The song was written by Carlile with her long-time collaborators Phil and Tim Hanseroth. It features harmonies by indie pop band Lucius. According to Carlile, she originally sang the harmonies on the track until she overturned the decision. Then, she reached out to Lucius to replace her after producing their fourth studio album, Second Nature.[2] She revealed to Variety that Canadian-American musician Joni Mitchell had a direct influence on the song. They initially wrote the demo on a dulcimer then sending it to producers Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings. Jennings loved the version while Cobb deemed it "way too Joni [Mitchell-esque]". The three of them then compromised and worked on the song further and reached the final version.[3]
Before her performance of the song at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in June 2022, she told the audience that the title was inspired from a song from her Bible camp when she was a kid which advised her to "build your house on a rock".[4] She further explained during an interview with Stereogum a year prior that the song was written about her wife, Catherine and their kids being her "solid foundation" in her life.[2]
Upon its album release, Carlile revealed to Variety that Joni Mitchell told her the track "sounded like a hit" and it was Harry Styles' favorite track of the album.[3]
Release
The "Laurel Canyon-inspired" version of the track, featuring Carlile's wife, Catherine, was released as the lead single of the reissue of its parent album, In the Canyon Haze on September 3, 2022.[8]
The music video of the track was released on June 29, 2022 and directed by Drew Tyndell.[12] The music video features Carlile performing the song while the animation of rock-solid home rises in the background.[4]