Far Out 40: The ultimate Motown Records playlist
“Motown was about music for all people. White and Black, blue and green, cops and the robbers. I was reluctant to have our music alienate anyone.” – Berry Gordy Jr
One of the most important, influential, and successful record labels of all time, Motown Records was a complete cultural phenomenon back in the 1960s. Founded by budding music mogul Berry Gordy Jr in 1959, using a small loan taken from his parents, the label was utterly instrumental in establishing the sweet, soulful sounds of Detroit’s R&B scene on the international stage. Within a few short years, the independent label already boasted an unparalleled roster of artists and a tight grip on the US singles chart, too.
It was in 1959, only a few short months after the label’s inception, that Motown released its first nationwide hit: Barrett Strong’s ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’. A landmark recording that helped carve out the distinctive Motown sound, which would go on to dominate the US pop charts throughout the following decade, ‘Money’ kicked off an unprecedented run of hit singles, including the label’s first number-one. That accolade went to The Marvelettes, whose recording of ‘Please Mr. Postman’ went to the top of the singles charts in 1961.
Over the course of the next decade, Motown would achieve a whopping 110 top-ten hits in the US alone, launching a plethora of now-iconic stars like Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Smokey Robinson, to name only a handful.
By the mid-point of the 1960s, Motown was a complete phenomenon, producing a deluge of hit singles both in the US and in the UK, inspiring the likes of Dusty Springfield, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles in the process. The support of those artists only served to increase Motown’s global presence until Gordy was presiding over an empire, the likes of which the music industry had never seen.
Countless artists came through the doors of Hitsville USA over the course of that golden age, with some becoming stars overnight, while others quickly faded into obscurity. The journey was certainly not without its difficulties, and legendary performers like Mary Wells and Brenda Holloway were treated less than favourably by Motown and its bosses. Meanwhile, beloved anthems like Frank Wilson’s ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’ were cast into the bin by Berry Gordy, despite the cult adoration they would later garner.
Although Motown witnessed a downturn in relevancy during the late 1960s and into the 1970s, it still managed to produce a wealth of material. Motown legends like Diana Ross were still going strong, while the likes of Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye were arriving at their most ambitious an profound offerings. At the same time, Motown was fostering the next generation of pop stars, releasing tracks by The Jackson 5 and spurring Michael Jackson on into a solo career.
By the time Gordy sold off the label to MCA Records in 1988, Motown had orchestrated a complete pop revolution. Not only had the label overseen the release of some of the greatest pop, soul, and R&B songs ever recorded, but it had also changed the music industry forevermore.
With such an extensive landscape of chart-topping hits and cult obscurities, the discography of Motown Records can be a daunting thing to tackle. Fear not, though, as your friends at Far Out Magazine have created an extensive playlist of essential Motown anthems for your listening pleasure. Including all the greatest tracks from Motown and its various subsidiaries, the playlist ranges from the old-school R&B of the label’s early days, to the big-budget pop hits of its later years, with a few typically overlooked tracks thrown in for good measure.
Far Out Magazine’s ultimate Motown playlist:
- Marv Johnson – ‘Come To Me’ (1959)
- Barrett Strong – ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ (1959)
- The Supremes – ‘Buttered Popcorn’ (1961)
- The Marvelettes – ‘Please Mr. Postman’ (1961)
- Barrett Strong – ‘Misery’ (1961)
- Mary Wells – ‘What Love Has Joined Together’ (1963)
- Martha and the Vandellas – ‘Heat Wave’ (1963)
- The Miracles – ‘Mickey’s Monkey’ (1963)
- Marvin Gaye – ‘Can I Get A Witness’ (1963)
- Mary Wells – ‘My Guy’ (1964)
- The Supremes – ‘Where Did Our Love Go’ (1964)
- Martha and the Vandellas – ‘Dancing In The Street’ (1964)
- The Supremes – ‘Baby Love’ (1964)
- The Temptations – ‘My Girl’ (1964)
- Stevie Wonder – Uptight (Everything’s Alright)’ (1965)
- Martha and the Vandellas – ‘Nowhere To Run’ (1965)
- Frank Wilson – ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’ (1965)
- The Miracles – ‘The Tracks of My Tears’ (1965)
- Kim Weston – ‘I’m Still Loving You’ (1965)
- Four Tops – ‘Reach Out (I’ll Be There)’ (1966)
- Marvin Gaye – ‘Take This Heart of Mine’ (1966)
- The Temptations – ‘Ain’t Too Proud to Beg’ (1966)
- Chris Clark – ‘Love’s Gone Bad’ (1966)
- Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell – ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ (1967)
- Smokey Robinson & the Miracles – ‘Tears of a Clown’ (1967)
- R. Dean Taylor – ‘There’s A Ghost In My House (1967)
- Brenda Holloway – ‘Just Look What You’ve Done’ (1967)
- Marvin Gaye – ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ (1968)
- Stevie Wonder – ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)’ (1970)
- The Jackson 5 – ‘ABC’ (1970)
- Edwin Starr – ‘War’ (1970)
- Marvin Gaye – ‘What’s Going On’ (1971)
- The Temptations – ‘Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone’ (1972)
- Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – ‘The Night’ (1972)
- Stevie Wonder – ‘Superstition’ (1972)
- Michael Jackson – ‘Ben’ (1972)
- Marvin Gaye – ‘Let’s Get It On’ (1973)
- Diana Ross – ‘Touch Me in the Morning’ (1973)
- Rick James – ‘Super Freak’ (1981)
- Lionel Richie – ‘All Night Long (All Night)’ (1983)
