On this day in music history: September 19, 1970 - Aint No Mountain High Enough by Diana Ross hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 3 weeks, also topping the R&B singles chart for 1 week on October 3, 1970. Written and produced by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, it is the first solo chart topper for the former lead singer of The Supremes. Originally recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell in 1967, Ashford and Simpson will dramatically revamp the song for the Motown diva, punctuated by sections of spoken dialogue by Ross. The completed version of the song will run nearly six and a half minutes, far too long to release as a single. Motown founder and chairman Berry Gordy, Jr. is also not fond of the new arrangement at first, feeling that it takes too long to get to the point. However, the song quickly finds favor with fans, and radio stations will respond by making their own edits and putting it in heavy rotation. Motown reacts quickly by editing the song down to three minutes and fifteen seconds and rush releasing it as a single. Entering the Hot 100 at #46 on August 8, 1970, it will shoot to the top of the chart six weeks later. Aint No Mountain High Enough will sell over a million copies in the US, and will earn Diana Ross a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1971.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 20:15:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015