River Deep - Mountain High

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Written by: Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich
Produced by: Spector
Released: May '66 on Philles
Charts: 4 weeks
Top spot: No. 88

Spector heard the Ike and Tina Turner Revue at a Hollywood club at a time when their recording career had stalled after a handful of R&B hits in the early 1960s. Spector had a song called "River Deep -- Mountain High" that he was sure was going to be huge, and he wanted Tina to sing it, though he forbade Ike from even coming to the sessions. "I must have sung that 500,000 times," Tina later said. "I was drenched with sweat. I had to take my shirt off and stand there in my bra to sing."

Appears on: Proud Mary: The Best of Ike and Tina Turner (EMI)

Next: Light My Fire

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