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- 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.
- 3 min
- David Browne,Mankaprr Conteh,Jon Dolan,Kory Grow,Keith Harris,Christian Hoard,Elias Leight,Angie Martoccio,Jason Newman,Rob Sheffield,Hank Shteamer,Brittany Spanos
- Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, “Shop Around” (1960) If you want to hear how Berry Gordy fine-tuned Detroit R&B for wider (and whiter) pop appeal without watering it down, compare the two versions the Miracles recorded of this 1960 Smokey Robinson classic.
- Martha and the Vandellas, “Jimmy Mack” (1966) Few hits in the Motown canon have as many backstories and multiple meanings as the Vandellas’ last Top 10 hit.
- Dennis Edwards feat. Siedah Garrett, “Don’t Look Any Further” (1984) Here lies yet another of the earth-shaking rhythm sections in Motown’s massive discography: an unchanging snare drum cruelly punching holes in a four-part bass riff stuffed with chubby notes.
- The Velvelettes, “He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin'” (1964) Formed at Western Michigan University, the Velvelettes never found the success of the Marvelettes, Vandellas, or Supremes (their one attempt at an album was never finished), but they had two wonderful singles in 1964: “Needle in a Haystack” and the lyrically sharp, musically sophisticated “He Was Really Saying Something.”
- Tom Eames
- 3 min
- The Four Tops - 'Baby I Need Your Loving' Four Tops - Baby I Need Your Loving (1966) HQ 0815007. This 1964 track was written and produced by Motown's main production team of Holland–Dozier–Holland.
- Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - 'Tracks of My Tears' Smokey Robinson & the Miracles The Tracks of My Tears lyrics. This ballad gave The Miracles a worldwide hit in 1965, though it took another four years before it reached the UK.
- Mary Wells - 'My Guy' Mary Wells - My Guy. This song was written and produced by Smokey Robinson, and is about a woman's rejection of a sexual advance and affirming her fidelity to her boyfriend.
- Stevie Wonder - 'Higher Ground' Higher Ground. This funk tune was taken from Stevie's iconic 1973 album Innervisions. Wonder wrote and recorded the song in a three-hour burst of pure creativity in May 1973.
- My Girl. 131 votes.
- What's Going On. 113 votes.
- Ain't No Mountain High Enough. 103 votes.
- Baby I Need Your Loving. 85 votes.
Jul 31, 2023 · From Marvin Gaye to Stevie Wonder to Diana Ross to Martha and the Vandellas to Vince Staples, we ranked the 60 greatest Motown songs ever.
Feb 14, 2024 · Founded in January 1959 by Berry Gordy in Detroit, many of Motown's most classic records took place at the renowned Hitsville U.S.A. aka the Motown Museum (which you can tour by the way), and today we're going to be taking a look at the best Motown songs that defined its era of dominance.
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100 Greatest Motown Songs. A new music service with official albums, singles, videos, remixes, live performances and more for Android, iOS and desktop. It's all here.
