‘What’s Going On’: Five tracks that broke the Motown mould
Bringing Detroit soul and R&B to the masses, Motown Records had an unavoidable presence in the pop charts of the 1960s and beyond. Founded by Berry Gordy Jr back in 1959, the label single-handedly carved out some of the most iconic sounds of the 1960s, creating the distinctive ‘Motown sound’ in the process. Throughout its existence, however, Motown explored a wealth of different sounds and influences, culminating in a fair few oddities, in addition to innovative anthems which forever broke the mould.
As well as being an unwavering supporter of the infectious soul sounds emanating from Detroit during the 1950s and 1960s, Berry Gordy Jr was a businessman. So, immediately upon forming Motown Records – originally called Tamla – the label boss was looking for hit records. After all, it was chart success which kept the lights on at Hitsville USA, not a faithful and selfless reflection of the local music scene. The label achieved that first nationwide hit in early 1960, when Barrett Strong’s ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ shot up the Billboard Hot 100.
This pioneering hit record set the tone for Motown’s output for many years. Gone were the experimental surf rock efforts of groups like Nick and the Jaguars, as Gordy placed as much focus as possible on replicating the success of early hits like ‘Money’, ‘Please Mr. Postman’, or, a little later down the line, Mary Wells’ ‘My Guy’. Although this avenue of inspiration provided Motown with its biggest hits, launching a plethora of now-iconic stars from Martha Reeves to Diana Ross, it did run the risk of making Motown’s output overly formulaic as the years went on.
At the same time, however, Motown released an unimaginable wealth of music over the years. Along the way, a few notable exceptions to the Motown formula arose, changing both the label and music history forever. In an effort to celebrate these trailblazing oddities, obscurities, and outliers, we have compiled a list of five key records from the Motown vaults, each of which broke the label’s mould in its own way.
Five Motown tracks that broke the mould:
Lamont Dozier – ‘Dearest One’ (1962)
A key moment in the development of Motown Records was the discovery of the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting trio. After all, it was this trio which provided Motown with the vast majority of its hit singles during the 1960s golden age. Holland-Dozier-Holland were the songwriters who helped to establish The Supremes as Motown’s flagship act, and groundbreaking compositions like ‘Reach Out (I’ll Be There)’ changed the inherent sound of the label forever. The 1962 track ‘Dearest One’ was the first track the trio wrote.
Recorded by Lamont Dozier himself, ‘Dearest One’ was not a hit for the trio or for Motown. In fairness, this was likely due to the fact that the single was released on Motown’s country music subsidiary Mel-o-dy, despite its obvious lack of country credentials. Still, ‘Dearest One’ brought with it an entirely new songwriting sensibility in the form of Holland-Dozier-Holland, who quickly went on to change the Motown sound forever.
Rare Earth – ‘Get Ready’ (1969)
During the very early days of Motown, the label had a few brushes with rock and roll, albeit with little commercial success. By the end of the 1960s, however, rock was among the dominant sounds of America as the hippie counterculture began to spill over into the mainstream. Never one to miss a trick, Gordy sought to capitalise on this rock landscape, signing up the Detroit psych-rock band Rare Earth and giving them their own eponymous subsidiary label.
‘Get Ready’ was one of the band’s first releases on that subsidiary, and it managed to reach number four in the US pop charts. Eagle-eared readers will notice that ‘Get Ready’ was a Smokey Robinson composition, first recorded by The Temptations in 1966, and was later covered by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald. Not only did the Rare Earth version of the track mark Motown’s entry into the rock world, but it also reflected the ever-adaptable quality of Motown’s songwriting.
Elaine Brown – ‘Until We’re Free’ (1973)
As the 1960s progressed, the civil rights movement became increasingly all-encompassing, with many prominent Black artists and musicians reflecting the experiences of discrimination and a fight for freedom in their work. Motown, on the other hand, rarely set foot in the world of politics, with Berry Gordy once affirming, “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.” With this in mind, Elaine Brown’s 1973 single ‘Until We’re Free’ is a real outlier within the realm of Motown.
For the uninitiated, Brown was a key activist for the Black Power Movement, and once held the position of chairwoman in The Black Panther Party – which is about as politically active as one person can become. Around the late 1960s and early 1970s, Brown embarked upon a brief recording career, releasing one single and a self-titled album through the Motown subsidiary Black Forum. ‘Until We’re Free’ is a rousing call to action for Black unity and liberation, and it opened the floodgates to wider political discussion within the Motown world.
Brenda Holloway – ‘You’ve Made Me So Very Happy’ (1967)
Motown always kept a roster of songwriters specifically designed to generate chart hits, and while they were often successful in these aims, this also meant that very few Motown artists were allowed to write and record their own original material. From her earliest contacts with Gordy and Motown, California vocalist Brenda Holloway was determined to write her own work, but the label bosses resisted these demands for many years. However, after multiple failed recordings of other people’s songs, Holloway was finally permitted to record an original.
Although Berry Gordy and producer Frank Wilson were also given songwriting credits for the track, owing to a few minor tweaks, the song remained largely Holloway’s own composition. As such, it was perfectly tailored to her powerful, distinctive vocals, and it expertly captured the enigmatic appeal of the often underrated singer. In an act of great vindication, the song ended up breaking into the Top 40 singles chart, and a subsequent version by Blood, Sweat, and Tears reached number two.
Marvin Gaye – ‘What’s Going On’ (1971)
What else could take the top spot? Not only was Marvin Gaye’s seminal 1971 release ‘What’s Going On’ a pivotal moment in the history of Motown Records, it changed the musical landscape indefinitely. A profound, gut-wrenching reaction to the political turmoil, discrimination, and violence in American society at the time, the song became the definitive anthem for the civil rights movement, and it completely broke the mould of Motown Records. Initially, though, Gordy was incredibly reluctant to even release the song.
Reportedly, when Gaye first told Gordy of his plans to release a protest song, inspired by police brutality and the Vietnam War, the label boss responded, “Marvin, don’t be ridiculous. That’s taking things too far.” Motown, at that time, was focused on the pop-centric sounds of the singles chart, rather than profound political protests. Marvin Gaye fought tooth and nail against this, determined to release the song out into the world and, when it eventually saw the light of day, it immediately resonated with audiences. He might have gone against the grain of Motown, but the song helped to establish Gaye among the most important artists to ever grace the airwaves.
