"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is an R&B/soul song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla Motown label. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, becoming a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremesfrontwoman Diana Ross. The song became Ross' first solo number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Contents[]
History[edit][]
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell original[edit][]
The song was written by Ashford and Simpson prior to joining Motown. British soul singer Dusty Springfield wanted to record the song but the duo declined, hoping it would give them access to the Detroit-based label. As Valerie Simpson later recalled, "We played that song for her (Springfield) but wouldn't give it to her, because we wanted to hold that back. We felt like that could be our entree to Motown. Nick called it the 'golden egg'." [1]
The original 1967 version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" was a top twenty hit. According to record producers, Terrell was a little nervous and intimidated during recording because she did not rehearse the lyrics. Terrell recorded her vocals alone with producers Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol, who added Gaye's vocal at a later date.[2] "Ain't No Mountain" peaked at number nineteen on the Billboard pop charts, and went to number three on the R&B charts.[3]
This original version of "Ain't No Mountain", produced by Fuqua and Bristol, was a care-free, danceable, and romantic love song that became the signature duet between Gaye and Terrell. Its success led to a string of more Ashford/Simpson penned duets (including "You're All I Need to Get By", "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", and "Your Precious Love").
The Gaye/Terrell version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, and is regarded today as one of the most important records ever released by Motown.
| "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [1] | ||||
| Single by Diana Ross | ||||
| from the album Diana Ross | ||||
| B-side | "Can't It Wait Until Tomorrow" | |||
| Released | July 16, 1970 | |||
| Format | 7" single | |||
| Recorded | Hitsville USA (Studio A)
(Detroit, Michigan) March 13, March 14, and March 18, 1970 | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 3:32 (single edit)
6:18 (album version) | |||
| Label | Motown
M 1169 | |||
| Producer(s) | Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson | |||
| Certification | Platinum (US) | |||
| Diana Ross singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Diana Ross version[edit][]
After the Top 20 success of her first single, "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)", Ashford and Simpson had Ross re-record "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". Initially, Ross was apprehensive, as she had previously covered the song as a member of the Supremes in a duet with The Temptations (see below). Eventually, however, she was convinced to make the recording. The cover produced a version similar to gospel with elements of classical musicstrings (provided by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra), spoken word passages from Ross, with the Andantes, Jimmy Beavers, and Ashford and Simpson as backing singers giving the song a soul and gospel vocal element.
Motown chief Berry Gordy did not like the record upon first hearing it. He hated the spoken-word passages and wanted the song to begin with the climactic chorus/bridge. It was not until radio stations nationwide were editing their own versions and adding it to their playlists that Ashford and Simpson were able to convince Gordy to release an edited three-minute version as a single. Ross' version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" rose up to number one on both the pop and R&B singles charts.[4] The single sold, in just the USA, alone, 1,245,000 copies becoming a Gold Record and, Ross, receiving a Grammy Nomination forBest Female Pop Vocal Performance. This version is in the key of C minor.
Notable covers[edit][]
| [2] | This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2013) |
With The Supremes, Diana Ross recorded a version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" which was more faithful to the Terrell-Gaye original version as a duet with The Temptations. That song was an album cut from a joint LP released by Motown Records in 1968 on the two superstar groups, titled Diana Ross & the Supremes Join The Temptations. In 2000, KLM used this version as a commercial.
1981 saw the recording by Inner Life of the underground dance classic "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", produced by Patrick Adams and Greg Carmichael, remixed by Larry Levan, and released on the Salsoul label. The same year saw an upbeat disco version by the Boys Town Gang who recorded it as a medley with another Ashford & Simpson song, "Remember Me". The full version of this song is nearly 14 minutes long and can be found on their album Cruisin the Street.
Stacy Lattisaw and Howard Hewett sang "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" on Personal Attention album in 1988.
In 1993 Sister Act 2 covered "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" both in the movie and soundtrack, mixing the Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell and Diana Ross versions together.
Australian singer Jimmy Barnes released an album of soul covers titled Soul Deep in 1991, including his rock version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". This cover reached #28 in Australia in 1992 [5]
In 1997, Whitney Houston performed the song live as a part of her medley tribute to Diana Ross on her Classic Whitney Live from Washington, D.C. concert.
The 2000 film Remember the Titans featured a version of the song performed by the cast.
Former Doobie Brother Michael McDonald recorded the song as part of his Motown album in 2003.
In 2004, the 12 finalists of American Idol covered the song for the ensemble track for the cast album American Idol Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics.
In 2006, Australian vocal group Human Nature included a cover on the second album of their Motown trilogy, Dancing in the Street: the Songs of Motown II. The album debuted at #1 on the ARIA charts.
In 2006, Amy Winehouse recorded the song "Tears Dry On Their Own" for her album Back to Black, which keeps the chord progression, accompaniment arrangement, and instrumentation of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", but which contains a different sung melody with new lyrics written by Winehouse.
A duet between Eddie Money & his daughter Jesse Money is featured on his 2007 cover album Wanna Go Back.
In 2009, Lionel Richie and Stefanie Heinzmann performed the song live in the German music award show Echo 2009.[6]
In 2009, Dionne Bromfield covered this song on her debut album "Introducing Dionne Bromfield".
In 2011, the song was re-recorded by Paul Epworth and used in a commercial for DHL.[7]
In 2013, Michael Bolton covered the song, which featured Kelly Rowland, for his 2013 album "Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Tribute to Hitsville". That version was also more faithful to the Terrell-Gaye original version.
In 2014, Jennifer Lopez performed the song at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards as part of her song First Love.
Personnel[edit][]
Gaye/Terrell version[edit][]
- All vocals by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
- Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers and Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Ross version[edit][]
- Lead Vocals by Diana Ross
- Background Vocals by Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Joshie Armstead, Jimmy Beavers, and The Andantes: Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps[citation needed]
- Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, with Valerie Simpson on the piano