song and said it "captures the things I personally love in metal tracks".[4]
