Forum Archives K.H. The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game The Marvelettes / U.S. R&B*, 9. For Once In My Life Stevie Wonder / U.S. Pop, 12. He didnt know our names, Mary Wilson recalled of that auspicious debut. But Boyz II Mens 1992 New Jack Swing sound was styled after classic vocal soul, Motown included. With My Guy, she also became Motowns first major star, topping the pop charts while the label was still in its early days. I Want You Back The Jackson 5 / U.S. Ahora ya en portada! I Was Made To Love Her Stevie Wonder / U.S. R&B, 13. Apple Inc. Aint No Mountain High Enough 2017 Remix Diana Ross / U.S. Dance Club, 6. Love Machine (Part 1) The Miracles / U.S. Pop U.S. R&B, 14. Ballerina Girl Lionel Richie / U.S. 1. Never Can Say Goodbye The Jackson 5 / U.S. R&B, 5. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); About Us Contributors Terms of Service Privacy Policy 2023 uDiscover Music, Jon Pardi Invited To Join Grand Ole Opry At Stagecoach By Guy Fieri And Alan Jackson, Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea Shares His Three Favorite Basslines, Killer Mike Sets 2023 North American Solo Tour, Carrie Underwood To Welcome Listeners Into Carries Country With New SiriusXM Channel, Lil Wayne Invites Fans To Welcome To Tha Carter Global Livestream Concert, LE SSERAFIM Head Up A Rebellion In Nile Rodgers Collaboration, Unforgiven, 702, Tame Impala, And Brick & Lace: Currently Trending Songs, Best Iggy Pop Songs: 20 Tracks With An Insatiable Lust For Life, Fancy: Behind Bobbie Gentrys Womens Lib Statement. Adult Contemporary, 17. While the sentiment was downcast, it resonated with listeners at the time (it nearly reached the top of the Billboard charts) and today (the album from which it was taken, Whats Going On was named the #1 record in the 2020 Rolling Stone list of the best albums of all-time). Adult Contemporary, 11. For those listeners, theres a John Morales extended mix of I Want You that stretches more than twice as long, teasing out the relationships between the individual instruments (especially a lone, pesky horn) and letting you live in that vamp for nearly 10 minutes. This silky 1967 treatise on desire, previously recorded by The Temptations, is one of the best Motown love songs. Dancing On The Ceiling Lionel Richie / Norway, 8. More than 40 years after its release, it still knows its built and knows how to please. J.N. In The Name of Love The Supremes / U.S. In Motown narratives, Smokey Robinson is often praised for his achingly beautiful work with the Miracles and his writing and production for Mary Wells and the Temptations, among others. I was really joking, she later said. ALL FORUMS It was the start of several brokenhearted hits for her, and the songs gaping vulnerability touched a nerve inspiring versions by Aretha Franklin and the Clash, among others. Pop U.S. R&B U.K. 23. The 100 Greatest Motown Songs From Sixties pop smashes to Seventies protest classics By David Browne, Mankaprr Conteh, Jon Dolan, Kory Grow, Keith Harris, Christian Hoard, Elias Leight, Angie. A few days after the first was released locally, Gordy second-guessed himself too slow, not enough life, he grumbled and he brought everyone back to record the peppier version that became Motowns first million-seller. 0:05. Hip-hop exploded into the popular consciousness when the Sugarhill Gangs Rappers Delight cracked the Top 40 early in 1980. Pop, 12. Pop U.S. R&B U.S. Dance/Disco, 4. Let us know in the comments section below. The collection features a staggering total of 208 chart-topping Motown hits, including such indelible classics as the Four Tops I Cant Help Myself, Marvin Gayes Whats Going On, the Jackson 5s ABC, Martha & the Vandellas Dancing In The Street, The Marvelettes Please Mr. Postman, Diana Ross Aint No Mountain High Enough, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles I Second That Emotion, the Supremes Where Did Our Love Go, the Temptations Aint Too Proud To Beg and Stevie Wonders Signed, Sealed, Delivered (Im Yours)., The new edition of the box set adds ten bonus tracks across its first ten discs. Written by Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford in 1959, Motowns first hit offers a roadmap of the labels future: The lyric encapsulates Motowns drive for commercial as well artistic success, while the piano bass line is R&B blossoming into pop in real time. That, strangeness aside, the elegantly sumptuous record co-written by, Johnny Bristol, a songwriter and producer who can also be heard, singing in the background is one of the most majestic and poignant, records of the Motown era. K.G. You Cant Hurry Love, My Baby Loves Me, Ooh, Baby, Baby, I Want You Back, Aint That Peculiar, My Smile is Just A Frown (Turned Upside Down), Chain Reaction, Signed, Sealed & Delivered,The Boss, Quicksand,Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While),You Beat Me To The Punch. Of course, musical tastes are subjective, and that will always be true. Shotgun Jr. Walker & the All-Stars / U.S. R&B, 16. In the years leading up to that album, Houston had been struggling to break through on the charts, and this disco take was even originally meant for label darling Diana Ross instead. For Your Love Stevie Wonder / U.S. Looking for more? If you want to hear how Berry Gordy fine-tuned Detroit R&B for wider (and whiter) pop appeal without watering it down, compare the two versions the Miracles recorded of this 1960 Smokey Robinson classic. But its a buried treasure that can give any Motown connoisseur the shivers, from the Vandellas superb LP Watchout! Tina Cherry Georgio / U.S. Dance/Disco, 13. When Kendricks returns, all the instruments drop away except the hand percussion, creating the kind of endlessly loopable kinetic breakdown thats catnip for DJs. All rights reserved. There was a lot of life in The Supremes after you-know-who quit. Free shipping. Pop U.S. R&B Canada, 11. Last Time I Saw Him Diana Ross / U.S. Pop* U.S. R&B*, 10. Sam Armstrong, The Spinners would go off to record more for Atlantic Records, but you can understand why Motown wanted to get in on the ground floor of this talented vocal group. MOTOWN Forum The last Number One hit of the Sixties, it was a, fitting send-off for the group and the decade that birthed them. [The feeling of] Easy like Sunday morning applies to anybody who lives in a small Southern town, he once told Spin. A Number One R&B hit, Shop Around was only kept out of the Number One slot on the pop charts by Lawrence Welk. He also adds the flirty sentiment, Id like to see you in the raw under the stars above. One of the songs biggest fans: Jerry Garcia, who immediately started playing it on the road and loved to jam on Boogie On Reggae Woman for 17 or 18 minutes at a time. Hip-hop 4557857 Motown a1Nellyville a2Gettin' It Started a3Hot In Herre a4Dem Boyz a5Oh Nelly a6Pimp Juice b1Air Force Ones b2In The Store b3On The Grind b4Dilemma c1Splurge c2Work It c3Roc The Mic (Remix) Pop U.S. R&B U.S. I was so taken with the mother and her little speech that stayed with me, so I came up with the song, Lamont Dozier said. Stop! Adult R&B, 5. And amid all the hits, there are still lesser-known gems to be discovered. I mean, she delivered a vocal performance that folks are gonna be listening to as long as human beings are capable of love. R.S. I just look for Matousek's name in the credits. Composed by Smokey and his sister Rose, Quiet Storm was not a huge pop hit, but it represents two things: a new genre of soul, which gave radio programmers an innovative format called, yes, Quiet Storm; and Motown coming to terms with the fact its music was not entirely for kids and parties anymore. Pop*, 11. And heres a more rolling groover: a US solo No.1 for the former high tenor of The Temptations. This breezy groove has some of Smokeys wittiest wordplay, stretching out the makeup metaphors and puns, while Martha Reeves sings about the tears pancake and powder could never cover. R.S. Sir Duke Stevie Wonder / U.S. Ill Be There The Jackson 5 / U.S. Take Me Higher Diana Ross / U.S. Dance/Disco, 13. The song became more significant in the decades following, however, as it became a heartbroken anthem for the HIV/AIDS epidemic. With a Number Three pop hit that was his first single to top the R&B charts, Wonder was just getting started. Pop U.S. R&B U.K. 6. After the Temptations shifted course toward funkier, harder-hitting fare like Psychedelic Shack and Ball of Confusion, Just My Imagination was a sweet nod to the groups classic sound. I Second That Emotion Smokey Robinson & the Miracles / U.S. R&B, 15. Writers Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong came up with a track that was just as incisive and explosive as the lyrics. item 4 NEW / Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever (Deluxe Collectors' Edition) - Moto.. Heaven Help Us All Stevie Wonder / U.S. R&B**, 21. Wrap My Body Tight Johnny Gill / U.S. R&B, 5. Full of beans, Michael Jackson and the rest of the boys from Gary, Indiana, break big with their first Tamla single, sounding like a junior Sly And The Family Stone crossed with a teenage Temptations. John's extended versions are brilliant. mosogotam 284K. D.B. Gayes early Seventies albums tend to get more attention than his work later in the decade, but 1976s I Want You is wildly ambitious and recklessly groovy, maybe nowhere more than its title song. Upside Down Diana Ross / U.S. Pop*/**. The world-famous Supreme queens 1980 meeting with disco maestros Chic was not without controversy: she remixed the album they created for her. I Cant Get Next To You The Temptations / U.S. Go Home Stevie Wonder / U.S. Dance/Disco U.S. Pop 3.. A Song For Mama Boyz II Men / U.S. R&B, 15. Pop U.S. R&B, 1. Ultimately, though, its an invigorating tribute to the unifying spirit of music itself, the equal opportunity for all to sing, dance, and clap their hands, and, frankly, Wonder deserves his own Sir Duke tribute just for writing it. Sheppard / U.S. Country, 20. Signed, Sealed, Delivered (Im Yours) Stevie Wonder / U.S. While concentrating on the perpetual struggle against the powerful, You Havent Done Nothin is also slyly futuristic, integrating synths and a new musical invention: the drum machine. One of the crowning glories of pops 60s revolution, one of the best soul songs of all time, and, for many fans, Motowns peak. You Havent Done Nothin Stevie Wonder / U.S. Sam Armstrong. Adult Contemporary, 6. This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) Isley Brothers, #1 cover version by Rod Stewart with Ronald Isley: U.S. Tender yet sprightly, its regarded as The Temptations theme song. What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted Jimmy Ruffin. Originally released by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes in 1975, Thelma Houston covered Dont Leave Me This Way for her fourth album, Any Way You Like It, a year later. My World Is Empty Without You is one of Motowns most obsessive beats Diana Ross gets haunted in her lonely house, staring at her four walls, but the sadness is all in the rhythm. Do You Love Me The Contours / U.S. R&B, 4. My Love Lionel Richie / U.S. Its a good list, but I would have made some substitutions from this list: K.H. It was the beginning of a new era for Michael, appearing on an album where he also covered Carole King and Bill Withers. Jimmy Mack Martha & the Vandellas / U.S. R&B, 11. Released in 1969, a chart-topper in 1970, and the birth of a legend. 1s is released on 28 June. Obvious, really. Pop** U.S. R&B, 2. Pop** U.S. R&B, 6. 2: 1962 Various The Complete Motown Singles | Vol. Pop U.S. R&B U.S. Pop U.S. R&B U.K. Australia Canada Ireland, 15. The classic Motown sound was starting to fully flow by the end of 1963, when Can I Get A Witness was released. She is reveling in her passion-jaded condition, delivering a trophy-grabbing disco masterpiece, showing the likes of Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor whos The Boss. For those listeners, theres a John Morales extended mix of I Want You that stretches more than twice as long, teasing out the relationships between the individual instruments (especially a lone, pesky horn) and letting you live in that vamp for nearly 10 minutes. The title track unfurls for close to eight minutes, with keening synthesizer, whooshing wind effects, and a flute solo skimming over a demure rhythm section. Otis Williams later recalled, I know there werent drug references because Norman and Barrett didnt do drugs.. Pop U.S. R&B, 19. Told it would take a while to come up with what Richie needed, the singer made up the interjections himself. Isley Brothers Motown "This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You)" My Extended Version! B.S. Smiling Faces Sometimes The Undisputed Truth / U.S. R&B**, 8. Girl I Got My Eyes On You Today / U.S. R&B, 17. Beauty Is Only Skin Deep The Temptations / U.S. R&B. J.D. The title track from the Miracles monumentally great 1965 album (which ranks at 420 on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list) is an invitation to go out and hit the club that easily doubles as a metaphor for Motowns inviting, integrationist spirit You might see anyone in town, Smokey Robinson tells us. Incredibly passionate music from 1970, with a highly romantic pulse. Sam Armstrong, The Isley Brothers only recorded songs for Motown for a short time, but they made a mighty impact with this pleading HollandDozierHolland gem. Best motown songs 1. Far from the tales of carefree romance popular in Sixties Motown, the song cautions against the smiling faces that pretend to be your friend and dont tell the truth. The group wouldnt reach that level of success again, but the song earned notable covers by everyone from Rare Earth to Joan Osborne.