The Climb

"The Climb" is a song performed by American singer Miley Cyrus, for the 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie. 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 soundtrack by Walt Disney Records as well as a bonus track on the international release of The Time of Our Lives. 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 song received a nomination 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 However, the song was withdrawn from consideration by Walt Disney Records because it had not been written specifically for a movie as the category's eligibility rules required.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 became a top ten single on charts in Australia, Canada, Norway and the United States. In the United States, it 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 triple 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 Kids Inaugural: "We Are the Future" 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 song was also performed during the Gypsy Heart 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, with Hollie Cavanagh performing it in the top 6 of the eleventh season. 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" and recalled, ""I was just driving to work one day. It's just a typical day, nothing really special about that day. And I just had this melody in my head. And I couldn't get to my co-writer Jon Mabe or my guitar fast enough because I just wanted to play what I was hearing. And, you know, we just kinda put it down pretty fast and didn't really think anything about it. The lyrics kinda started to come, I think for both of us, being kinda underdogs in the business. My co-writer was a songplugger, just turned songwriter, and I'd had record deals and ups and downs in the music business. I think for both of us, we just came from a place of, you know, 'it's not a race'.""

The song they created was titled "It's the Climb" and was written in third person. 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.

Before reaching Cyrus, the song had been rejected by several country artists. It was eventually picked up by Peter Chelsom, director of Hannah Montana: The Movie, who gave it to Cyrus to record for the film. Chelsom found what would become "The Climb" while visiting Nashville, Tennessee, during a quest to find eleven new songs for Hannah Montana: The Movie. After hearing Alexander's music, Chelsom asked her to submit songs for consideration. Alexander recorded "It's the Climb" on a CD and gave it to him. Several weeks later, Chelsom called to say that "the song was gonna be an integral part of the movie". However, he wanted Mabe and Alexander to rework some of the song's content and to change the song from third person to first person. Alexander felt the changes amounted to a "substantial amount of the song" and commented, "For me, when you change something from third person to first person, it can change the whole meaning of a line." She and Mabe "wrestl[ed] over taking words out" and how much they could change while maintaining the song's integrity. After a number of drafts, Mabe and Alexander finally created a version they felt was "perfect for the movie".

Upon receiving the final draft, filmmakers told the songwriters, "This is perfect for Miley, it’s gonna change her life, gonna change your life." Chelsom commented that the song "turned up" the film's music level by tapping into Cyrus's newfound vocal range. 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". According to film producer Alfred Gough, "The song is her journey, the lessons she's learned in the movie. It's an epic [...] power ballad that encapsulates Miley's journey and the message of the film."

"The Climb" was chosen as the lead single from the soundtrack due to its country elements, which introduced Cyrus to listeners beyond her usual pop audience. The song is Cyrus's first solo effort marketed directly to country radio, though she had previously recorded and released a country duet with her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, which was titled "Ready, Set, Don't Go", in 2007. "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' extended play, The Time of Our Lives.

Critical reception
Critical reception for the song was generally positive. Fraser McAlpine of the BBC felt the song's lyrics were generic, but complimented Cyrus vocals: "Miley acquits herself well vocally — there are moments where her voice sounds a tad strained, but it's good to hear her on a track that's a little more subdued and with less frantic production than the uptempo, sassy pop songs we're used to." Michael Menachem of Billboard magazine called the song "one of the year's strongest ballads". 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". However, Martens said, "'The Climb' is the rare Miley ballad that's on par with some of her more spunky teen pop."

Heather Phares of Allmusic said, "the best songs that Cyrus sings on the soundtrack have her own name on them". She also made musical comparisons to Shania Twain and described the song as "natural, [...] down to earth and grown-up". While reviewing The Time of Our Lives, Michael Hann of The Guardian called "The Climb" a "one rather superior ballad", compared to "When I Look at You" and "Obsessed". Hann said the song was added to the extended play in order to "add some ballast since this collection's US release." Jon Caraminica of The New York Times described "The Climb" as an "appealing new single [that] is just the sort of demure, inspirational country-rock that could easily be mistaken for self-reckoning." 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.

Live performances
Cyrus opened the Kids' Inaugural: "We Are the Future" 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. On June 7, 2009, Cyrus performed the song at the 20th annual A Time for Heroes Celebrity Carnival, an outdoor carnival supporting the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. 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.

Cyrus performed the song during the Gypsy Heart Tour. She also performed this song on CNN Heroes on December 11, 2011.

After 6 years, Miley Cyrus performed The Climb on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, followed by an acoustic version on The Howard Stern Show.

Lyrics
I can almost see it.

That dream I'm dreaming,

But there's a voice inside my head saying,

"You'll never reach it."

Every step I'm takin'

Every move I make feels lost with no direction,

My faith is shakin'

But I, I gotta keep tryin'

Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain

I'm always gonna wanna make it move

Always gonna be an uphill battle

Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there

Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side

It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing

The chances I'm taking

Sometimes might knock me down,

But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it,

But these are the moments

That I'm gonna remember most, yeah

Just gotta keep goin',

And I, I gotta be strong

Just keep pushing on,

'Cause...

There's always gonna be another mountain

I'm always gonna wanna make it move

Always gonna be an uphill battle

Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there

Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side

It's the climb

Yeah

There's always gonna be another mountain

I'm always gonna wanna make it move

Always gonna be an uphill battle

Somebody's gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there

Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side

It's the climb

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Keep on movin'

Keep climbin'

Keep the faith, baby

It's all about—it's all about the climb

Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa, whoa, oh.