How Lamont Dozier would self-induce heartbreak just for the sake of a Motown hit
As chief songwriter at Motown, Lamont Dozier managed to get his name attached to over 70 charting hits – and not one of them came easy.
As the emotive melody man in the iconic Holland-Dozier-Holland trio, he helped to define not only a fair chunk of the sound of the 1960s, but also the feel of it. Far from the hit ‘churning’ factory that it is often unfairly dubbed as, the stars within the Motown hub cared deeply about each of their creations, hence why they still stand up today.
Nothing stands as proof of this sincerity quite like the utterly maddening way Dozier would self-induce heartbreak upon himself just so that he was in the right headscape to craft a moody hit for the label. Especially when he already had a mountain of them – we’re not talking about the last-ditch protagonist of a soppy indie movie here.
Perhaps the height of his heartbroken hits arrived with one of the ten number ones he helped to write for The Supremes, ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’. How did he conjure such a spirited melody? Well, he broke his own heart.
Speaking to Blues & Soul magazine in 1976, the legendary groover commented, “I’ve often broken up with a girlfriend for a week just to be able to get that real feeling of hurt so that I can write what I write from experience!”
That is, frankly, nuts – and almost certainly inadvisable. Not only does it showcase his sincerity as a songwriter, but also his imperviousness to stress. It’s bad enough trying to patch up a relationship when you’ve spilt something on the new sofa, imagine trying to rekindle a romance after it is revealed you only broke up to catalyse a pop hit.
Nevertheless, the brave Dozier added, “I should add that I always make sure we patch up again after the week’s over. But I’m constantly working at the piano – that’s my source of release, like a tranquiliser for me.” So, I suppose he at least had an aural drug to take the impending headache away.
This notion of ‘love’ and playing around with its whims is something that was central to his songwriting in a variety of ways. As he said of being part of a musical trio, “Collaboration is a relationship like between lovers. It’s very special and can only work if each is bringing their 100%.”
Although he never revealed whether he ever left the two Hollands for a week for the sake of a more acerbic mix.
