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May 22, 2014 · Hell, maybe I should do a list of 50 best songs by former Motown artists in the ’80s. Although that might be a little more Michael Jackson than you guys are comfortable dealing with right now. At any rate, 1981’s In Our Lifetime was Marvin’s Motown swan song.
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- "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" - Marvin Gaye. Release date: October 30, 1968. From: In the Groove. It wasn't uncommon for multiple artists at Motown to record their own version of a song that was written (it was sort of like a friendly competition), as such, you will also find versions of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and more of Motown's elite.
- "I Want You Back" - The Jackson 5. Release date: October 1969. From: Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5. What else is there to really say here? A gem of a track infused with melodic harmonies, a catchy chorus, the incredible voice of baby Michael Jackson, the talent of his brothers with their crisp clean vocals, the guitar lick, the piano—it's hard to believe The Jacksons were as young as they were when this came out, and "I Want You Back" was the perfect track to give the world a preview on what was to come—and boy was there a lot more in store.
- "Please Mr. Postman" - The Marvelettes. Release date: August 21, 1961. From: Please Mr. Postman. An upbeat cheerful track that instantly gets stuck in your head for the remainder of the day after you listen to it, "Please Mr. Postman" was released in August 1961 by The Marvelettes, and is noted as being the first Motown song to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.
- "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" - The Temptations. Release date: January 14, 1971. From: Sky's the Limit. The 1970s era of Motown was smooth, funktified, and electric, and one of the songs that helped usher in the decade was "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" by The Temptations.
- 1960.
- Barrett Strong “Money (That’s What I Want)” Motown’s first hit came from the pen of label founder Berry Gordy and secretary-turned-songwriter Janie Bradford.
- 1961.
- The Marvelettes “Please Mr. Postman” Recorded and released in 1961 on Tamla, the song was the first Motown single to hit No. 1 on the pop chart, reaching No. 1 on the R&B chart as well.
- El DeBarge “Love Always” (#43 pop/#7 R&B, 1986) Hey, I wrote a whole column about this song!! In the next installment…a song from “The Last Dragon,” a separate song from one of the stars of “The Last Dragon,” and…how do you pronounce Finis?
- Teena Marie “Portuguese Love” (#54 R&B, 1981) Teena Marie’s material was quite diverse, encompassing genres from funk to hard rock. Many of Lady T’s jams had a Latin flair to them, and 1981’s “Portuguese Love” was the finest of those Latin-influenced songs.
- Bobby Nunn “She’s Just A Groupie” (#15 R&B, 1982) For all the bellyaching that goes on these days about music’s woman-baiting, this funk jam is proof that an admittedly more musical form of it was in existence even thirty years ago.
- Lionel Richie “Running With The Night” (#7 pop/#6 R&B 1983) “Running With The Night” might be the quintessential L.A. pop/soul song. Michael Jackson’s best ’80s material (“Billie Jean” and “Beat It” in particular) had an edge to it that belied the studio perfection.
- Yello: OH Yeah
- Bee Gees: Stayin’ Alive
- Huey Lewis and The News: The Power of Love
- Simple Minds: Don’T You
- Berlin: Take My Breath Away
- U2: Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me; Seal: Kiss from A Rose
- Bryan Adams
- Stevie Wonder: I Just called to Say I Love You
- Blondie: Call Me
- Roy Orbison: OH, Pretty Woman
Such is its ubiquity, it’s hard to imagine a time when Yello’s electro-pop classic didn’t exist (the song has been featured in everything from movies to TV shows and confectionery adverts). Equally, it’s hard to imagine a song more fitting for the moment when Ferris Bueller decides to commandeer his best friend’s dad’s car… (The film also made judi...
The film that introduced disco to a wider world and made a star of John Travolta also featured a welter of hits that ensured the Bee Gees dominated the charts in 1977. “More Than A Woman,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” and “Night Fever” – along with a number of non-Bee Gees classics of the era, such as KC And The Sunshine Band’s “You Should Be Dancing” ...
Soundtracking an altogether different journey through the streets, “The Power Of Love” helped Back To The Futureencourage countless teens to hitch rides from unsuspecting drivers – perfect if you can’t really skateboard, but also a highly dangerous way to travel. The movie was known for its use of songs, including a stirring rendition of Chuck Berr...
A rare coming-of-age drama that transcends its era and speaks to all generations, The Breakfast Club’s memorable closing scene, in which five high-school students leave their Saturday detention having asserted their individuality – and perhaps found themselves in the process – remains one of the best uses of a song in a movie ever filmed. It made s...
Co-written by Giorgio Moroder and performed by LA syth-pop outfit Berlin, “Take My Breath Away” played no small part in turning Tom Cruise into a global heartthrob. Initially soundtracking Cruise and co-star Kelly McGillis’ sexually charged argument, it eventually provided the soundbed for their, er, bed… antics. The song subsequently saw out the r...
Ever since Prince recorded an entire album for Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman movie, the franchise has had the power to push its soundtrack music to the top of the charts. Batman Forever boasted a collection stuffed with cuts from artists as varied as PJ Harvey, Method Man, and Massive Attack. Undoubtedly, however, it was U2’s “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss M...
Spending a record-breaking 16 straight weeks at the top of the UK charts and seven at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, Bryan Adams’ indefatigable “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” owed at least some of its ubiquity to its use in the summer 1991 blockbuster Robin Hood. It was subsequently nominated for an Oscar, and went so far as to win the Gram...
Released during comic actor Gene Wilder’s seemingly unstoppable assault on the box office, The Woman In Redmight now be a largely forgotten period romantic comedy, but its soundtrack was a Stevie Wonder-helmed affair that included his global smash title track. Wonder’s only UK No.1 hit, “I Just Called To Say I Love You” topped the charts across the...
What better way to open a movie in which Richard Gere plays a high-class male escort than with Debbie Harry’s alternately sultry and predatory vocals on “Call Me”? A masterclass in Blondie’s new wave-pop crossover, the song also helped give the LA setting a bit of New York grit, while the film established Richard Gere as a fearless lead, not least ...
A decade later, the tables had turned for the 1990 romantic comedy Pretty Woman, in which Richard Gere played a businessman who ends up infatuated with a prostitute (as played by Julia Roberts). Using Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” was a masterstroke: The Big O was at the forefront of many fans’ minds in the years immediately after his death and ...
Apr 14, 2020 · The Commodores’s dynamite clavinet instrumental was used widely as a theme in the 1970s and 80s (as well as Beastie Boys’s “Hey Ladies”). Porn star Dirk Diggler shows off his disco moves in his new platform shoes to the song in Paul Thomas Anderson’s chaotic Boogie Nights .
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Jun 24, 2022 · The word Motown may bring to mind an array of chart-topping dance hits from the ‘60s and ‘70s, with an infectious signature sound that blended soul, funk, and R&B. Indeed, the first two decades of the Detroit-based company’s recordings included some of the most memorable songs in American music.
