The 1963 song Phil Collins crowned as the best Motown single ever: “The sun just comes out”
Phil Collins has had a taste of everything, from prog rock to straight-out chart pop. But Motown will always be his one true love.
Some people might see this as an addendum to his career, but in reality, Collins was still just a child when he was introduced to that wonderful world. It ranked right up there with his other seminal influences, from Ringo Starr to Buddy Rich, and throughout the years, the space it took up in his musical mind only continued to grow.
This was to the point where, in 2010, he was almost fit to burst with his Motown passion. That obviously heralded the creation of his last album, Going Back, which he described as an “old album” and not a new one, as a direct homage to the sound he loved so much but had never had the chance to dive headfirst into within his own back catalogue.
As such, Going Back was stacked with wall-to-wall hits, pre-packaged for him in all their iconic form, ready for him to place his mark on. The second track in that number was ‘Heat Wave’, originally performed by Martha and the Vandellas in 1963, which, above any other song on the record, Collins viewed as the definitive heart of Motown.
“‘Heat Wave’, to me, has always been the one song that if you had to characterise Motown, would be that,” he said at the time. Of course, diehard fans of the genre could put up some stiff competition of tunes that fit the same billing, but in the eyes of Collins, as much as he worships every corner and beat of the canon, nothing comes close.
It might just be because it’s a balmy 30 degrees outside as I write this, but it’s hard to disagree with him in this respect. “I mean, the sun just comes out when you hear it, you know?” Collins added, and indeed, the temperature still keeps rising. Regardless of whether it’s burning your skin or burning in your heart, that energy never goes behind the clouds.
However, it was not just the spirit of ‘Heat Wave’ that defined it as a Motown gem. As another layer of arsenal to the Holland-Dozier-Holland hit-making machine, it was one of the first-ever singles to be recognised as having a trademark Motown sound. But what did that mean? Well, it was layered with motifs of gospel, jazz, and doo-wop – essentially, everything that Collins loved, piled up in a song.
That legacy was far more than just an archetype, though. It was one that secured Martha and the Vandellas their first and only Grammy Award for ‘Best Rhythm and Blues Recording’ in 1964, subsequently in turn making them the first-ever Motown artist to receive the honour. Hitsville finally had some validation.
In Collins’ world, as much as awards and acclaim would go on to crowd much of his own life, it wasn’t the most important thing when it came to Motown. All that mattered was the beat, the swing, and the sound. That moment when the sun finally hits your face after weathering a storm is electric, and he wanted to bottle every second of it.
