Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she entered the music business at the age of 13, regularly performing live. In 1961 she was signed to the fledgling Scepter Records (later Wand Records), recording under the name "Tammy Montgomery". After coming to the attention of James Brown she recorded one single apiece for Brown's own Try Me record label and, in 1964, Checker Records. The year after that, she was spotted by Berry Gordy Jr. while playing live, and signed to his Motown label. Attractive and talented, she became romantically linked with both James Brown and David Ruffin, lead singer of The Temptations.
Tammy Montgomery changed her name to "Tammi Terrell" at the time of her Motown signing, and was teamed with producers Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol. After releasing a pair of minor R&B chart hits, "I Can't Believe You Love Me" and "Come On and See Me," Terrell was chosen to replace Kim Weston as Marvin Gaye's duet partner. The duo recorded a number of successful hits which remain popular today: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Your Precious Love," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," and "You're All I Need to Get By", all written (and in the case of the latter two, produced by) Ashford & Simpson.
While on tour with Gaye in Virginia in mid-1967, Terrell fainted on stage, and was later diagnosed as having a malignant brain tumor. While Terrell endured several operations and continued to record new material, her health steadily deteriorated. Fuqua and Bristol resorted to having Gaye overdub archived Terrell solo tracks to fill out the Gaye/Terrell duets albums. The final album attributed to Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, "Easy" (1969), actually features co-producer Valerie Simpson subbing for Terrell on all but two of the tracks.
Twelve of Tammi Terrell's solo Motown recordings, including "I Can't Believe You Love Me", "Come On and See Me," and a minor hit cover of The Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)", were issued as Terrell's only solo album, "Irresistible," in January 1969. Terrell died of brain cancer at age 24 on March 16, 1970.
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Tammi Terrell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough, baby
If you need me call me, no matter where you are
No matter how far, don't worry, baby
Just call my name, I'll be there in a hurry
You don't have to worry
'Cause, baby, there ain't no mountain high enoughAin't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you, babe
Remember the day I set you free
I told you you could always count on me, darling
From that day on, I made a vow
I'll be there when you want me
Some way, somehow
'Cause, baby, there 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, babe
Oh no, darling
No wind, no rain
Or winter's cold can stop me, baby, na na, baby
'Cause you are my goal
If you're ever in trouble
I'll be there on the double
Just send for me, oh, baby, ha
My love is alive (woo)
Way down in my heart
Although we are miles apartIf you ever need a helping hand
I'll be there on the double
Just as fast as I can
Don't you know that there
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, babe
Don'tcha know that there
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
The song “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Tammi Terrell is a love song that expresses an unwavering commitment to be there for someone no matter the circumstances. The lyrics assures the loved one that there is no distance too far, no valley too low, and no river too wide that the singer wouldn't cross to come to their aid when called upon. The song highlights the strength of the bond between the singer and the loved one and shows that true love conquers all challenges.
The lyrics also touch on the theme of redemption. The singer reminds their loved one that when they were set free, they were made a promise to always be there for them, and they intend to keep that promise. This could be interpreted in a variety of ways, such as a reference to a past relationship that didn't work out, but has been given another chance, or to provide assurance that past mistakes will not be repeated. The overall message of the song is that the singer's commitment is absolute and that they will always be there when needed.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen baby, ain't no mountain high
I am telling you, my love for you is so strong that even the biggest challenges will not stop me.
Ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough, baby
No matter what obstacles there are, whether it be a deep valley or a wide river, I will always find a way to be with you.
If you need me call me, no matter where you are
You can always count on me to come to your aid, no matter where you are in the world.
No matter how far, don't worry, baby
Even if we're miles and miles apart, my love for you will always keep us connected.
Just call my name, I'll be there in a hurry
If you ever need me, all you have to do is say my name and I'll come running to you as fast as I can.
You don't have to worry
You can always count on me, there's no need to worry.
'Cause, baby, there ain't no mountain high enough
My love for you is so strong and unrelenting that even the highest mountain won't block me from reaching you.
Remember the day I set you free
When you thought you didn't need me anymore, I let you go, but my love never died.
I told you you could always count on me, darling
I let you know that no matter what, you could always rely on me.
From that day on, I made a vow
After you left, I made a promise to always be there for you, even when you didn't think you needed me.
I'll be there when you want me
Whenever you need me, I will be there, no matter what.
Some way, somehow
I will find a way to make it happen.
'Cause, baby, there ain't no mountain high enough
My love for you knows no bounds or obstacles.
Oh no, darling
My response to anyone who tries to stand in the way of us being together.
No wind, no rain
No matter how bad the weather may be.
Or winter's cold can stop me, baby, na na, baby
Not even the harshest of winter's cold can keep me from reaching you.
'Cause you are my goal
You are my ultimate destination, and I will do whatever it takes to be with you.
If you're ever in trouble
If you're ever in any kind of danger or need any help, just let me know.
I'll be there on the double
I'll be there as quickly as possible, no matter what.
Just send for me, oh, baby, ha
Just give me a signal, any signal, and I'll be there by your side, ready to help.
My love is alive (woo)
My love for you is very much so still alive and well, and it always will be.
Way down in my heart
My love for you is deep-seated and comes from the very depths of my being.
Although we are miles apart
Even if we're far away from each other, my love for you is still strong and unwavering.
If you ever need a helping hand
If you're ever in need of any kind of help or support, I'm here for you.
I'll be there on the double
I'll be there very quickly to help you out.
Just as fast as I can
I will always do everything in my power to help you as quickly as possible.
Don't you know that there
Haven't you realized by now that there's nothing that can keep us apart?
Ain't no mountain high enough
There is no obstacle too big to keep us apart.
Ain't no valley low enough
There is no depth of sadness or despair that can keep us from being together.
Ain't no river wide enough
There is no ocean or wide expanse of water that can separate us.
To keep me from getting to you, babe
Nothing, not even the biggest obstacles, can keep me from reaching you.
Don'tcha know that there
Haven't you realized by now?
Ain't no mountain high enough
Nothing will keep us apart.
Ain't no valley low enough
Nothing can get in the way of our love.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Valerie Simpson, Nickolas Ashford
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gloryslumboy
Don’t worry, your not the only one listening to this masterpiece in 2021.
@Snowolf.
Hellow from 2021
@tricki_2279
Xd
@EpicDudex
2021
@cholsreammos
But im probably the only one using it to practice
@deborahboyd598
No..been listening to this version my whole life..what a sweetie she is here
@ginog5037
They were one of the best duos of all time and still a GREAT SONG in 2025❤
@soulsceneuk
Rest in peace to both. She deserved so much more than life gave her
@Tinewashere
I just googled her because I figured such a beautiful and talented woman must have had a long and succesful career only to be heartbroken by reading how she passed away. How absolutely unfair. At least she gave us what she could in the brief time she was here, and we still remember her half a century later..
@MagicToenail
She deserves way more than what could be comprehended. her life was extremely tragic starting with her relationship with James brown.