The Climb (song) - Composition

Composition

"The Climb" is a country pop power ballad that incorporates soft rock and pop rock styles and lasts three minutes and 55 seconds. The song begins slowly, building primarily from solo piano and accentuated with chiming electric guitars. However, at two minutes and forty-five seconds, a "sudden, spiky burst of violins" enters the song, and the song switches to full power. Bill Lamb of About.com considers Cyrus's vocals "solid and clear". However, Todd Martens, co-editor of The Los Angeles Times music column, says Cyrus uses a "a raspy voice brings a bit of country grit" to the song. "The Climb" is set in common time at a moderate tempo of 80 beats per minute. The song is sung in the key of E major and Cyrus's vocals span less than an octave, from E₃ to B₄. The song uses a standard issue ballad arrangement with the chord progression, E5—Asus2—F♯7sus.

According to music reviewer Fraser McAlpine of the BBC, the song's lyrics assert that life should be viewed as "a journey which is difficult but rewarding". Both Martens and McAlpine took special interest in the line "It's always gonna be an uphill battle/Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose". Martens interpreted the line as an acknowledgment by the singer of her own mistakes in life, while McAlpine wrote, "In this song which is about plugging away at things, the writers have slipped in that the occasional setback isn't the end of the world."