Mansion Over the Hilltop
Mansion Over the Hilltop 3:28)
Ira Stanphill was in the audience one night in 1949 when a man with a failing business related an experience he’d had while traveling. He was despondently driving his car around one afternoon considering solutions when he came upon an old dilapidated shack. It was forlorn, the roof had holes and in disrepair but a young girl sat on the porch with a beat-up doll. The girl was obviously from a poor family as her clothing was torn, and her hair disheveled.
The businessman pulled up and asked her “little girl, how can you be so happy when you need new clothes and a new doll, too?” She pointed to a place behind the shack and said “my daddy’s building us a brand new mansion over the hilltop.” With such a story of hope in mind, Stanphill was inspired and began writing Mansion Over the Hilltop.
My Approach to Recording Mansion Over the Hilltop
This is a song of hope. How Stanphill wove such a positive message into a Gospel song is truly amazing. As a songwriter you are always seeking out some simile or de facto parallel universe in which to bed your message. For this recording I wanted instrumentation that reflected a happy overall theme so guitar took a lot of the workload.
From Album: Light, 2018
Composition: Ira Stanphill
Performance: Paul Ryan
Website: https://www.Ryantunes.com
Song Photo: Album Cover, David Monje Navidad
Recorded at Ryantunes Studios Scarborough Ontario, Canada. Mixed and mastered at Steve Sherman Productions, Toronto.
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Proprietary: Copyright Paul Ryan, 2014. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, copying or use of this recording are prohibited by law, and subject to criminal prosecution.
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