Among a number of groups who helped define the Motown Sound of the 1960s, including The Miracles, The Marvelettes, The Temptations and The Supremes, The Four Tops were notable for having Stubbs, a baritone, as their lead singer; most groups of the time were fronted by a tenor. The group was the main male vocal group for the songwriting and production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, who crafted for the group a stream of popular hit singles, including two #1 hits: "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" and "Reach Out I'll Be There". After Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown in 1967, the Four Tops were assigned to a number of producers, primarily Frank Wilson. When Motown left Detroit in 1972 to move to Los Angeles, California, the Tops stayed in Detroit and moved over to ABC Records, where they continued to have charting singles into the late-1970s. Since the 1980s, The Four Tops have recorded for, at various times, Motown, Casablanca Records, and Arista Records.
As an unofficial record, it is believed that The Four Tops were the band to continue performing the longest without a lineup change. Levi Stubbs, Abdul Fakir, Renaldo Benson and Lawrence Payton sang together as the Four Tops from 1954 until 1997, when Lawrence Payton died of cancer. That's an astonishing 43 years without a lineup change. The three surviving members continued to tour as "The Tops."
River Deep Mountain High )
The Four Tops Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only doll I've ever owned
Well, I love you just the way I loved that rag doll
Only now my love has grown
And it gets stronger in every way, yeah(Stronger)
And it gets deeper,(deeper) everyday
And it gets higher((higher) day by day
(Do I love you, my, oh, my)
Ooo, baby
(River deep, mountain high)
Yeah, yeah, yeah
If I lost you, would I cry? Oh-ho
Oh, how I love you baby
(Baby, baby)
When you were a young girl
Did you have a puppy
That always followed you around?
Well, I'm gonna be as faithful as that puppy
You know I'll never let you down
'Cause it goes on an on
(On an on)
Like the river flows
And it gets deeper, baby
(Deeper)
Heaven knows
And it gets sweeter baby
(Sweeter)
As it flows
Do I love you, my, oh, my
River deep mountain high
('Cause it's so high)
If I lost you, would I cry?
Oh, how I love you baby
(I love you)
(Baby, baby)
How I love you, baby
Like the flower loves the spring
And I love ya, baby
Like the robin loves to sing
Ooo hoo and I love you, baby
Like a school girl loves her pie, yeah
And I love baby
(River deep and mountain high)
I love ya baby
The mountain so high
(And river deep)
Woo, oh, baby, baby
I love ya baby, hoo
(I bet ya do)
I love you, baby
Do you love me?
Yes I do oh-ho
Do I love you, my, oh, my
(Tell me, tell me, tell me)
River deep mountain high
Oh, if I lost you
(If I lost you)
Would I cry
(Would I cry baby?)
I love you, baby, baby
(Baby)
Tell me do ya love me, baby?
I love you, yeah
River so deep
Mountain so high
(Mountain high)
Oh-ho, yeah, baby
So high, yeah
(And so deep)
River deep, mountain high
River so deep mountain high
I love you,baby
River so deep
Mountain high
I love you,baby
River deep
Mountain high
The Four Tops' classic hit "River Deep-Mountain High" is a love song that illustrates the strength of the singer's feelings. The opening stanza of the song is sung by a woman who recollects her childhood, where she used to play with a rag doll, the only doll she ever owned. She compares the love she has for her partner to the way she loved that rag doll. The chorus, "Do I love you, my oh my?" is a rhetorical question; it is an expression of love that is overflowing and profound. The woman sings about how her love keeps evolving, getting deeper, higher, and stronger every day. The second half of the song is sung by a man, who promises to be faithful to his lover, just like a puppy that will never leave her side. He emphasizes that his love for his partner is constant, like a river and it continually flows on and on. "River Deep-Mountain High" is the perfect euphemism for the depths of love that someone can feel for their partner.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a little girl, I had a rag doll
When I was young, I used to own a rag doll
Only doll I've ever owned
That was the only doll I had
Well, I love you just the way I loved that rag doll
I love you the same way as I loved my doll before
Only now my love has grown
But now my love has grown stronger
And it gets stronger in every way, yeah(Stronger)
My love for you grows stronger each day
And it gets deeper,(deeper) everyday
My love for you gets deeper each day
And it gets higher((higher) day by day
My love for you grows higher each day
(Do I love you, my, oh, my)
I am amazed by how much I love you
Ooo, baby
Oh darling
(River deep, mountain high)
My love for you is as vast as a river and as tall as a mountain
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yes, yes, yes
If I lost you, would I cry? Oh-ho
If I lost you, I would be devastated
Oh, how I love you baby
I really love you, my dear
(Baby, baby)
My darling, my darling
When you were a young girl
When you were a child
Did you have a puppy
Did you have a dog
That always followed you around?
That was always with you
Well, I'm gonna be as faithful as that puppy
I promise to be loyal to you
You know I'll never let you down
I will always support and be with you
'Cause it goes on an on
Our love continues endlessly
(On an on)
Endlessly
Like the river flows
Like a river moving
And it gets deeper, baby
Our love deepens, honey
(Deeper)
Getting deeper
Heaven knows
God knows
And it gets sweeter baby
Our love keeps getting better and sweeter
(Sweeter)
Getting sweeter
As it flows
As our love flows
Tell me do ya love me, baby?
Tell me, do you love me?
I love you, yeah
I really love you
River so deep
Our love is as deep as a river
Mountain so high
Our love is as tall as a mountain
(Mountain high)
As tall as a mountain
Oh-ho, yeah, baby
Oh yes, darling
So high, yeah
So tall, yes
(And so deep)
And so deep
River deep, mountain high
Our love is vast and strong
I love you,baby
I love you, my love
River so deep
As deep as a river
Mountain high
As tall as a mountain
I love you, baby
I love you, my dear
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@carlfowler1996
The fantastic voice of Levi Stubbs can't be questioned.
@b.millsj2401
Everything can be questioned
@johnperry4572
After nearly 50 years.....this version still gets the juices flowing....and the hips and feet going.....
@donnawanna3680
This is Tina song and only Tina's song everybody else spoiled it
@mysticalmargaret6105
To me this is by far the best version of this song. Love it.
@barbaradownie3265
Margaret Tudor BY FAR 💖
@hux2000
My fave is the non-Spector version TIna Turner recorded in the early 70s. It really captures the energy of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJr3v8P5GMQ
@karenwilkerson582
My favorite version of this fabulous song!!!!! 2020
@debbienorris8820
Margaret yes 💗💗so many others are great also but this one is my fav also 😻
@mustafakace7106
A trick : you can watch series at flixzone. I've been using it for watching lots of of movies these days.