“River Deep, Mountain High” is a song that has an impact on music as much for the background as well as the music itself. Written by the husband-and-wife team Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich and the producer Phil Spector in 1965, each brought ideas to the table. Spector played guitar, Greenwich pounded the piano and Barry smacked percussion. Greenwich said:
The three of us were like maniacs, singing away. All of a sudden we hit on something.
Considered by producer Phil Spector to be his best work, the original Tina Turner single was successful in Europe, peaking at number 3 in the United Kingdom, and peaking at number 16 in Australia though it flopped on its original release in the United States. Spector claimed to be pleased with the response from the critics and his peers, but he then withdrew from the music industry for two years, beginning his personal decline. Reportedly, co-writer Ellie Greenwich was displeased enough with the effort that, upon hearing the finished acetate, she ripped it from the turntable and hurled it across the room. Over the years reception and recognition did treat it with some respect as in 1999 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and ranked at number 33 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone. George Harrison praised the record, declaring it:
a perfect record from start to finish. You couldn’t improve on it.
The track was recorded using Spector’s “Wall of Sound” production technique, cost a then-unheard-of $22,000, and required 21 session musicians and 21 background vocalists. Along with some members of the famous Wrecking Crew (a group of renowned session musicians that played on many hit records of the 1960’s), some others who played on this recording included Leon Russell (keyboards) and Glen Campbell (guitar).
Due to Spector’s perfectionism in the studio, he made Tina Turner sing the song over and over for several hours until he felt he had the perfect vocal take for the song. She recalled:
I must have sung that 500,000 times. I was drenched with sweat. I had to take my shirt off and stand there in my bra to sing.
Spector was well aware of Ike Turner’s controlling attitude in the studio, and therefore he drafted an unusual contract: the “River Deep – Mountain High” album and single would be credited to “Ike & Tina Turner”, but Ike was paid $20,000 to stay away from the studio, and only Tina Turner’s vocals would be used on the record.
Owing to the lush arrangement of Jack Nitzsche (musician, arranger, songwriter, record producer, and film score composer) and the “Wall Of Sound” production of Phil Spector, the song has lent itself to extended versions by the subsequent groups that have covered this song. Jack Nitzsche went on to work with the Rolling Stones and Neil Young, among others.
A ten-minute version was recorded by Deep Purple for their 1968 album, “The Book of Taliesyn”. An edited version was released as a single in the United States and reached number 53 in early 1969. It had a progressive rock sound to it, as Deep Purple had not yet adopted the hard rock sound for which they are most famous.
Another extended version was done by Eric Burdon & The Animals on their last album released before The Animals‘ second dissolution in 1968.
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