Throwback Thursday: 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough'

Welcome back to another edition of Throwback Thursday. Today we are going to take you back into time to the year 1967.

1967 was a magical year for music. After all, this was the year the Doors and Jimi Hendrix released their 1st albums, Aretha Franklin earned a little ‘Respect’, and the births of Kurt Cobain, Harry Connick Jr., and R. Kelly occurred. However, 1967 was a year that belonged to another song as well, that would later get its revival in 1970.

When Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson decided to write the song ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’, they never envisioned the effect it would have on their lives, as well as those around the world. When the song itself went into production, it was written and meant to be a happy-go-lucky, romantic dance song. Produced by Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol, they thought the song would best be sung by Motown’s rising duo, Tammy Terrell and Marvin Gaye. Upon receiving the song to sing, it was Terrell who was the most hesitant, mostly because she had not had any time to study the lyrics. Because of this, Marvin Gaye’s part was later recorded and added into the record at a later time.

Whatever the drama, the song that was eventually produced in 1966, and released in 1967 would become a hit. It would reach the top 20, in a time when nation was in a racial divide. It would also go on to give much notoriety to the writers, Ashford and Simpson. Because of ‘Ain’t No Mountain…’, this allowed them to go on an pen such classics like, ‘You’re All I Need To Get By’, ‘Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing’, and ‘Your Precious’. Because of these writers, it would also give a face to the sounds of Tammy and Marvin. Their legendary duets would go on to influence future generations, as well as other artists like the Supremes’ Diana Ross.


In 1968, the popularity of the song reached across the nation. It was also at this time a re-recorded duet of the song was produced by the Supremes & the Temptations. However, the song gave rise to Diana Ross’ speaking voice. In 1970, Ashford & Simpson had wanted Ross to redo the classic, but in a departure from the original version. For the song, they would have Ms. Ross speak the lyrics, while Ashford & Simpson sang back up. However, when Berry Gordy heard the final version, he did not like it. He had wanted them to re-edit the song, and changing the way it had sounded. But radio stations had already gotten a hold of it, and played the track, thus creating music history.

The song released, July 16th, 1970 would go on to reach #1 on the R&B and Pop charts, as well as garnering Ms. Ross a Grammy nomination. It would give new life to the creation that Ashford & Simpson had wrote only a few years previous. It would also go on to create music history, in that it would later be recognized as one of the greatest songs to be written, performed (By Terrell & Gaye), and released by Motown, by the Grammy Hall of Fame.


So, hope you have enjoyed your Throwback for Thursday…