Song of the Week #76 – “River Deep, Mountain High”
Written by admin on October 17, 2011 – 6:56 pm -| Ike and Tina Turner’s pop classic “River Deep, Mountain High” is Song of the Week.
“River Deep, Mountain High” was released on single in May 1966, backed with “I’ll Keep You Happy.” It was also the title track of the “River Deep Mountain High” album released in September 1966. |
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“River Deep, Mountain High” was one of the most ambitious tracks ever recorded by Phil Spector and one of the most successful examples of his “wall of sound” production style. The song began life as a jam between Spector (on guitar), Jeff Barry (on percussion) and Ellie Greenwich (on piano). Once the song began to take shape, Spector knew who should sing on it.
Phi Spector had made the decision to work with Tina Turner after seeing The Ike and Tina Turner Revue at Cyrano’s night club on the Sunset Strip. However, it was Turner’s voice that Spector was drawn to and he had no interest in working with either her band or her husband Ike. Ike agreed to stay away from the session and in exchange retained his name on the recording and a $20,000 pay off.
In March of this year, DJ Rodney Bingenheimer told Goldmine magazine about his memories of being at the “River Deep, Mountain High” session:
| “Brian Wilson and I never left the studio booth during the production of ‘River Deep, Mountain High.’ You don’t leave when you’re at something like this. We were transfixed. Jack (Nitzsche) and Phil (Spector) were very tight. They were like copilots on the Concorde from a flight from France…Brian didn’t say a word. He soaked it in and sat there stunned. Tina was loud and sexy. She was wearing a wig and Go-Go boots – very ’60s. Tina’s vocals kept on soaring.” |
Bingheimer’s recollection hints at the power and passion in the room that day, but he doesn’t communicate just how exhausting the process was for the musicians. Spector’s perfectionism meant that he had Tina Turner sing the opening line “When I was a little girl” over and over until he was satisfied with the result. In a 1984 interview with Rolling Stone (Issue 432; Oct 11, 1984), Turner said:
| “He worked my butt off. Everything went fine except that opening line: ‘When I was a little girl…’ I did that 500,000 times. I don’t know if I ever got that right…Phil was very patient. He would say, ‘We’re very close, that’s very close. We’ll try it again.’ But I don’t remember him saying, ‘Got it!'” |
Despite Spector’s inspired production and Turner’s powerful performance, the song bombed when first released in the US in the summer of 1966. In the Rolling Stone interview, Turner expressed her disappointment at the failure of the single, which she attributed to lack of radio play:
| “I felt I’d done something that I could be proud of, but that record had no home. It was too pop for black radio, and the white stations said, ‘They’re not a pop act; we can’t touch it.'” |
As disappointed as Turner was, it seems the poor reception for “River Deep, Mountain High” really stung Spector. After believing so strongly in the single, it’s failure is generally thought to be a factor in Spector’s decision to retire from the industry shortly afterwards. However, Spector would play down the incident when speaking on John Gilliland’s Pop Chronicles radio show in 1969:
| “I only made ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ with Tina Turner to do something experimental. To have George Harrison say ‘That’s the greatest record I ever heard in my life’…It only means something to me to be respected by those whom you respect.” |
Ike and Tina Turner – “River Deep, Mountain High”
Ike Turner soon reasserted his authority over Tina’s career, and sent a clear message to Spector when he put his own R&B stamp on the live versions of “River Deep, Mountain High.”
Authorship
“River Deep, Mountain High” was written by Phil Spector with the husband and wife songwriting team, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.
The Barry-Greenwich-Spector team had already been responsible for some of the most memorable pop songs of the decade, including The Crystals’ “Da Doo Ron Ron” and “Then He Kissed Me,” and The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” and “Baby, I Love You.”
Recording date/location
“River Deep, Mountain High” was recorded in March 1966 at Gold Star Studios, Los Angeles. Tina Turner and Phil Spector had already been working on the melody for two weeks at Spector’s LA mansion before hitting the studio. Turner would later liken that experience to “carving furniture.”
Musicians
Phil Spector assembled gifted LA session musicians (members of the so-called “Wrecking Crew”) to appear on “River Deep, Mountain High.” The core band were:
- Tina Turner – vocals
- Barney Kessel – guitar
- Glen Campbell – guitar
- Leon Russell – keyboards
- Carol Kaye – bass
- Jim Horn – saxophone
- Hal Blaine – drums
- Earl Palmer – drums.
The band was supplemented by an orchestra and over 20 backing singers, including Darlene Love who in her autobiography would describe the session as follows:
| “It was mass confusion. This time it was all din, no music. Nobody’s heart was in it, except Phil’s. The name on the label would be Ike & Tina Turner, though for all we knew Ike was in Alaska when we did the session.” |
The recording was arranged by Jack Nitzsche.
Chart performance
Sometimes a recording that subsequently achieves classic status doesn’t resonate with the public immediately. This was the case in the US for “River Deep, Mountain High” which peaked at a lowly number 88 on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 12, 1966.
In contrast, the UK embraced the song and it reached number three on the singles chart.
There will be a new Song of the Week on October 24.
The song is available on the original “River Deep, Mountain High” album, which was reissued earlier this year, and also on the 2-CD “The Essential Phil Spector” collection, which is released next week.
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River Deep, Mountain High (CD) |
Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
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The Essential Phil Spector (2 CDs) |
Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
Tags: Ike and Tina Turner, phil spector, River Deep Mountain High, the wall of sound, Tina Turner
Posted in 60s pop, Song of the Week |
