Ain’t No Mountain High Enough for the New Mercedes G-Class

Did you know that “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” the iconic Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terell Motown hit, nearly went to Dusty Springfield? But the songwriters Ashford & Simpson wanted to land a deal with the Motown label and saw this song as their ‘golden egg’ to achieve it. Marvin Gaye, Motown’s finest export, seemed a more natural fit.

The duet format certainly worked wonders, leading the Ashford/Simpson team to create more two-person hits, including Ashford/Simpson penned duets, You’re All I Need to Get By”, “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing”, and “Your Precious Love”.

Nonetheless, if you do want to glimpse into an alternate reality, footage does exist of Dusty Springfield duetting with Engelbert Humperdinck on his TV show in 1970. It’s pretty good but harder to say it’s stronger than Marvin Gaye’s version…

And while the original was a top 20 hit, it’s Diana Ross’ superior spirited version — which turned the hot track into a soulful and mystical epic — that soared to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, showing the song’s potential for transformation in different hands. Ironic, considering that at the time, Motown chief Berry Gordy hated the spoken word opening and had to be strongly convinced by Ashford and Simpson to release the 6-minute song in a three-minute radio-friendly version. Her version was even remixed in 2017 by Eric Kupper, showing its potential to be a banging house and disco track, cementing Ross, Gaye and Ashford/Simpson’s legacy for a new generation. 

With its romantic and soaring vocals, it’s a perfect song for re-mixing and re-adaptation, as seen in this epic re-recording for Mercedes-Benz’ “Geländewagen” (G-Class) campaign! We helped to find the song for agency antoni, who worked with production company Zauberberg Productions on the minute-long spot that you can watch below. Please feel free to check it out now!

Agency: Antoni | Production Company: Zauberberg Productions | Music Research & Licensing: Tracks & Fields