The eight songs Berry Gordy couldn’t live without
If anybody knows what makes a good song, it’s Berry Gordy. The founder of Motown Records is one of the most recognised names in music, thanks to his input in creating and releasing songs that have since shaped music forever. He had an ear for what would be a hit, which meant that a large number of the tracks that Motown Records eventually put out went out to number one, and the people who sang them became superstars.
When you have worked with Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson, you develop a relatively good taste in music. As such, when Berry Gordy was announced as one of the guests on Desert Island Discs, people everywhere were excited to see what he would pick out. Unsurprisingly, a lot of Motown classics and people associated with the label made an appearance.
Gordy’s favourite song was ‘I Hear A Symphony’ by Diana Ross & The Supremes. He was asked during the interview if the rules were different and if he could only take one song to the desert island with him, what would it be. Gordy chose ‘I Hear A Symphony’. It’s an incredibly beautiful love song, one that has since found a place in The Supremes Hall of Fame.
Other songs appearing on Gordy’s list include ‘Sweet Lorraine’ by The Nat King Cole Trio, ‘To Be Loved’ by Jackie Wilson and ‘God Bless The Child’ by Billie Holiday. It was certainly a fun mix of music that makes excellent listening for anyone interested in what inspired and continues to inspire the Motown legend.
One thing that lies at the heart of all of the songs that Gordy selected is melody; arguably, this is the foundation of what made Motown so big. He was responsible for making sweet-sounding music easy for people to dance and move to; he even argued with some of his Motown artists when they wanted to release hard-hitting music, saying that Motown is and always will be a hit-making machine.
The list is a lesson in what can be so addictive about music. The songs that appear are relatively short but have a listener hooked within seconds. There was a lot of soul at the heart of what Motown did, and the melody of their music was a substantial contributing factor to that. With Gordy being such a prominent factor in the establishment and eventual success of Motown, it’s not surprising that the music he couldn’t live without follows a similar trend.
Check out the list below.
Berry Gordy’s favourite songs:
- ‘Sweet Lorraine’ – The Nat King Cole Trio
- ‘Prelude in C sharp Minor’ – Sergey Rachmaninov
- ‘Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens’ – Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five
- ‘To Be Loved’ – Jackie Wilson
- ‘I’ll Try Something New’ – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
- ‘God Bless The Child’ – Billie Holiday
- ‘I Hear a Symphony’ – The Supremes
- ‘Can I Close The Door (On Love)’ – Brandon Victor Dixon *(not on Spotify)
