Music Blog, Sixties

Monday Motown Magic 4.22

The Sicilian Storyteller

The Motown Sound has something extra-special about it. Berry Gordy, Jr. knew people would be listening on their car stereos and transistor radios and he was going to do what it took to make songs sound good and memorable. Even if you couldn’t put your finger on it, when a Motown song came on, baby, you knew it. Still do.

Motown’s first great girl group, The Marvelettes, consisted of four school friends who were only 14 and 15 years old; some of their early hits were written by the girls themselves. When I was 14, I was busy practicing writing my signature as Mrs. George Harrison! What were you doing at 14?

“Please Mr. Postman”, recorded in 1961, was one of the first #1 singles by an all-female vocal group and is easily Motown’s best single to date – a song with a killer tune and a lyrical hook which listeners around the world instantly latched on to.

Despite their successful start, the group was eclipsed in popularity by the Supremes, with whom they shared an intense rivalry. The Marvelettes made a comeback in 1966 with several hits but struggled and stopped performing together in 1969. The group disbanded for good in 1970.

Kudos to The Marvelettes for paving the way for future girl groups!

Here now is the fantastic sound of “Please Mr. Postman” by The Marvelettes” with a young Marvin Gaye playing the drums.

And this is what was on the B Side: “So Long Baby”

Thanks for joining me today for a dose of Monday Motown Magic.

See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2024

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25 thoughts on “Monday Motown Magic 4.22”

  2. Motown made some of the greatest music of all-time, and I wasn’t born until long after their heyday. My friend got me into their music when I was about 18. His step-dad grew up with Motown and got him into it. I’ve seen the Temptations live (obviously not the originals) more times than anybody else, except maybe Boyz II Men who also started with Motown, though long after the Hitsville days. I even sang with them once. Otis Williams, the last remaining original Temptation, saw me in the front row singing along to all the songs and put the mic down in my face. I even got to shake his hand after the show.

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    1. Let me just say I can hear the excitement in your voice as I’m reading your comment. What an incredible rush that must have been for you singing with Otis Williams! I’m so glad to hear that younger people like you are into the Motown sound; it’s such great music and there’s nothing like it currently being recorded.

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Nobbi; it’s a real pleasure to have you here. Stop by any time!

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      1. I didn’t even get to the time I visited the Motown museum and sang “Just My Imagination” in the studio where they originally recorded it. They had the music sheet out. I grew up on Hip-Hop and Soul and always had an appreciation for their predecessors.

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    1. This is very true Jim. Diana Ross’ affair with Berry Gordy certainly didn’t hurt her career. I’ve never been a big fan of The Supremes; I didn’t think they were much better than the other girl groups but Diana had Berry and that’s what mattered. Too bad for the other groups. A story as old as the hills.

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