Hitsville USA: Five of the most underrated Motown songs
Hit records are the bread and butter of any sustainable record label. While crafting colossal hits might be an elusive task for many music moguls, Berry Gordy Jr seemed to have the Midas Touch, spawning a seemingly endless array of hits and launching multiple now-iconic stars through his own independent label, Motown Records. From its humble beginnings in the late 1950s, Motown rose to become the definitive sound of the American pop charts throughout much of the 1960s.
Gordy, as a savvy businessman at heart, was chasing pop hits from the very beginning of Motown’s existence, and it did not take long for the company to land upon ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’, the Barrett Strong stormer which became the very first hit for Motown. From that moment on, the label repeatedly reaffirmed itself as a juggernaut of chart hits, making stars of everybody from Little Stevie Wonder to Diana Ross and The Supremes. Between 1961 and 1971, the label achieved 110 top-ten hits in the US, but it also had its fair share of misses.
Given the sheer volume of Motown’s output, particularly during its mid-1960s heyday, there were bound to be a few misses, obscurities, and forgotten classics. The inventive power of Gordy’s label meant many releases were simply too ahead of their time to resonate with audiences, while others were withdrawn by the label boss or simply overshadowed by more prominent tracks.
In the many decades since Motown’s golden age, many of these tracks have been reassessed, with forgotten tracks like Frank Wilson’s ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’ becoming the definitive anthem of the northern soul scene, despite being initially subdued by Berry Gordy. Still, there remains a plethora of Motown tracks which are at risk of being lost to the march of time, in spite of their undeniable quality. Fear not, though, as we have collected five examples of underrated Motown classics that are deserving of much more attention than they often receive.
Five underrated Motown masterpieces:
Mary Wells – ‘What Love Has Joined Together’ (1963)
Despite playing an essential role in carving out the ‘Motown sound’ during the early part of the 1960s, Mary Wells’ time at Hitsville USA was ultimately cut short, resulting from a contract dispute with Gordy, seeing her move on to Atco. Aside from number-one hits like ‘My Guy’, many of Wells’ recordings for Motown went underpromoted and underappreciated, with the unjustly overlooked B-side ‘What Love Has Joined Together’ being one such example.
Written by Smokey Robinson and recorded by various Motown acts, including The Miracles and The Temptations, Mary Wells brings her uniquely captivating vocals to the track, giving it an emotional weight unmatched by other recordings. While it does not pack the same punch as ‘My Guy’ or her post-Motown work on tracks like ‘(Can’t You See) You’re Losing Me’, the lush romanticism of her performance demonstrates the diversity of her often underutilised talents.
Barrett Strong – ‘Misery’ (1961)
It was Barrett Strong who first established Motown Records as a label with hit potential, recording their first-ever national hit, ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’, back in 1959. The following months and years saw Strong move into the production side of the label, although he continued to record tracks in the vain hopes of matching the success of ‘Money’. The 1961 track ‘Misery’ was one of multiple failed follow-ups to that early hit, yet it does not appear to be courting the interest of the charts.
A brooding beat and a wailing saxophone solo punctuate the track, which also features some of the greatest vocals Strong ever recorded during his career. It hints at a deeper level of experimentation and artistic integrity than any of his previous works, including ‘Money’, which is perhaps why the record tanked upon its release, failing to enter the singles chart. Strong left Motown shortly after the disappointing release of the single, though he would continue to write hits like ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ for other artists.
Nick & The Jaguars – ‘Ich-I-Bon #1’ (1959)
Motown didn’t strike solid gold hits from the get-go, and the early years of the label consisted of a lot of experimentation, which probably explains the existence of ‘Ich-I-Bon #1’. A true oddity within the Motown discography, the early single abandons Motown’s adoration of soul and R&B, instead opting for commanding surf rock complete with hand-clapping, a moody bassline, and even a guitar solo. It is certainly not the kind of record anybody would associate with Motown, but therein lies its appeal.
Those early experimentations might not have provided Gordy’s label with hit records, but they remain a stunning time capsule of that endlessly diverse period in American music history. ‘Ich-I-Bon #1’ was one of only two official releases by the Pontiac, Michigan rock outfit, and their only release on Motown, so it is probably not surprising that the song has largely slipped through the cracks, but it is certainly worth a revisit for fans of instrumental guitar grooves and early surf rock mastery.
Chris Clark – ‘Love’s Gone Bad’ (1966)
Another powerful vocalist, Chris Clark, started her Motown journey back in 1963, but she was initially resigned to doing office work, rendering her distinctive tones superfluous. It wasn’t until 1965 that the Santa Cruz-born singer finally got the chance to record for Gordy’s label, but success proved elusive for the blue-eyed soul star. ‘Love’s Gone Bad’ is undoubtedly her masterpiece song, with her vocals perfectly suiting the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting effort.
Still, the track was assigned to Motown’s often-overlooked R&B imprint V.I.P., which limited record sales and ultimately meant that Clark was easy for Gordy and Motown to ignore. Despite recording multiple tracks for Motown, V.I.P., and even Motown UK, Clark never scored a major hit on the label, which remains one of the greatest injustices in the history of soul music.
Brenda Holloway – ‘Just Look What You’ve Done’ (1967)
Brenda Holloway might be one of Motown’s most heartbreaking tales, woefully underappreciated for her incredible vocal abilities and unparalleled presence. Partly as a result of her location in Los Angeles, rather than Motown’s Detroit stomping ground, and her desire to write and record her own work, the awe-inspiring vocalist was largely shunned by Gordy and the label. Even captivating singles like ‘Just Look What You’ve Done’ went unjustly underpromoted.
By all logic, the track should have been a hit upon its release in 1967. With the songwriting power of both R. Dean Taylor and Frank Wilson behind it, along with the perfection of Holloway’s performance, it could have been an all-time Motown classic. Instead, it reached 69 in the singles chart and was subsequently forgotten about. It is no surprise that Holloway left the label shortly thereafter.
