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River Deep – Mountain High

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For the album, seeRiver Deep – Mountain High (album).
"River Deep – Mountain High"
1966 Dutch single
SinglebyIke & Tina Turner
from the albumRiver Deep – Mountain High
B-side"I'll Keep You Happy"
ReleasedMay 1966(1966-05)
RecordedMarch 1966
StudioGold Star(Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length3:40
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Phil Spector[1]
Ike & Tina Turnersingles chronology
"Betcha Can't Kiss Me (Just One Time Baby)"
(1966) 		"River Deep – Mountain High"
(1966) 		"Anything You Wasn't Born With"
(1966)
Ike & Tina Turner singles chronology
"The Hunter"
(1969) 		"River Deep – Mountain High"
(1969 reissue) 		"I Know"
(1969)

"River Deep – Mountain High"is a song byIke & Tina Turnerreleased onPhilles Recordsas the title track to their1966 studio album.Produced byPhil Spectorand written by Spector,Jeff BarryandEllie Greenwich.Rolling Stoneranked "River Deep – Mountain High" No. 33 on their list of the500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[2]NMEranked it No. 37 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[3]TheRock and Roll Hall of Fameadded it to the list of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.[4]The song was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Famein 1999.[5]

The single did not perform well upon its original release in the US, but it was successful in Europe. Spector claimed to be pleased with the response from the critics and his peers,[1]but he then withdrew from themusic industryfor two years, beginning his personal decline. After a revival of the song from covers byEric Burdon and the AnimalsandDeep Purplein 1968, the original version was reissued byA&M Recordsin 1969.

Background[edit]

Phil Spector had seen theIke & Tina Turner Revueperform at a club on theSunset Stripand invited them to appear onThe Big T.N.T. Show.[6]Spector was impressed byTina Turnerand wanted to use her voice withthe Wrecking Crew,and his "Wall of Sound"production technique. He went to the Turners' house, and struck a deal withIke Turnerto produce Tina. Ike agreed, but wanted the recordings to be credited to Ike & Tina Turner.[7]At the time, they were signed toLoma Records(a subsidiary ofWarner Bros.). Spector negotiated a deal with Ike & Tina Turner's manager Bob Krasnow, who was also head of Loma.[8]He offered $20,000 ($188,000 in 2023) to have them released from their contract.[9]After Mike Maitland (then president at Warner Bros.) gave them their release, they signed with Spector'sPhilles Records.[9][10]

Recording[edit]

"River Deep – Mountain High" was the first recording that Tina Turner did forPhillesatGold Star Studios.It was written by Phil Spector,Jeff BarryandEllie Greenwich.The track cost a then unheard-of $22,000[11]($207,000 in 2023), and required 21 session musicians.

After several rehearsals, and two sessions for the musicians to lay down a backing track, Spector got Tina Turner into the studio on March 7, but she was unable to provide what he wanted. The following week she returned to the studio with Ike Turner.[12]Due to Spector's perfectionism and tendency to abuse workers in the studio, he made her sing the song over and over for several hours until he felt he had the perfect vocal take for the song. She recalled, "I must have sung that 500,000 times. I was drenched with sweat. I had to take my shirt off and stand there in my bra to sing."[13]

It was reported thatthe Beach Boys'Brian Wilsonattended the session, where he sat "transfixed" and "did not say a word".[14]

When Spector inducted Ike & Tina Turner into theRock and Roll Hall of Famein 1991, he revealed in his speech that he had invited Ike Turner to play guitar in the session for "River Deep – Mountain High", but Turner did not show up.[15][better source needed]

The recording of the song was later dramatized for Tina Turner's 1993 biographical film,What's Love Got to Do with It.

Personnel[edit]

Release and reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Record World[17]

Reviewing the single,Billboardwrote: "Exciting dance beat production backs a wailin' Tina vocal on a solid rock tune penned by Barry and Greenwich."[18]Record Worldpredicted that "this will be known as the classic Phil Spector record," stating that "everything goes on while Tina screams her love lyric."[19]It entered the lower end of theBillboardHot 100and stopped at No. 88 on the pop chart. The disappointing chart performance resulted in the album being shelved in the US. Spector was so disillusioned that he ceased involvement in the recording industry totally for two years, and only intermittently returned to the studio after that. He effectively became a recluse and began to self-destruct.[20]

Ike Turner remarked that "if Phil had released the record and put anybody else's name on it, it would have been a huge hit. But because Tina Turner's name was on it, the white stations classified it anR&Brecord and wouldn't play it. The white stations say it was too black, and the black stations say it was too white, so that record didn't have a home. "[12]

WriterMichael Billigspeculated that although earlier records which had mixed black singers with a white pop sound had sold well, by 1966 the black political movement was encouraging African Americans to take pride in their own culture, and "River Deep – Mountain High" was out of step with that movement.[20]

The single, released onLondon Recordsin Europe, was a hit overseas. It peaked at No. 3 in the UK, No. 9 in the Netherlands, and it reached No. 1 in Spain.[21]

George Harrisonpraised the record,[1]declaring it "a perfect record from start to finish. You couldn't improve on it."[22][23]

Reissues[edit]

After "River Deep – Mountain High" was revived by other bands, Ike & Tina Turner's original version was reissued byA&M Recordsin 1969.[24]It has since gained the recognition Spector wanted for the record. Reviewing the single,Record Worldcalled it a "classic, perhaps the greatest single of all time."[17]

Ike & Tina Turner recorded different renditions of the song without Spector's "Wall of Sound" production style. A version on the 1973 albumNutbush City Limitswas released as a single titled "River Deep, Mountain High 1974" onUnited Artists Recordsin France. Another version from an undetermined year was released on the 1991 compilationProud Mary: The Best of Ike & Tina Turner.

Tina Turner recorded a few solo versions, in 1986, 1991 and 1993.[citation needed]Tina included live performances on her albums,Tina Live in EuropeandTina Live.

Chart performance[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[41] Gold 400,000‡

‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

The Supremes and the Four Tops version[edit]

"River Deep – Mountain High"
1970 Dutch single
Singlebythe Supremesandthe Four Tops
from the albumThe Magnificent 7
B-side"Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music"
Released1970
Genre
Length3:13(single version) 4:50 (album version)
LabelMotown Records
Songwriter(s)
  • Phil Spector
  • Jeff Barry
  • Ellie Greenwich
Producer(s)Ashford & Simpson
The Supremessingles chronology
"Stoned Love"
(1970) 		"River Deep – Mountain High"
(1970) 		"Nathan Jones"
(1971)
The Four Topssingles chronology
"It's All in the Game"
(1970) 		"River Deep – Mountain High"
(1970) 		"Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life)"
(1971)

In 1970, their post-Diana Ross era,the Supremesandthe Four Topsreleased a version. Produced byNickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson,the single was one of several recordings that paired the twoMotowngroups. The Supremes and Four Tops cover, included on the 1970 LPThe Magnificent 7,with its soaring vocals and string section, peaked at No. 7 on the soul chart and No. 14 on theBillboardHot 100 in 1971,[42]making it the highest-charting version of the song in the United States. Their version also peaked No. 11 on theUK Singles Chart,No. 23 in Belgium, and No. 25 on Netherlands'MegaCharts.[43]

Charts[edit]

Other notable covers[edit]

A ten-minute version was recorded byDeep Purplefor their 1968 album,The Book of Taliesyn.An edited version was released as a single in the United States and reached number 53 in early 1969 and number 42 on the CanadianRPMcharts.[citation needed]It had a progressive rock sound to it, as Deep Purple had not yet adopted thehard rocksound for which they are most famous.

Celine Dioncovered the song on her 1996 albumFalling Into You.[59]At first, Phil Spector showed interest in producing the album track, but left the project, soJim Steinmantook over as producer. Spector was unimpressed by Steinman's efforts, calling Steinman a "bad clone" of himself.[60]Dion had previously performed the song in some of her concerts, as included in her live albumLive à Paris,recorded in 1995.[61]

Amber RileyandNaya Riveracovered the song on episode four ( "Duets") of the second season of Fox television showGlee.Their version peaked at number 41 on theBillboardHot 100.[62]

Christina Aguileraperformed the song at the 2021Rock and Roll Hall of FameInduction Ceremony.[63]

References[edit]

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64https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Innocents_(Erasure_album)

External links[edit]

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