Jacob's Ladder (Mark Wills song)
Encyclopedia
"Jacob's Ladder" is the title of a song written by Cal Sweat, Brenda Sweat, and Tony Martin
. It was recorded by American country music
artist Mark Wills
, who released it in May 1996 as the first single from his self-titled debut album
. It reached a peak of number 6 on both the U.S. Billboard
country singles chart and the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.
of Entertainment Weekly
cited "Jacob's Ladder" as a "radio-ready" track in her review of the album. Jeffrey B. Remz of Country Standard Time
called it "another breezy song about cross-class love, nothing you haven't heard before." Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard
magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that Wills has a "warm, likeable voice and charmingly delivers this sweet tune about a poor boy wooing a rich girl." She goes on to say that while it is a story we have all heard before, it is written and delivered in "such a winning fashion."
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
) charts at #56 on the chart week of June 8, 1996. It spent 20 weeks on that chart, peaking at #6 on the chart week of September 28. The song's B-side, "High Low and In Between," was released in October 1996 as the second single from Wills' debut.
Tony Martin (songwriter)
Tony Martin is a country music songwriter who has had twelve Number One hits as a songwriter. Among his compositions are "Third Rock from the Sun" by Joe Diffie and "Just to See You Smile" by Tim McGraw....
. It was recorded by American country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Mark Wills
Mark Wills
Daryl Mark Williams is an American country music artist, best known professionally as Mark Wills. Signed to Mercury Records between 1996 and 2003, he released five studio albums for the label — Mark Wills, Wish You Were Here, Permanently, Loving Every Minute and And the Crowd Goes Wild — as well...
, who released it in May 1996 as the first single from his self-titled debut album
Mark Wills (album)
Mark Wills is the self-titled debut album of American country music singer Mark Wills. Released in 1996 on Mercury Nashville Records, the album produced three hit singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts: "Jacob's Ladder", "High Low and In Between", and "Places I've Never...
. It reached a peak of number 6 on both the U.S. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country singles chart and the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.
Content
"Jacob's Ladder" is a mid-tempo recalling two lovers, a rich girl named Rachel and a poor boy named Jacob. Although Rachel's father does not want her to fall in love with Jacob, she does anyway. The title is a play on words, as in the chorus, Jacob climbs up to Rachel's bedroom window with a ladder ("'Cause Heaven was waiting at the top of Jacob's ladder"). In the second verse, Jacob and Rachel are now married with a daughter. The daughter asks Rachel's father to recall the story of their meeting, which he does.Critical reception
Alanna NashAlanna Nash
Alanna Nash is an American journalist and biographer.Nash holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and is the author of several acclaimed books...
of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
cited "Jacob's Ladder" as a "radio-ready" track in her review of the album. Jeffrey B. Remz of Country Standard Time
Country Standard Time
Country Standard Time is a website dedicated to country music and related genres such as Bluegrass and Rockabilly. It provides news and musical reviews pertaining to the genre. It was established in 1992 by Jeffrey B. Remz as a print magazine, which was first published only in New England but went...
called it "another breezy song about cross-class love, nothing you haven't heard before." Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that Wills has a "warm, likeable voice and charmingly delivers this sweet tune about a poor boy wooing a rich girl." She goes on to say that while it is a story we have all heard before, it is written and delivered in "such a winning fashion."
Chart performance
"Jacob's Ladder" debuted on the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
) charts at #56 on the chart week of June 8, 1996. It spent 20 weeks on that chart, peaking at #6 on the chart week of September 28. The song's B-side, "High Low and In Between," was released in October 1996 as the second single from Wills' debut.
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 6 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 6 |