Nov 13, 20202 min read

Ain't No Mountain High Enough (1970) 11/13/20

How do you take a “Great Song of the '60s,” written by and turn it into a “Great Song of the '70s?

Well first, if you're Motown Records, you get Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, one of the greatest songwriting teams in Motown history, to write “Ain't No Mountain High Enough” for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.

Then, after Marvin and Tammi take it to #3 on Billboard's R&B Chart and #19 on the Hot 100 in 1967, you hand it over to a couple of supergroups, who record a another version for their 1968 album “Diana Ross & The Supremes Join The Temptations.”

THAT version would have charted if it had been released as a single...but Motown had yet ANOTHER idea: let Diana record a solo version!

All three versions of the song used the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as well as The Funk Brothers (Motown's in-house band) to provide the instrumental tracks, but what set Diana's solo version apart from the other two was her powerful singing and heartfelt spoken word sections.

Motown Owner and President Berry Gordy, Jr. HATED spoken word recordings, but was convinced by other Motown executives and several radio stations to release it as a single---and much to his surprise, (and virtually nobody else's), the song took off like a rocket! In 1970, “Ain't No Mountain High Enough” went to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 and R&B Charts, and #6 on the Adult Contemporary Chart! It also was a Top 10 hit in the UK (#6) and Canada (#7). In 1971, Diana was nominated for a Grammy in the “Best Female Pop Performance” category.

In 1999, the original Gaye/Terrell version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. That's fantastic, but many people (including me) believe Diana's version should be in there with it!

(Trivia: Other “Great Songs” written by Ashford & Simpson include: “You're All I Need to Get By,” “Your Precious Love,” “Ain't Nothin' Like the Real Thing,” “Reach Out & Touch (Somebody's Hand)” and “I'm Every Woman.” They also recorded a number of “Great Songs” under their own names.)

“Ain't No Mountain High Enough: ”A Great Song of 1967, 1968 and 1970!"

Diana Ross: