River Deep – Mountain High | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| N.C (F) |3/4 Bb Intro riff | 4/4 Bb Intro riff | Intro riff |
Verse 1
| Bb N.C | N.C | Eb | Eb | Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
When I was a little girl, I had a rag doll, only doll I’ve ever owned.
| Bb | Bb | Eb | Eb | Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
Now I love you just the way I loved that rag doll. But only now my love has grown.
Bridge 1
||: F | F | Bb | Bb :|| x3
And it gets stronger, in every way.
And it gets deeper, let me say.
And it gets higher, day by day.
Chorus 1
| Ab | Ab | Ab (Ab G Ab) | Ab (Bb Ab G Ab) |
And do I love you, my oh my.
| Bb | Bb | Bb (Bb A Bb)| Bb (C Bb A Bb) |
Yeah, river deep, mountain high, yeah, yeah, yeah.
| Ab | Ab | Ab (Ab G Ab) | Ab (Bb Ab G Ab) |
If I lost you would I cry.
| Bb | Bb | Bb |6/4 Bb (F) |
Oh how I love you baby. Baby, baby, baby.
Instrumental 1
|3/4 Intro riff | 4/4 Intro riff | Intro riff |
Verse 2
| Bb N.C | N.C | Eb | Eb | Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
When you were a young boy did you have a puppy, that always followed you around?
| Bb | Bb | Eb | Eb | Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
Well, I’m gonna be as faithful as that puppy. No, I’ll never let you down.
Bridge 2
||: F | F | Bb | Bb :|| x3
‘Cause it grows stronger, like a river flows.
And it gets bigger baby, and heaven knows.
And it gets sweeter baby, as it grows.
Chorus 2
| Ab | Ab | Ab (Ab G Ab) | Ab (Bb Ab G Ab) |
And do I love you, my oh my.
| Bb | Bb | Bb (Bb A Bb)| Bb (C Bb A Bb) |
Yeah, river deep, mountain high, yeah, yeah, yeah.
| Ab | Ab | Ab (Ab G Ab) | Ab (Bb Ab G Ab) |
And if I lost you would I cry.
| Bb | Bb | Bb | Bb |6/4 Bb (F Ab A) |
Oh how I love you baby. Baby, baby, baby.
Middle 8
||: Bb (M8 riff) | Bb (M8 riff) :|| x6
I love you baby like a flower loves the spring.
And I love you baby like a Robin loves to sing.
||: Eb (M8 riff) | Eb (M8 riff) :||
And I love you baby like a school boy loves his pet.
| Bb (M8 riff) | Bb (M8 riff) | Bb N.C (Bb F Ab) | Bb (F Ab A) |
And I love you baby, river deep, mountain high.
Instrumental 2
||: Bb (M8 riff) | Bb (M8 riff) :|| x6
Oh baby, hey yeah, baby, oh, baby, yeah, hey, yeah.
| Ab | Ab | Ab (Ab G Ab) | Ab (Bb Ab G Ab) |
Do I love you my oh my, oh my.
| Bb | Bb | Bb (Bb A Bb)| Bb (C Bb A Bb) |
Yeah river deep, mountain high, yeah, yeah, yeah.
| Ab | Ab | Ab (Ab G Ab) | Ab (Bb Ab G Ab) |
If I lost you would I cry.
| Bb | Bb | Bb |6/4 Bb (F) |
Oh, how I love you baby. Baby, baby, baby.
Outro
|3/4 Intro riff | 4/4 Intro riff | Intro riff | Bb N.C |
River Deep – Mountain High’s chords and progressions
Tina Turner‘s epic River Deep – Mountain High is surprisingly not on too many working Soul band’s repertoires. I put this down to the arrangement having different time signatures, not strange chords.
I’ve played in many bands that attempted this tune without a rehearsal or a new member booked last minute, it often turned into a car crash.
You can turn this into an advantage if you have a band with a steady lineup. All you have to do is get your time signatures right and you have an awesome tune, maybe even the highlight of the night!
Once you’ve sorted out all the time signature issues, the River Deep – Mountain High’s verse chords are just between IV – I in the key of Bb, like this:
| Bb N.C | N.C | Eb | Eb | Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
| Bb | Bb | Eb | Eb | Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
The bridge is just chord V and then back to chord I, like this:
||: F | F | Bb | Bb :|| x3
After using the three most obvious chords (I, IV, and V) we start the chorus with the bVIIx, also known as the back door dominant. The notes in brackets are bass lines.
| Ab | Ab | Ab (Ab G Ab) | Ab (Bb Ab G Ab) |
| Bb | Bb | Bb (Bb A Bb)| Bb (C Bb A Bb) |
| Ab | Ab | Ab (Ab G Ab) | Ab (Bb Ab G Ab) |
| Bb | Bb | Bb |6/4 Bb (F) |
Members get a full chord and time signature analysis as well as the TAB to set you and your band on the right path.
Here’s a link to the complete lesson (members only): River Deep, Mountain High chord analysis, and TAB.
Become a member today and get unlimited access to all step-by-step guitar courses, TAB for the songbook, the Self-Eliminating Practice Routine, and the eBook Spytunes Method.
River Deep – Mountain High is one of the greatest songs of all time!
Ranked at #33 on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time, River Deep – Mountain High was written and produced by Phil Spector.
The tune was part of a bigger deal where Spector signed Ike and Tina to his label Phillies, River Deep – Mountain High was also the name of the album which was released in 1966.
All songs Spector recorded with Ike & Tina were done using his legendary wall of sound technique where several instruments would play the same part, at the same time, not as an overdub.
This trick was also used in the late ’80s by Jeff Lynne when he recorded End Of The Line with the Traveling Wilburys, although Jeff only did it with acoustic guitars.
River Deep – Mountain High chords | Related pages
Intermediate Electric
The intermediate electric tunes will help you with learning the CAGED system all over the fretboard, both for chords and pentatonic scales.
Learn these Motown/Soul classics, and you’ll not just improve dramatically but also gain yourself a repertoire.
Five similar tunes with chords and lyrics
Phil Spector
Phil Spector is a guitarist, record producer, and songwriter who found fame working with The Crystals, The Ronettes, Tina Turner, and The Beatles.
His biggest hits include River Deep, Mountain High, Unchained Melody, Be My Baby, The Long And Winding Road, My Sweet Lord, Let It Be, and Imagine.
Phil Spector on the web
Tina Turner
Tina Turner was discovered by Ike, joined his band, and even married him. Together they achieved great success with many hits.
Off stage, Ike was an abusive husband, when they divorced Tina would embark on a remarkable solo career and Ike would end up the most hated man in America.
Tina Turner on the web
Motown & Soul
You can learn how to play these Motown/Soul tunes, and in doing so, gain yourself a repertoire so you can jam with, or even join a working band.
Study these tunes in-depth and you will map out the fretboard, master the CAGED system, and learn how to design a rhythm guitar part that works in a band.
