The Period 1964–1967 At Motown Was Dominated By Which Writing And Production Team?

Number 1 Motown singles in the UK

2019 marks the 60th anniversary of the Motown record label. In my own celebration of that fact I'm going to have a look at the number ones it has had on the UK single charts, and number ones related to the label over the years.

In the US, Berry Gordy started out with the Motown label, and added Tamla and Gordy to them in quick succession. Over the years there have been numerous labels associated with the Motown family as they branched out into all forms of music.

In the UK, t h ere wasn't the ability to issue on an American label in the late 1950's and Early 1960's and so records from the Motown labels, which fell under the Jobete Music publishing house were released on a number of different labels over here, starting out on London American, then Fontana, Oriole and Stateside before the Tamla Motown label started out releasing UK records in late 1965.

Therefore Motown's first UK number one single wasn't even released on Tamla Motown, but rather on Stateside.

The Supremes — Baby Love b/w Ask Any Girl. Stateside catalogue number SS350. Reached number one on 19th November 1964 and was number one for two weeks. The group had had its first major hit with "Where Did Our Love Go" a couple of months before after having had the nickname of the "No-Hit Supremes" prior to that. This changed all that, and it wasn't long after that Berry Gordy's favourite got head billing and they became Diana Ross and the Supremes, and the animosity within the group started. It was another sublime piece of song writing by Motown's main in-house writing and production team of Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland. It finally did get a Tamla Motown release in the mid-seventies on TMG915 and in the anniversary re-releases on TMG1044.

The Four Tops — Reach Out (I'll Be There) b/w Until You Love Someone — TMG579. The first actual number one on the Tamla Motown label came nearly two years after Baby Love. This was another song from the Holland — Dozier — Holland production line and reached number one on the 27th October 1966 staying there for three weeks. It saw a couple of re-releases, on TMG1049, and in 1988 on the back of its use in a Right Guard advert a remixed version on ZB41943 (using the RCA numbering format imposed on the label when they were taken over in the mid 1980's) and a 12" release on ZB41944.

Marvin Gaye — I Heard It Through The Grapevine b/w I Need Somebody — TMG686. One of the most famous Motown songs, it was written by Barrett Strong (who had had the first Motown single release ever with "Money (That's What I Want)") and Norman Whitfield. It had originally been recorded by The Miracles, before Marvin Gaye, but both versions were vetoed as single releases by the label boss Berry Gordy. It was first released by Gladys Knight & The Pips as a more up-tempo release in 1967. After appearing on Marvin Gaye's album there was pressure from radio stations to have this version released as a single. Showing Gordy didn't know everything. It got to number one on 26th March 1969, staying there for three weeks. It got to be on five different re-releases, TMG923, TMG987, TMG1045, ZB40701/2 and ZB40961/2 with the latter two both having 12" releases.

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles — The Tears Of A Clown — TMG745. There were two different versions of the single released with different B-sides, one with You Must Be Love and the other with Who's Gonna Take The Blame? Written by Motown producer Hank Cosby and Stevie Wonder as an instrumental for the Motown Christmas party, Smokey Robinson added lyrics. Got to number one after an office staffer in London lobbied for it to be released as a single on 12th September 1970, staying top for a single week. Reissued on TMG1048 as a double A side with Tracks Of My Tears.

Diana Ross — I'm Still Waiting b/w Reach Out I'll Be There — TMG 781. Diana Ross' second single release wasn't going to be a single release in the UK until Tony Blackburn kept playing the album track on Radio 1 and persuaded the label to release it as a single. It got to number one on 21st August 1971 and was top for four weeks. It was written by Deke Richards (who would later go on to be part of what was known as The Corporation, a Motown song writing collective who wrote most of the Jackson 5's and Michael Jackson's early single releases.) Rereleased on TMG1041 and remixed in 1990 on ZB43781 and a 12" release on ZB43782.

The Commodores — Three Times A Lady b/w Can't You Tease Me — TMG1113. Written by Lionel Richie, this got to number one on the 19th August 1978 and stayed there for five weeks. Berry Gordy had dropped the Tamla part of the label name by this point, and so this was the first UK number one as the Motown label. The Commodores had started out as a funk band more along the lines of Kool & The Gang or Earth, Wind & Fire, but moved to a more sedate sound with Richie taking over more of the song writing duties, such as this. He would break away with a solo career in the early eighties, but the rest of the band carried on without him.

Smokey Robinson — Being With You b/w What's In Your Life For Me? — TMG1223. Having gone solo in the seventies, Robinson wrote most of his own music for his long solo career, this included. It hit number one on the 13th June 1981, staying at number one for two weeks, only to be knocked off number one by another Motown song.

Michael Jackson — One Day In Your Life b/w With A Child's Heart — TMG946 and TMG976. Originally a non-charting single from 1975, this song, written by Sam Brown III and Renee Armand, was rereleased in 1981 on the original label numbers on the back of Jackson's success with his Off The Wall album. It hit number one on the 27th June 1981, taking over from Being With You, and being the only instance of a Motown single taking over from another Motown single at the top of the charts.

Charlene — I've Never Been To Me b/w Somewhere In My Life — TMG1260. Written by Ron Miller, Don Costa and label boss Berry Gordy, this had been a US single release only in 1977. It was rereleased in 1982 after finding traction on a Tampa radio station. They had to track Charlene down as she had left the music industry, and found her married and living in Ilford, Essex. It hit number one on the 26th June 1982 staying there for a single week.

Lionel Richie — Hello b/w All Night Long (All Night) Instrumental — TMG1330 (including 12" and cassette single releases). Self-penned third release off his Can't Slow Down album, it's the one with the very creepy video and the clay head of some random that is supposed to be the singer. It got to number one on the 24th March 1984 and stayed there for six weeks.

Stevie Wonder — I Just Called To Say I Love You b/w Instrumental — TMG 1349 (including 12" and cassette single releases) and ZB42605/6. It got to number one on the 8th September 1984 and stayed there for six weeks. Of all the tracks this musical maestro wrote and released, this sickly sweet release from The Woman in Red soundtrack was Wonder's only UK solo number one hit. I'll touch upon his other number ones later. Just to show how strange the UK charts can be, his next release was a duet with Michael Jackson — still doing big business with the Thriller album — called Get It. It wasn't a brilliant track but was decent enough, yet the combined star power could only get it to reach number 37.

Boyz II Men — End Of The Road b/w Instrumental — TMG1411 (including 12", cassette single and CD single releases) and 860064–7. The final Motown UK number one single was written by the hot RnB writers and producers of the time, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Antonio "L.A." Reid and Daryl Simmons for the soundtrack of the film Boomerang. It got to number one on the 31st October 1992 and stayed there for three weeks overlapping the dates twenty eight years earlier of Baby Love.

So only twelve (or eleven if you're being pedantic) Motown number one singles in the UK, but if you look at the related stuff, then there is a whole host of other stuff.

There have been a number of cover versions of Motown songs that have hit number one in the UK. The first of which was Brian Poole & The Tremeloes with Do You Love Me a cover of The Contours 1962 release on Oriole (CBA1763) which hit number one on 10th October 1963 for three weeks. The original was famously on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack.

In the eighties there were a few, on the 15th January 1983, Phil Collins hit number one for two weeks with his cover of The Supremes You Can't Hurry Love (TMG575), then the same year on the 23rd July, Paul Young hit number one for three weeks with his cover of Marvin Gaye's Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home) (B-side to Too Busy Thinking About My Baby on TMG705). On the 7th September 1985 on the back of the successful duet at Live Aid, David Bowie & Mick Jagger got to number one for four weeks with a cover of Martha Reeves & The Vandellas' Dancing In The Street (Stateside SS345). The following year on the 13th September, The Communards got to number one for four weeks with Don't Leave Me This Way. Although this was originally released by Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes on Philadelphia International, this version was more in keeping with the Thelma Houston disco tempo version (TMG1060). The Christmas number one that year was The Housemartins who spent one week at number one with a cover of Caravan Of Love, Originally by the Isley Brothers, but after they had left Motown for Epic in the early seventies. Another Isley Brothers song — Twist And Shout originally released on the Anna record label that Berry Gordy had a stake in before signing them to Motown was covered by Chaka Demus & Pliers in a number one from the 8th January 1994 for two weeks.

Then there are those Motown artists that had number ones elsewhere. I said I would come back to Stevie Wonder. Prior to I Just Called To Say I Love You he had only hit the UK number one spot on a duet with Paul McCartney. Ebony and Ivory had been released on Paul McCartney's label — Parlophone — and it hit number one on 24th April 1982 for three weeks. Then in the year after I Just Called To Say I Love You he hit number one three times without his name being on the label or cover. He played harmonica on Chaka Khan's I Feel For You which hit number one on 16th November 1984 for three weeks and The Eurythmics' There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart) which hit number one on the 27th July 1985 for a week. In between the two he was one of the featured artists on USA For Africa's charity single We Are The World along with Diana Ross, various Jacksons and co-writers Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson, it hit number one on the 20th April 1985 for two weeks. Then in 1995 Coolio feat LV sampled the music and most of the lyrics for the chorus of Gangsta's Paradise from his album track Pastime Paradise. It got to number one on the 28th October 1995 for two weeks.

Michael Jackson was so much more successful once he departed from Motown. He had seven further number ones, one with the Jacksons, a duet and five solo numbers.

25th June 1977 for six weeks — The Jacksons — Show You The Way To Go.

5th March 1983 for one week — Billie Jean.

15th August 1987 for two weeks — I Just Can't Stop Loving You — Duet with Siedah Garrett.

23rd November 1991 for two weeks — Black Or White.

9th September 1995 for two weeks — You Are Not Alone.

9th December 1995 for six weeks — Earth Song.

And finally 3rd May 1997 for a week — Blood On The Dancefloor.

Diana Ross had a solo number one with the Bee Gees penned Chain Reaction which reached number one on the 8th March 1986 staying there for three weeks. Future Motown solo artist Billy Preston was known as the fifth Beatle for some time (one of many to be called that) and was credited on their number one Get Back which hit number one on the 23rd April 1969 staying there for six weeks. Johnny Gill was a member of New Edition before becoming a solo artist on Motown, and was part of their hit Candy Girl which got to number one on the 28th May 1983 for a week.

Writers that departed the Motown label also got a look in. The golden writing and production trio of Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland split with Motown in 1970 and former their own Invictus label. Their first major hit was Freda Payne's Band of Gold which replaced Tears of a Clown at number one on the 19th September 1970 and stayed there for six weeks.

So with all that lot it brings up thirty five number ones delivered or inspired by Motown, that topped the chart for a total of two years. Not bad for a label started in the equivalent of a semi-detached house in a Detroit suburb in 1959.