Moving Mountains Album Usher

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Moving Mountains" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Usher. It was released on May 23, 2008, as the third single from his fifth studio album, Here I Stand. It was written by Usher with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Kuk Harrell and The-Dream, and was produced by Stewart and The-Dream. "Moving Mountains" is a slow tempo ballad, with lyrics describing a love struggle.

The song appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, as well as the single charts of several European countries. It peaked highest in New Zealand, where it reached number six on the singles chart and was certified gold. The music video for "Moving Mountains" was filmed in front of a green screen as a sequel to the video of "Love in This Club".

"Moving Mountains" was written by The-Dream, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Kuk Harrell and Usher, and produced by The-Dream and Stewart.[1] Recorded at Triangle Sound Studios and Chalice Recording Studios,[1] it was leaked in February 2008,[2] before being officially released for sale on May 23, 2008.[3]

"Moving Mountains" is a slow jam ballad,[4] and contains synth beats and electronic influences.[5][6] Portions of the song follow a chord progression used in OneRepublic's "Apologize".[7] Partway through the song the beat is adjusted, while the musical instruments are accentuated.[8] Usher's voice ranges from tenor to falsetto.[5] The song's lyrics are of a "struggle to get through to his girl",[9] and contain an extended metaphor, relating his fight for love to that of moving mountains, wishing for the situation to change.[10] Fraser McAlpine from BBC called it "a cold, sad song with cold, sad lyrics".[7]

"Moving Mountains" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number seventy-two on the chart date June 14, 2008.[15] It peaked at number sixty-seven on August 2, 2008, falling off the chart two weeks later, after spending a total of nine weeks on the chart.[16] The song is Usher's lowest-peaking song on the Hot 100.[17] It fared better on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, where it peaked at number eighteen and spent seventeen weeks on the chart.[16] It placed at number eighty-four on the end-of-year R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[18] "Moving Mountains" reached number fifty-six on the Pop 100.[19]

The song appeared on the UK Singles Chart in July 2008 at number sixty-seven, rising to peak at number twenty-five. After thirteen charting weeks it fell off the chart.[20] "Moving Mountains" was commercially well received in the rest of Europe, reaching the high point of number twenty-two on the European Hot 100 Singles.[21] In individual countries, the song reached the top forty in Austria,[22] Czech Republic,[23] Germany,[24] Ireland,[25] Slovakia[26] and Sweden.[27] It also appeared on the Ultratop charts in both Flanders and Wallonia at number twenty.[28][29] The song also had chart success in Japan and Australia, reaching the high positions of thirty-three and thirty-six, respectively.[30][31] "Moving Mountains" had the most impact in New Zealand, where it reached number six on the singles chart,[32] and, on March 29, 2009, was certified gold by the RIANZ for over 7,500 sales.[33] The song ranked at number forty-seven on the New Zealand 2008 year-end Singles Chart.[34]

The music video to "Moving Mountains" was released on May 21, 2008. Directed by the Brothers Strause,[35] it is a continuation of the video for "Love in This Club".[36] The video was shot in front of a green screen.[37]

The video begins with Usher exiting the club in which the "Love in This Club" video takes place, then shows a fiery transition into the next scene, showing the burnt-down club. As the song begins, Usher inspects the smoking ruins and imagines a woman in a shard of a broken mirror. He travels through a desert, and takes off his jacket to reveal a tight-fitting t-shirt,[38] and again imagines the woman, this time in a desert pond. Upon reaching a mountain on which his love interest appears, Usher climb the mountain and rain starts to fall.[38] When he reaches the top of the mountain, the rain clears to be replaced by snowfall.[7] Usher finds that the woman is, yet again, merely an illusion. He opens a locket to reveal a portrait of himself and his partner, which freezes over and cracks. As the video ends, Usher kneels, and the mountains breaks around him, leaving a sole pillar for him to stand on.

Idolator noted similarities in some scenery between the music video and Madonna's "Frozen" video.[37] It was placed at number eight on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2008 list.[39] The music video on YouTube has received over 110 million views as of May 2024.[40]

Here I Stand received generally positive reviews from music critics, who viewed it as a sign of growth and maturity from Usher, although others were unimpressed by the change in style from his 2004 album Confessions. It debuted atop the Billboard 200, and sold 433,000 copies in the US in its first week of release, and as of 2010, has sold 1.3 million copies in that country. The album also reached number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, UK Albums Chart and Australian Albums Chart.

In January 2008, Usher's father, Usher Raymond III, died. Both men regretted not spending more time in each other's lives.[4][9] "Prayer for You", the seventh track on Here I Stand, is an interlude dedicated to Usher's son, reflective on his relationship with his own father; "No matter what happened, my father always prayed for me. The only difference is, I'm gonna be there to be the father that my dad wished he was to me."[9] The first album name that artists and repertoire representative Mark Pitts conceived was "Measure of a Man", but that title had already been used by Clay Aiken for his debut album, so Usher called it Here I Stand. Pitts said, "It was perfect because becoming a man is about going through pain, sorrow, and happiness. Usher's done that! From the love songs to the party joints, it's exactly the story he wanted to tell."[1] Usher noted Here I Stand as beginning "a new chapter in my life"; the album's liner notes contain a verse from 1 Corinthians 13: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."[1] Here I Stand marked Usher's growth from boyhood to manhood.[10][11] In March 2007, it was announced that work on the album had begun.[12] Usher outlined the album's concept: "A lot of what I plan to offer with this album is kinda standing in this spot ... The king's back. I ain't gonna say 'back,' I never left."[13]

Here I Stand is an R&B album,[21] Josh Eells of Blender summed up much of the production of the album as "cocktail-lounge crunk, full of splashy cymbals, jazzy electric guitar and tinkly pianos".[11] Many of its themes were inspired by Foster and Raymond V, resulting in a great number of ballads.[22][23] Here I Stand opens with an "Intro" (titled "Forever Young" on some copies), while the lead single "Love in This Club" follows, on which Young Jeezy appears. The mid-tempo song features a shuddering synth beat[24][25] and speaks of a lusting desire in a nightclub.[26] "This Ain't Sex" is a disco-influenced song that "speaks of sex as a privileged act between two consenting adults".[27] "Trading Places" uses guitar instrumentation[27] to host role reversal in both sexual and non-sexual situations in a relationship.[21] "Moving Mountains" is a ballad that draws on synth beats to relate a love struggle to an impossible task, such as moving mountains.[28] The album's sixth track is "What's Your Name", an electro song[29] which features new wave-influenced synths produced by will.i.am, who also contributes vocals to the song.[30] The "Prayer for You" interlude follows, an ode to Usher's son[9] in which Raymond V cries. Usher prays for his son to be "better than me".[31]"Something Special" is a pop ballad[24] that begins acoustically,[31] and was inspired by Robin Thicke and John Mayer because of its honesty. Usher discussed the song: "It's about the feeling when you're in real love. It could be about my son or my wife."[28]

According to Usher "Love You Gently", a piano-based[31] classic rhythm and blues ballad, is "the one [track] you throw on with your significant other when it's time to get to it. This is why my son's here. It's a baby-maker."[28] Jay-Z appears on the horn-founded "Best Thing",[32] which is about transition to manhood.[31] Usher outlines lifestyle changes since his wife's arrival and turns away from his days as "a hustler and a player" in "Before I Met You", which makes use of guitar and heavy drums.[21][31][33] He is suspected of infidelity and compared to his girlfriend's cheating ex-partner on "His Mistakes".[31] The thirteenth track on Here I Stand is "Appetite", which utilizes flutes and has Usher tempted to cheat on his wife.[31][34] "What's a Man to Do" opens with a Native American call, while "Lifetime" contains influences of 1990s R&B.[31] "Love in This Club Part II" features vocals from Beyonc and Lil Wayne and samples The Stylistics' "You Are Everything" (1971); its lyrical content is similar to that of Part I, and Wayne's voice is modified through the use of a vocoder.[30] The album's soul and pop jazz-derived title track, "Here I Stand", drew comparisons to Stevie Wonder. With a theme of commitment,[35] it was played at Usher's and Foster's wedding.[36] Here I Stand closes with "Will Work for Love", although it was placed as a hidden track on some copies; Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine called it "cute".[37]

In November 2007, Usher hoped to release his fifth album, titled Here I Stand,[12][38] but "issues in his personal life" delayed the album.[39] According to reports, Usher has to spend more time with his then-pregnant wife. The expected November release date was booked to coincide with that of Usher's fragrance line.[40][41] Released on May 13, 2008. The continually changing release dates became frustrating for Usher; Dupri said to Billboard, "The last couple [of] times I've been around [Usher], you could tell he's got the bug to hurry up and put this record out. He wants to get back out here and give the people that. He's got that itch."[19] Here I Stand was first released by LaFace Records in Mexico and several European countries on May 13, 2008; releases in other countries followed.[42]

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