“Cause it goes on and on”
I remember watching Celine Dion perform Phil Spector’s “River Deep, Mountain High” on MTV’s first Divas Live extravaganza in 1998. I was full of contempt at the time, having endured a roommate’s long-running obsession with “My Heart Will Go On.” But then Celine took the stage. She wore a dark duster as though she were trying to channel not only Tina Turner but also Johnny Cash and I could not look away. Along with Celine, Deep Purple, Neil Diamond, Erasure, the Saints, and the Supremes have covered the song. The version of all versions, of course, belongs to Tina Turner.
In Mick Brown’s new biography Tearing Down the Wall of Sound, Spector explains his ambition for his music: “I wanted to be in the background. But I wanted to be important in the background. I wanted to be the focal point.” It’s hard to imagine, though, there can ever be any other focal point if Tina Turner’s in the room.
“Phil Spector vs. The Wall of Sound,” my essay about “River Deep, Mountain High” is online at Design Observer.