Ain't No Mountain High Enough

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"Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
Anhme1967.jpg
Single by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
from the album United
B-side "Give a Little Love"
ReleasedApril 20, 1967
RecordedDecember 1966 –February 1, 1967
Studio Hitsville U.S.A., Detroit
Genre
Length2:28
Label Tamla (T-54149)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell singles chronology
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
(1967)		"Your Precious Love"
(1967)

"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is a song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla label, a division of Motown. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and became a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes frontwoman Diana Ross. The song became Ross's first solo number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. [4]

Contents

Background

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 entry to Motown. Nick called it the 'golden egg'." [5] Springfield recorded a song with a similar verse melody in "I'm Gonna Leave You" on Dusty .[ citation needed ]

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell recorded "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in December 1966. The session marked their first together. [6] Work on the recording finished at Hitsville USA in Detroit on February 1, 1967. [7]

The original 1967 version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" was a top-20 hit. According to record producers, Terrell was a little nervous and intimidated during the recording sessions 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. [8] "Ain't No Mountain" peaked at number 19 on the Billboard pop charts, and went to number three on the R&B charts. [9] Billboard's original review of the single stated: "Chalk up another pulsating fast smash for Gaye with his new partner Tammi Terrell. The electricity of the duo combined with the blockbuster rhythm material grooves all the way." [10]

Cashbox advertisement, May 27, 1967 Ain't No Mountain High Enough - ad 1967.jpg
Cashbox advertisement, May 27, 1967

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"). In 1999, the Gaye/Terrell version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. [11]

The Gaye/Terrell version was included in the soundtrack for the 1998 film Stepmom , the 2000 film Remember the Titans as well as the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy .

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1967)Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 [12] 19
US Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles ( Billboard ) [13] 3
Chart (2013)Peak
position
France (SNEP) [14] 90
UK Singles (OCC) [15] 80

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA) [16] Gold10,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [17] 2× Platinum180,000‡
Germany (BVMI) [18] Gold250,000‡
Italy (FIMI) [19] Platinum50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [20] 4× Platinum120,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [21] 2× Platinum120,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [22]
Digital sales since 2004 		3× Platinum1,800,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

The Supremes and Temptations version

Diana Ross & the Supremes 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 .

Diana Ross solo version

"Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
Diana-anmhe.jpg
Single by Diana Ross
from the album Diana Ross
B-side "Can't It Wait Until Tomorrow"
ReleasedJuly 16, 1970
RecordedMarch 13, 14, and 18, 1970
Studio Hitsville USA (Studio A), Detroit, Michigan
Genre Psychedelic soul [3]
Length
  • 6:18(album version)
  • 3:32(single version)
Label Motown (M 1169)
Songwriter(s) Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson
Producer(s) Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson
Diana Ross singles chronology
"Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)"
(1970)		"Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
(1970)		"Remember Me"
(1970)

In early 1970, after the Top 20 success of her first solo 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, but was convinced to make the recording. The remake was a complete reworking of the song, featuring a style similar to gospel with elements of classical music strings and horns, and spoken-word passages from Ross. The Andantes, Jimmy Beavers, Jo Armstead, Ashford & Simpson and Brenda Evans and Billie Calvin of the Undisputed Truth were used as backing singers, giving the song a soul and gospel vocal element. Ross' version of the song was released on July 19, 1970, as the second and final single from her solo self-titled 1970 debut album by Motown.

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 to number one on both the pop and R&B singles charts, higher than Gaye/Terrell's version. [23] Ross received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The song is performed in the key of B minor for most of the song, changing to C minor towards its conclusion.

In 2017, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" was remixed by Eric Kupper, StoneBridge and Chris Cox, amongst others, on Motown/UMe. [24] The remix peaked at number one on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. [25]

This song is featured in the soundtrack of the 2005 Disney animated movie Chicken Little , in which the titular character goes to watch an in-universe movie at the cinema in the climax.

This version is also featured in the fifteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race as a lipsync battle between the bottom two of the week, Princess Poppy and Amethyst, resulting in the former's elimination.

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [40] Silver200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other notable covers

See also

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References

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  2. ↑ Guarisco, Donald A. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell | Song Info". AllMusic . Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Horton, Matthew (2015). "Diana Ross - "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. New York: Universe. p. 263.
  4. ↑ "1970 Grammy Winners". www.grammy.com. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  5. ↑ Kot, Greg (November 17, 2011). "Valerie Simpson on Nick Ashford: 'I'm not used to him not being here yet'". Chicago Tribune.
  6. ↑ Gaye 2003, pp. 63, 198.
  7. ↑ Hughes, Keith (2018). "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". Don't Forget the Motor City. Ritchie Hardin. Archived from the original on September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  8. ↑ Chin, Brian (2001). Liner notes for Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell: The Complete Duets. New York: Motown Records/UMG Recordings.
  9. ↑ Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top 40 R&B and Hip-Hop Hits. New York, NY: Billboard Books, 2006. Print.
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  13. ↑ "Marvin Gaye Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved August 30, 2021.
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  23. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 501.
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  25. ↑ "Dance Club Songs – January 20, 2018". Billboard. January 16, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Go-Sets National Top 40". Go-Set . December 5, 1970. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
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