Mountains (Biffy Clyro song)

"Mountains"
Single by Biffy Clyro
from the album Only Revolutions
B-side	"Little Soldiers" "Paperfriend" "Robbery"
Released	18 August 2008
Recorded	March 2008
Studio	Sunset Sound Recorders (Hollywood, California)
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	3:23
Label	14th Floor
Songwriter(s)	Simon Neil Biffy Clyro
Producer(s)	Garth Richardson Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro singles chronology
"Who's Got a Match?" (2008) "Mountains" (2008) "That Golden Rule" (2009)
Only Revolutions track listing
"The Captain" "That Golden Rule" "Bubbles" "God and Satan" "Born on a Horse" "Mountains" "Shock Shock" "Many of Horror" "Booooom, Blast & Ruin" "Cloud of Stink" "Know Your Quarry" "Whorses"

"Mountains" is a song by Scottish band Biffy Clyro, released as a single on 18 August 2008. Originally released as a non-album single, it would later be included on the band's fifth studio album, Only Revolutions, in 2009.[1] It was originally entitled "Teeth or Mountains" and was first played live at the Electric Festival in Getafe, Spain, on 30 May 2008.

"Mountains" is the band's highest-charting single on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number five. It topped the Scottish Singles Chart, giving Biffy Clyro their third number one there. Outside the United Kingdom, "Mountains" reached number 55 in Australia and number 42 in Ireland.

Release and reception

The band signing copies in Glasgow, 25 August 2008

Taking a short break from touring with Say Anything in March 2008, the band recorded the song in Los Angeles, with producer Garth Richardson, who produced the band's previous album, Puzzle.

After appearing in many of the band's summer setlists, the song made its radio debut on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show on Friday 19 June 2008 and was introduced as "The Hottest Record in the World Today".

To coincide with the single's physical release, the band embarked on a promotional tour across the UK performing acoustic sets in record stores and signing copies of the single.[2]

Composition

The song is notably more radio-friendly than the band's previous releases, due to its fairly normal song structure and heavy emphasis on melody. It is also one of their first songs to feature a piano. Despite its radio-friendly style, the song incorporates an unusual time signature of ^15
₁₆ throughout the verses,[3] while the post-choruses switch between ^4
₄ and ^3
₄.

Use in media

The song was used for the credits for XXXX Gold Beach Cricket. Mountains was included on Colin McRae: DiRT 2 in a video tribute to the late Scottish rally driver Colin McRae.[4] This song also appears on Shift 2: Unleashed and SBK X: Superbike World Championship.

B-sides

"Paperfriend" was a track recorded for Puzzle in 2007 that didn't make the cut. Lyrics from the track, "Help Me Be Captain", can be heard in the song. "Little Soldiers" appeared in the band's acoustic sets promoting the single.

Track listings

Songs and lyrics are by Simon Neil, music by Biffy Clyro. All songs were published by Good Soldier Songs.

• UK CD single (14FLR 32CD)[5]

1. "Mountains"
2. "Little Soldiers"

• UK 7-inch picture disc 1 (14FLR32V1)[6]

A. "Mountains"

B. "Paperfriend"

• UK 7-inch picture disc 2 (14FLR32V2)[7]

A. "Mountains"

B. "Robbery"

• Digital download[8]

1. "Mountains" – 3:23

Personnel

Credits are lifted from the CD and 7-inch release liner notes.[5][6][7]

• Simon Neil – guitar, piano, vocals, writer
• Ben Johnston – drums, vocals
• James Johnston – bass, vocals, recording (of "Little Soldiers" & "Robbery")
• Garth Richardson – producer
• Andy Wallace – mixing
• David Schiffman – engineering
• Ben Kaplan – engineering
• Mike Fraser – engineering (of "Paperfriend")
• John O'Mahony – mix engineer
• Howie Weinberg – mastering
• Mark Williams – mixing (of "Little Soldiers" & "Robbery)
• Frank Arkwright – mastering (of "Little Soldiers", "Robbery" & "Paperfriend")
• Alex H. N. Gilbert – artist and repertoire, and additional production
• OXEN – cover art and design

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2008) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[9] 55 Euro Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[10] 9 Ireland (IRMA)[11] 42 Scotland (OCC)[12] 1 UK Singles (OCC)[13] 5

Year-end charts Chart (2008) Position UK Singles (OCC)[14] 97

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[15]	Platinum	600,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Stereokill.net - life without a pause // Alternative music criticism, news, reviews, features". Archived from the original on 8 September 2009.
2. "Biffy Clyro - the Myth of the Happily Ever After – out now".
3. "BIFFY CLYRO Only Revolutions - Track By Track". YouTube. 16 January 2010. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
4. Video on YouTube
5. Mountains (UK CD single liner notes). Biffy Clyro. 14th Floor Records. 2008. 14FLR 32CD.
6. Mountains (UK 7-inch picture disc). Biffy Clyro. 14th Floor Records. 2008. 14FLR32V1.
7. Mountains (UK 7-inch picture disc). Biffy Clyro. 14th Floor Records. 2008. 14FLR32V2.
8. "Mountains – Single". Apple Music. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
9. "Issue 986" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
10. "Biffy Clyro Chart History (Euro Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
11. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Biffy Clyro". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
12. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
13. "Biffy Clyro: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
14. "Official Singles Chart 2008" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
15. "British single certifications – Biffy Clyro – Mountains". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 September 2023.