The Motown classic Daryl Hall called his “favourite” song of all time
The 1960s opened up creativity in a way history had not yet seen, with every single strand of art profiting from the injection of colour provided by this new liberal era.
When it comes to music, it’s oh so easy to simply credit that to The Beatles, who largely led the way and inspired a generation of creative kids. But it would be an injustice to Motown to simply give thanks to the gods of rock and roll and overlook the crucial impact soul had on all of that.
“I wanted everybody to enjoy my music,” Motown boss Berry Gordy once said in promotion of his new label, and despite the questionable boardroom behaviour, Gordy succeeded on that mission. The soul outfit injected the music industry with bright rays of sunshine that helped redefine and evolve the landscape of pop, while simultaneously breaking through social barriers, particularly in a racially divided America.
So a generation of musicians, encouraged by the renaissance of The Beatles but somewhat disconnected from their style, began to profit from the influence of Motown, which showed them a subtly alternative route to stardom. The groups that existed under Gordy’s umbrella showcased the power of their voices, harmonising over the top of soulful melodies to create a string of singalong hits that got kids up to dance.
In that crowd of inspired dreamers were Daryl Hall and John Oates, whose tastes felt as though they existed somewhere in the cracks of hardcore rock and roll and this new age of soul. Unsure of what their future held, Motown bands like The Temptations came forward to help define their style and spark a musical career of their own.
When Hall and Oates were given the privilege of inducting Temptations lead vocalist Smokey Robinson into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they used their speech to look back on those early days, when Robinson and his band came in to change the landscape of popular music.
Hall said, “I remember when I used to go to the uptown theater in Philadelphia, I used to go and watch all these groups up there playing, you know, everybody’d be grooving and clapping and screaming and everything, but when Smokey [Robinson] came on the grill, there’s some strange thing, you know, it was like, I there’s something here to watch.”
Oates elaborated on how Robinson’s discography shaped the early work of the band, giving them a platform to explore their own creativity. He said, “I mean, every band that Daryl and I have ever been in had so many Smokey songs in our set list,” adding, “You know all the great songs that he wrote for the Temptations,” before Hall interjected and simply said, “‘My Girl”, my favorite record of all time.”
‘My Girl’ was the definitive Motown song, encapsulating their success from both a commercial and creative standpoint. It sold eight million copies worldwide upon its initial release and became the label’s first number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
While money-hungry Gordy was pleased to line his pockets, it’s the creative impact of this song that has stood the test of time. Gospel infused melodies and an infectious pop structure allowed ‘My Girl’ to pave the way for a new style of American pop music that ultimately launched the careers of a generation of iconic bands, including Hall and Oates.
