Chords + Lyrics | Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
Intro
| Bm7/A | G#m7b5 | Gmaj7 | Em9 (F# G G#) |
Listen, baby.
Verse 1
| Bm7/A | G#m7b5 | Gmaj7 | Em9 (F# G G#) |
Ain’t no mountain high, ain’t no valley low, ain’t no river wide enough, baby.
| Bm7/A | G#m7b5 | Gmaj7 | Em9 (F# G G#) |
If you need me, call me, no matter where you are, no matter how far, don’t worry, baby.
| Bm7/A | G#m7b5 | Gmaj7 | Em7 F#m7 |
Just call my name, I’ll be there in a hurry, you don’t have to worry, ’cause baby, there.
Chorus 1
| G Em7 | F#m7 Bm7 | G Em7 | F#m7 Bm7 |
Ain’t no mountain high enough. Ain’t no valley low enough.
| G Em7 | F#m7 Bm7 | E5 D/F# | G |
Ain’t no river wide enough, to keep me from getting to you, baby. Remember the day?
Verse 2
| Bm7/A | G#m7b5 | Gmaj7 | Em9 (F# G G#) |
I set you free, I told you, you could always count on me, darling. From that day on.
| Bm7/A | G#m7b5 | Gmaj7 | Em7 F#m7 |
I made a vow, I’ll be there when you want me some way, somehow, oh baby, there.
Chorus 2
Ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough,
Ain’t no river wide enough, to keep me from getting to you, baby.
Middle 8
| A5 | A5 | A5 | A5 |
Oh no darling, no wind, no rain, or
| F#m | Bm7 | G | G |
winters cold, can stop me baby (no, no baby). ‘Cause you are my love.
| A5 | A5 | Bb5 | Bb5 |
If you’re ever in trouble, I’ll be there on the double, just send for me, oh baby.
Verse 3 (new key)
| Cm7/Bb | Am7b5 | Abmaj7 | Fm9 (G Ab Bb) |
My love is alive (oh) way down in my heart, although we are miles apart. If you ever
| Cm7/Bb | Am7b5 | Abmaj7 | Fm7 Gm7 |
need a helping hand, I’ll be there on the double, just as fast as I can. Don’t you know that, there.
Chorus 4
| Ab Fm7 | Gm7 Cm7 | Ab Fm7 | Gm7 Cm7 |
Ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough.
| Ab Fm7 | Gm7 Cm7 | F5 Eb/G | Ab |
Ain’t no river wide enough, to keep me from getting to you, baby, don’t you know that, there.
Outro chorus
||: Ab Fm7 | Gm7 Cm7 :||
Ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough.
Ain’t no river wide enough, ain’t no mountain high enough,
Ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough.
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: Chords and Progressions Breakdown
The verse has a chromatic descending bass line as we move from Bm7/A–G#m7b5–Gmaj7. This is finished with an Em9, and the chromatic ascending line of F#–G–G#. Jamerson, of course, doesn’t stick to the chromatic
line!
You could call the verse chords Bm/A–Bm/G#–Bm/G as well. Make sure you can see why!
Chorus
The chorus starts on chord IV. G–Em7–F#m7–Bm7. That’s IV – II – III – VI. The giveaway to what the key, and therefore Roman numerals is, are the two minor chords placed a tone apart (Em and F#m can only be chords II and III).
Middle 8
The middle 8 starts on the V chord and moves A–F#m–Bm7–G–A–Bb. That’s V – III – VI – IV – V. The final Bb is where the semi-tone key change happens.
Verse (new key)
The final verse and following chorus are in the key of Cm/Eb, rather than where we started, in Bm/D. These are now the chords:
| Cm/Bb | Cm/A | Cm/Ab | Fm9 (G Ab Bb) |
| Cm/Bb | Cm/A | Cm/Ab | Fm7 Gm7 |
Or, is it better to write Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’s verse chords like this?
| Ab Fm7 | Gm7 Cm7 | Ab Fm7 | Gm7 Cm7 |
| Ab Fm7 | Gm7 Cm7 | F5 Eb/G | Ab |
You decide how you want to read the chords; perhaps it’s best to see how both ways are true.
Chorus (new key)
Here’s the chorus in the new key.
||: Ab Fm7 | Gm7 Cm7 :||
Diana’s stops
If you want to include the stops found in Diana Ross’s version of this legendary tune, use these chords before you go back to the chorus again.
|| Ab N.C Ab | Gm7 N.C | Ab N.C | Bb B C :||
To ensure you enjoy playing this masterpiece for many years to come, put plenty of time into crafting your part. Use my TAB as a starting point; here’s a link: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
And here’s a chord chart that can serve as a reminder as you take to the stage with pretty much any soul wedding band. In my experience, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough is guaranteed to be on the setlist, and rightfully so!
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough Chord CHart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro, here’s a link to that file: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough iReal Pro.
Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key, something I’ve had to do at least 50% of the time. Always down a tone, starting on an Am/G.
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough TAB | Course Preview
In the course, you get TAB for how to play Ain’t No Mountain High Enough in a band setting. Some sections include multiple examples, so you can explore different approaches and begin to develop your own version of the part.
Here’s a preview—this is Verse Example 1.
The well-oiled machine behind the hit
Written by songwriters Ashford & Simpson, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough was initially a song Dusty Springfield wanted to record.
The songwriting duo politely declined as they thought they had the song to get them in with Berry Gordy and his label Motown, calling it their golden egg.
In 1967, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell recorded it for Motown and it was a timeless hit.
Three years later, Diana Ross recorded her version, which climbed higher in the charts than Marvin Gaye’s version.
However, it is Marvin and Tammi’s version that has stood the test of time and made it onto every Motown band’s set list since.
When mentioning Motown, and the band that played on this hit, The Funk Brothers, it would be criminal to not bring up the genius behind it all, bass player James Jamerson.
Jamerson truly is the secret behind Motown’s sound; check the second video in the playlist above which gives you a visual representation of the bass line.
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (Marvin Gaye + Tammi Terrell) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: