It goes without saying that songs almost always have lyrics and melodies. But sometimes, songs also have a spoken word part, with amazing results. These are three of our favorite songs that have a surprising spoken word part.
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross
Diana Ross’s second single, and first No. 1 hit, is “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”. The song is part of her eponymous freshman album. Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson were the writers of the uptempo tune. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell first released “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” in 1967, becoming a Top 5 R&B hit for them. In 1968, Ross first recorded “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” with her group, The Supremes, as part of their collaborative Diana Ross & The Supremes Join The Temptations record.
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But in 1970, Ross released “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” again, this time as a solo artist. In Ross’s solo version, she speaks the intro to the powerful love song. On the Motown record label, the then-CEO Berry Gordy was not a fan of Ross’s speaking part.
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” begins with, “If you need me, call me / No matter where you are / No matter how far / Just call my name / I’ll be there in a hurry / On that you can depend and never worry.”
“Are You Lonesome Tonight” by Elvis Presley
A lot of “Are You Lonesome Tonight” by Elvis Presley is a spoken part. A No. 1 single for Presley, “Are You Lonesome Tonight” appears on his Elvis’ Golden Records, Vol. 3 record. Lou Handman and Roy Turk are the song’s writers.
“Are You Lonesome Tonight” ends with, “Now the stage is bare, and I’m standing there / With emptiness all around / And if you won’t come back to me / Then they can bring the curtain down / Is your heart filled with pain? Shall I come back again? / Tell me, dear, are you lonesome tonight?“
“Thriller” by Michael Jackson
By the time Michael Jackson released “Thriller” in 1983, he already had plenty of hits and was known for doing bold things in his music. But it’s “Thriller” that remains among his most popular songs. The title track of his sixth studio album, the song was written by Rod Temperton.
An almost six-minute song, the spoken part of “Thriller” is more like a rap. Also, it wasn’t done by Jackson. Instead, actor Vincent Price performs the rap part of the song.
“Thriller” says, “Darkness falls across the land / The midnight hour is close at hand / Creatures crawl in search of blood / To terrorize y’all’s neighborhood.”
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