River Deep - Mountain High
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"River Deep - Mountain High" is a 1966 single by Ike & Tina Turner. Considered by producer Phil Spector to be his best work, "River Deep - Mountain High" was commercially unsuccessful upon its original release. It was re-released in 1969, and has since become one of Tina Turner's signature songs.
Original version
The single was among the first recordings that Ike & Tina Turner did for Phil Spector's Philles Records. Spector was aware of Ike Turner's controlling attitude in the studio, and resultantly drew up an unusual contract: the River Deep - Mountain High album and single would be credited to "Ike & Tina Turner", but Ike was not to be allowed in the studio, and only Tina Turner's vocals would be used on record.The terms were agreed to, and Spector began recording the LP, brandishing his full "Wall of Sound" production technique to support Tina's strong voice. "River Deep - Mountain High" cost a then-unheard of USD 22,000, and required two dozen session musicians and background vocalists. Written by Spector, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich, "River Deep - Mountain High" compared a woman's love to the love that a child feels for a doll, or a puppy feels for his master. Tina Turner promises to "love [her man] just the way I loved that rag doll", and to love her man just like the puppy he had as a child did.
When the single and album were finally released, however, the public did not quite know what to make of it. "River Deep - Mountain High" was considered "too black for white radio, but too white for black radio". The single stalled out at #88 on the pop charts, effectively crushing Spector's spirit and causing him to shut the label down.
The single had better fortune in the UK, however, peaking at #3 in the singles charts on first release. It was only held off the #1 spot by singles from The Beatles and The Kinks.
Covers
"River Deep - Mountain High" was re-released in 1969 to a more receptive public, and since then has gained the recognition Spector wanted from the record. Several cover versions have been done, including some by Tina Turner herself without Ike Turner, a cover by Erasure, and a live cover by Céline Dion on the Late Show with David Letterman, which resulted in a studio version for her Falling Into You album. The most successful cover was a 1970 duet between the post-Diana Ross Supremes and The Four Tops. Produced by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, the single was one of several recordings that paired the two Motown groups. The Supremes/Four Tops cover, included on the 1970 LP The Magnificent Seven, peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971, making it the highest-charting version of the song in the United States. Deep Purple also did a cover version, which is included on The Best of Deep Purple LP. Australian punk band the Saints did a wild but respectful version on their "Paralytic Tonight, Dublin Tomorrow" ep, which is also included in the "All Times Through Paradise" box set.Pastiches
- In his Discworld books Terry Pratchett mentions a version of "River Deep, Mountain High" sung by the dwarves as "cavern deep, mountain high". It is believed to be one of the more original pieces of traditional dwarwish music.
Credits
- Lead vocals by Tina Turner
- Written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich
- Produced by Phil Spector
- Arranged by Jack Nitzsche
- Instrumentation by Leon Russell, Barney Kessel, Glen Campbell, and others
External links
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