Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

By Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

Produced by:

Johnny Bristol & Harvey Fuqua

Written by:
Ashford & Simpson, Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson.

Release Date:
April 20, 1967

“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” is a collaboration between soul artists Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.

It was the first single from their debut album “United” where it also appeared as the opening track on the record.

The original 1967 version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” was a top-20 hit.

The song was actually listed by writers of the UK publication NME as one of the Top 150 Singles of All Time, and  was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

I think, the song is one of the most glorious creations in 60s music, rising from a delicate opening to a shattering climax’ with some gospel context.

The songs was a care-free, danceable, and romantic love song that became the signature duet between Gaye and Terrell.

The song was inspired by a walk through Central Park, Manhattan, and the mountain of the title was the city’s skyscrapers, representing the ambition of songwriter Nick Ashford.

A little bit about Gaye and Terrell:

Although they kept their relationship as professional as could be, the two were practically inseparable with most describing them as “brother and sister.”

Motown signed Tammi Montgomery in 1965; renamed her Tammi Terrell and, after some moderate-selling solo releases, decided to try her as Gaye’s female partner, starting with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
Gaye said: “That was a good beginning because I had no idea Tammi was as good a singer as she turned out to be. I hadn’t had a chance to hear her. Some people [at Motown] who were on their toes dug her sound and realized we may possibly make a good duet…”

The singers recorded their parts separately, producers Johnny Bristol and Harvey Fuqua stitched them together.
In 1967, duets were normally recorded together. Even so, the record sounds like Marvin and Tammi were united in the studio, urging each other higher and higher.

Marvin quickly realized Tammi was his perfect vocal counterpart and Motown marketed them as a beautiful young couple, in line with late-60s ideals.

A tragedy struck when Tammi collapsed onstage alongside Marvin on October 14, 1967; she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Aged just 24, she passed away on 1970.
Her demise is said to have contributed to Marvin Gaye’s battle with depression, which fed his fretful masterpiece, What’s Going On.

At Terrell’s funeral, her mother barred everyone at Motown from attending except Gaye (who also delivered the eulogy) as she felt he was her only friend there.
Perhaps there really was no mountain, valley or river that could ever come between them…

(udiscovermusic)

“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” continued to soar.
In 1968, The Supremes and The Temptations recorded it together, with Diana Ross and the Tempts’ powerful new lead singer, Dennis Edwards, fronting it.
Ashford and Simpson, by now Motown backroom royalty, created an ambitious symphonic reimagining for Ross, which made No.1 in 1970.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjCz_sUVZ5U

Notable covers throug the years:

• In 1981, American Disco band Inner Life from Salsoul Records released their version, which topped #20 on US Dance Chart.

• 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.

• 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 2011, the French singer Chimène Badi recorded a version with the singer Billy Paul.

• In 2013, Michael Bolton covered the song, which featured Kelly Rowland, for his 2013 album “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Tribute to Hitsville”.

• Amy Winehouse used the backing of the song in “Tears Dry on Their Own” in her second and final album, Back to Black.

• An orchestral version of the song was featured in a TD Canada Trust commercial that debuted in 2017.

The song was included in the soundtrack for several films during different decades, i believe you can call it timeless.

Some of the films are:

• Stepmom (1998)
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx1K7ynF1JM

• Remember the Titans (2000)
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK3Y4Ctjv70
• and even in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) end scene
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuYmQ-WRMFE
• The song was used in the 1999 film Our Friend, Martin. Performed by Debelah Morgan

I discovered the song by accident, while watching one of my favorite films, called Sorority Wars(2009).

Since then, it has been one of my favorite songs from the 60s.

The lead character of the filme, Katie Parker, starts college and tries to get to the sorority her mom was a part of.
There were some ups and downs, she didn’t feel like that was the right choice for her and fought with her mom.
At the end of the movie, there is a talent show. Katie used that chance to show her love for her mom, and performed with her friends the same song her mom sang during the talent show a few decades back- “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”.

You can watch the scene right now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKdV0ZQUCaY