Motown Top Selling Singles Part 2

I already mentioned that Berry Gordy, Jr., founded Motown Record Company in 1959, after discovering that writing hit songs will not guarantee making a living in music. So Motown was born, in a nod to his hometown of Detroit, Michigan, known as the Motor City for the auto industry that was at the core of the area. Gordy was making music with a strong stable of writers and talent, with the Motown label, as well as the other companies under the umbrella, like the Tamla label.

So I happened across a list of the top-selling Motown hits, and I decided to feature the songs released from 1959 to 1975, a period I consider the 'classic' years of the record company. The list is from Billboard magazine, and is an amazing collection of talent. The #5 song on the list was written by The Corporation, made up of Berry Gordy, Jr., Freddie Perren, Alphonzo Mizell and Deke Richards. It was also the second single for a young family group, as well as their second #1 song. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Randy and Michael were first discovered by Gladys Knight, who recommended Gordy sign them, but Gordy was hesitant to sign young boys. Later, when Gordy saw a videotape of the boys performing, he decided to sign them, and it wasn't long before he was grooming the Jackson 5 to be the next big thing from Motown. The second single from the family act is the #5 best-selling single for Motown, "ABC", as it was debuted on 'American Bandstand' in 1970.

In the #4 position, we have the last entry from the ladies many consider the most successful 'girl group' of all time. In 1968, Diana Ross & the Supremes had a huge hit with "Love Child". But it wasn't the Supremes everyone knew. While it was still Diana Ross and Mary Wilson, in 1967 Florence Ballard was let go, and Cindy Birdsong was brought on. (Many see this rift as the core for the Broadway musical 'Dreamgirls') by Diana Ross & the Supremes in 1968. But right after the change, the sales fell off. So Gordy got together with the team called The Clan; R. Dean Taylor, Frank Wilson, Pam Sawyer, Deke Richards, and Henry Cosby. Out of this came "Love Child, which spent two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968.

It is hard for me to imagine a song that is more sultry, and more suggestive than the #3 entry on the list. In a song written by performer Marvin Gaye and Ed Townsend, "Let's Get It On" went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, and #1 on the Billboard Soul chart for an amazing 8 weeks. Marvin certainly put the finishing touches on his reputation for being a sexual icon with the 1973 song released on the Tamla label.

For the #2 song on the list, we will have to return to the boys from Gary, Indiana. The Jackson 5 were already on a roll, having the first three singles top the Pop charts. But with "I'll Be There", they changed things up by offering a beautiful ballad instead of the frothy bubblegum Pop they had previously offered. The song, written by Berry Gordy, Bob West, Willie Hutch, and Hal Davis, went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for five weeks. This made the Jackson 5 the first group of African American males to have four consecutive #1 Pop hits. The lead vocals were shared by Michael and his brother Jermaine.

And finally, after a long wait, we find out what was the best-selling song of the Motown classic years. It only seems right we return to one of the great talents already on the list. In his second appearance on the list, and his second in the top 3, we have Marvin Gaye and the amazing "I Heard It Through The Grapevine". The song was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966 for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, but was rejected by Berry Gordy, Jr., who thought it wasn't strong enough. Whitfield and Strong worked on it more, and had Gaye record it in 1967, only to have Gordy once again veto the release. With a few more touches, it was recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips, and went to #2 on the Billboard Pop chart. So Whitfield returned to the studio with Marvin, and produced the song that became the biggest selling single for Motown Record Company between 1959 and 1975. This was released the year following Gladys' version, and was on top of the charts for seven straight weeks, from December 1968 to January 1969. This is Marvin Gaye singing his best-selling hit on the Tamla label, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine".

So there you have it, folks. Hope you enjoyed visiting all these great songs!

Motown Top Selling Singles Part 1

Motown Record Corporation was founded in 1959 by Berry Gordy, Jr., in Detroit, Michigan. The name was, in fact, a nod the Detroit, known as the Motor City. At the time, Gordy was a songwriter of note, writing for stars like Jackie Wilson. Gordy felt like he was making little money writing songs, and the real money was in running a label. The first songs were put out on the Tamla label, in 1959. The first act signed by the fledgling company was a group called the Matadors. They changed their name to the Miracles, and the lead singer was William 'Smokey' Robinson.

With that bit of history written, I thought it would be interesting to look at what the top-selling singles for Motown Record Corporation, and it's subsidiaries, from 1959 until 1975, what I would call the heyday of the label. Of course, I was surprised when I discovered the top five-selling singles for the label didn't come from that period, but from the 1990s and one from the 1980s. However, I will take the top ten from the era I picked out, and unveil them today and tomorrow. To kick off this trip down memory lane, I will being with the #10-#6 songs according to Billboard. The #10 selling single is a group who had three songs in the top 10, and one more from the lead singer after she went solo. I am of course referring the great Supremes, with lead singer Diana Ross. In 1964, the group had the utterly charming "Baby Love", written by the brilliant team of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Edward Holland, Jr. It was said Gordy suggested the writers to give Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson a song similar to their last hit, "Where Did Our Love Go?" The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks in the fall of 1964, just what Gordy was looking for.

In 1956, The Aims were signed by Chess Records to record, having been 'discovered' while performing in and around Detroit. Only they had to change their name, for fear they might be confused with the Ames Brothers. So Levi Stubbs, Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson, and Lawrence Payton called themselves The Four Tops. Their time at Chess, as well as a few other record companies, didn't work out, and in 1963, Gordy signed them for Motown. With the brilliant Levi Stubbs on lead vocals, the group were a great success for Motown, including on their great single, "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)". It was the #9 song on this list, once again written by the songwriting team of Holland - Dozier - Holland. The son was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in 1965, so enjoy this clip of the Four Tops singing it live.

The ever-brilliant Miss Diana Ross has the #8 song on the list with what was only her second solo single, and her first solo #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" was written by another incredible team of writers in the Motown stable, the husband/wife team of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. They wrote it as a duet for the first release, featuring the ample talents of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. It was a big hit for them in 1967, but was also a great hit for Ross in 1970, making it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Watch as 'The Boss' performs "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", a song that quickly became one of her signature songs.

While we are at it, the #7 entry on the list is another great song from The Supremes. In fact, it was the song that inspired the previous entry. "Where Did Our Love Go" was also the first Billboard #1 for Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, and Mary Wilson. It was also the first of five singles in a row by the ladies to make it to the top of the charts. Again, it was written by Holland - Dozier - Holland, men who definitely put their stamp on the music world. Here is the great 1964 hit, "Where Did Our Love Go?"

Now it is time to visit with the #6 song on the list. It was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. Strong was the first member of the Motown roster to have a radio hit, with "Money (That's What I Want)", in 1959. He remained with the label, writing and performing. Teaming up with the bold vocals of Edwin Starr, "War" went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was not only a popular song, it was also one of the most popular protest songs of all time. Oddly, after the attacks of 9-11, media powerhouse Clear Channel put this song on a list of inappropriate songs. This is still a great song, so enjoy Edwin Starr on "War".

Look for the Top 5 tomorrow!