"River Deep – Mountain High" is a song by Ike & Tina Turner released on Philles Records as the title track to their 1966 studio album.

Spector claimed to be pleased with the response from the critics and his peers,[1] but he then withdrew from the music industry for two years, beginning his personal decline.

After a revival of the song from covers by Eric Burdon and the Animals and Deep Purple in 1968, the original version was reissued by A&M Records in 1969.

Phil Spector had seen the Ike & Tina Turner Revue perform at a club on the Sunset Strip and invited them to appear on The Big T.N.T.

[6] Spector was impressed by Tina Turner and wanted to use her voice with the Wrecking Crew, and his "Wall of Sound" production technique.

Spector negotiated a deal with Ike & Tina Turner's manager Bob Krasnow, who was also head of Loma.

[9][10] "River Deep – Mountain High" was the first recording that Tina Turner did for Philles at Gold Star Studios.

After several rehearsals, and two sessions for the musicians to lay down a backing track, Spector got Tina Turner into the studio on March 7, but she was unable to provide what he wanted.

Reviewing the single, Billboard wrote: "Exciting dance beat production backs a wailin' Tina vocal on a solid rock tune penned by Barry and Greenwich.

Spector was so disillusioned that he ceased involvement in the recording industry totally for two years, and only intermittently returned to the studio after that.

"[12] Writer Michael Billig speculated that although earlier records which had mixed black singers with a white pop sound had sold well, by 1966 the black political movement was encouraging African Americans to take pride in their own culture, and "River Deep – Mountain High" was out of step with that movement.

"[22][23] After "River Deep – Mountain High" was revived by other bands, Ike & Tina Turner's original version was reissued by A&M Records in 1969.

"[17] Ike & Tina Turner recorded different renditions of the song without Spector's "Wall of Sound" production style.

A version on the 1973 album Nutbush City Limits was released as a single titled "River Deep, Mountain High 1974" on United Artists Records in France.

[62] Amber Riley and Naya Rivera covered the song on episode four ("Duets") of the second season of Fox television show Glee.

[63] Christina Aguilera performed the song at the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in tribute to Tina Turner.