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Move Me No Mountain

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"Move Me No Mountain" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Aaron Schroeder. It was originally recorded in 1974 by Love Unlimited, a group organized and produced by Barry White. In 1975, Ragovoy arranged and produced a recording of the song by American singer Dionne Warwick. Warwick's version used a slightly different melody in the song's chorus than the melody sung by Love Unlimited, and this variation has been used on subsequent recordings of the song. In 1980, American singer Chaka Khan recorded a version of the song with production by Arif Mardin.

Soul II Soul version

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"Move Me No Mountain"
Single by Soul II Soul featuring Kofi
from the album Volume III Just Right
ReleasedJune 1, 1992 (1992-06-01)[1]
Genre
Length3:25
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)Jerry Ragovoy, Aaron Schroeder
Producer(s)
Soul II Soul singles chronology
"Joy"
(1992) 		"Move Me No Mountain"
(1992) 		"Just Right"
(1992)
Music video
"Move Me No Mountain" on YouTube

"Move Me No Mountain" was covered by British musical collective Soul II Soul and released in June 1992 by Virgin as the second single from their third album, Volume III Just Right (1992). It features British singer Kofi (a.k.a. Carol Simms) on lead vocals and American singer Penny Ford on background vocals. The song was a top-10 hit in Greece and Portugal, peaking at number seven and ten. In the UK, it reached number 31. Outside Europe, it peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in the US and was a top-40 hit in New Zealand. The accompanying black-and-white music video features Kofi performing the song behind or in front of a waterfall.

Critical reception

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Larry Flick from Billboard complimented the "silky tones" of new vocalist Kofi, that empowers the song, "a hearty mix of the act's signature nouveau soul and state-of-the-charts house beats."[2] John Martinucci from the Gavin Report declared it as a "laid back house-flavored track with Kofi's smooth vocals", adding that former Snap! member Penny Ford assists with the background vocals.[3] A reviewer from Melody Maker opined that it's "all-too-slick" and the vocals delivered "sweetly but dispassionately".[4] Andy Beevers from Music Week named it Pick of the Week in the category of Dance, viewing it as a "standout" of the album. He also complimented the song as "an obvious choice" featuring "sweet soulful vocals".[5]

Dele Fadele from New Musical Express wrote, "...you can still rely on them for well-tailored grooves and universal sentiments. With new discovery Kofi's warm, earthy voice jousting against a string arrangement, "Move Me No Mountain" makes a case for long, languid summers and the resurrection of "Soul"."[6] Orla Swift from Record-Journal described it as "gospel-inflected", naming it one of the album's "strongest cuts".[7] Miranda Sawyer from Select felt it "skips along very nicely — sweet lovers' rock vocals (from reggae star Kofi) soaring over Soul II Soul's effortlessly clubby beat."[8] Another Select editor, David Lubich, remarked that the song shows "a glimpse of vocal talent".[9] Tom Doyle from Smash Hits was less enthustiastic, giving it two out of five.[10]

Track listing

[edit]
  • 12-inch single, UK (1992)
  1. "Move Me No Mountain" (Club Mix)
  2. "Move Me No Mountain" (Hackney E9 Mix)
  3. "Move Me No Mountain" (Dub)
  4. "Move Me No Mountain" (Removed Club Mix)
  5. "Move Me No Mountain" (Dum Dum Dub)
  • CD single, UK (1992)
  1. "Move Me No Mountain" (Album Edit) – 3:25
  2. "Move Me No Mountain" (Club Mix) – 4:22
  3. "Move Me No Mountain" (Radio Mix) – 2:56
  4. "Move Me No Mountain" (Hackney E9 Mix) – 4:06
  5. "Move Me No Mountain" (Dub) – 3:38
  6. "Move Me No Mountain" (Removed Club Mix) – 6:23
  7. "Move Me No Mountain" (Dum Dum Dub) – 5:18

Charts

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Weekly chart performance for "Move Me No Mountain" by Soul II Soul
Chart (1992) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[11] 96
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[12] 99
Europe (European Dance Radio)[13] 2
Greece (Virgin)[14] 7
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[15] 13
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 62
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[17] 40
Portugal (AFP)[18] 10
UK Singles (OCC)[19] 31
UK Dance (Music Week)[20] 6
US Dance Club Play (Billboard)[21] 29
US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)[22] 33

References

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  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. May 30, 1992. p. 21. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  2. ^ Flick, Larry (July 4, 1992). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 68. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  3. ^ Martinucci, John (June 26, 1992). "Urban: New Releases" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 20. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  4. ^ The Stud Brothers (June 6, 1992). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 29. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  5. ^ Beevers, Andy (May 30, 1992). "Dance - Pick of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. p. 10. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  6. ^ Fadele, Dele (June 6, 1992). "Singles". New Musical Express. p. 16. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  7. ^ Swift, Orla (May 8, 1992). "Soul II Soul's 'Just Right' just fine". Record-Journal. p. 25. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  8. ^ Sawyer, Miranda (July 1, 1992). "Reviews: New Singles". Select. p. 89. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  9. ^ Lubich, David (May 1, 1992). "Reviews: New Albums". Select. p. 73. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  10. ^ Doyle, Tom (May 27, 1992). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 52. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  11. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 261.
  12. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. July 4, 1992. p. 18. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  13. ^ "EDR Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. July 4, 1992. p. 23. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  14. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 27. July 4, 1992. p. 24. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  15. ^ "Soul II Soul – Move Me No Mountain" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  16. ^ "Soul II Soul – Move Me No Mountain" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  17. ^ "Soul II Soul – Move Me No Mountain". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  18. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 30. July 25, 1992. p. 12. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  20. ^ "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. June 13, 1992. p. 18. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  21. ^ "Dance Club Songs". Billboard. September 5, 1992. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  22. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. August 22, 1992. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
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