The Motown saga is one of the most fascinating recording experiences in the history of popular music. The magazine Far Out has decided to dedicate an in-depth analysis to her, compiling an ambitious ranking entitled “The 100 greatest Motown songs of all time”. “Since its founding in 1959, in the industrial shadow of Detroit, Michigan, Motown Records has always been much more than a simple record label – underlines Ben Forrest in the introduction – In the history of music, especially from the point of view of the pop public, record companies have never enjoyed the same prestige or the same power as the artists present in their catalogues. Motown, however, changed everything. Its enigmatic leader, Berry Gordy, knew the world of R&B and soul, but above all he was a businessman. This meant that, instead of signing artists already established on the battlefield of the pop charts, Gordy preferred to focus mainly on unknowns, transforming them into pop and soul stars within the studios and offices of Hitsville USA. Over the years an impressive number of artists destined to become legendary passed through the doors of Motown, and the label transformed into a fundamental and irreplaceable refuge for musicians such as Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, up to some decidedly more unpredictable presences, such as Frankie Valli… Meanwhile, Gordy managed to realize his plan to build a true pop empire: for much of the 60s and up to the 70s, Motown became an almost constant presence in the American charts. Hundreds of Top 10 hits came out of the Hitsville studios, which launched many stars but, above all, consolidated Motown's reputation as an authentic music institution. pop… Motown functioned like the assembly lines of the Detroit auto industry, producing an unparalleled quantity of material during its golden age. This is why it is difficult to draw up a true ranking of all the singles that passed through the label, but Far Out has never backed down from a challenge. Here are the 100 best expressions of Motown production, from the beginnings strongly influenced by doo-wop to the neon-tinged pop of the 80s. Even if Motown. Records still exists in the 21st century, although now mainly in name, this ranking takes into consideration exclusively the production between the birth of Tamla in 1959 and the sale of the label by Berry Gordy in 1988.”
Here, then, is the ranking of the 100 best Motown songs of all time, according to Far Out Magazine (here is the complete report).
100. The Satintones – “Motor City”
99. Táta Vega – “Full Speed Ahead”
98. The Swingin' Tigers – “Snake Walk”
97. San Remo Golden Strings – “Festival Time”
96. Chico Leverett – “Solid Sender”
95. High Inergy – “You Can't Turn Me Off (in the Middle of Turning Me On)”
94. The Velvelettes – “He Was Really Saying Something”
93. Nick And The Jaguars – “Ich-I-Bon #1”
92. The Supremes – “Buttered Popcorn”
91. Jr Walker and the All Stars – “Come See About Me”
90. Shorty Long – “Baby Come Home To Me”
89. Earl Van Dyke And The Soul Brothers – “All For You”
88. Chuck Jackson – “Girls, Girls, Girls”
87. The Dalton Boys – “I've Been Cheated”
86. The Spinners – “It's A Shame”
85. Debbie Dean – “Why Am I Lovin' You”
84. Bobby Taylor And The Vancouvers – “I Am Your Man”
83. Patrice Holloway – “The Touch of Venus”
82. Barbara McNair – “I Know Better”
81. Thelma Houston – “Don't Leave Me This Way”
80. Amiri Baraka – “It's Nation Time”
79. Diana Ross and Lionel Richie – “Endless Love”
78. The Marvelettes – “I'll Keep Holding On”
77. Brenda Holloway – “Every Little Bit Hurts”
76. The Monitors – “Share A Little Love With Me (Somebody)”
75. Rick James – “Super Freak”
74. Barbara McNair – “It Happens Every Time”
73. The Undisputed Truth – “Smiling Faces Sometimes”
72. Gladys Knight and the Pips – “If You Ever Get Your Hands On Love”
71. Lionel Richie – “All Night Long (All Night)”
70. Marv Johnson – “Come To Me”
69. JJ Barnes – “Show Me The Way”
68. The Isley Brothers – “Tell Me It's Just A Rumor Baby”
67. Shorty Long – “Here Comes The Judge”
66. Barrett Strong – “Misery”
65. Earl Van Dyke & The Motown Brass – “6 By 6”
64. Kim Weston – “You Hit Me (Where It Hurt)”
63. Rare Earth – “(I Know) I'm Losing You”
62. Diana Ross – “I'm Coming Out”
61. Mary Wells – “What Love Has Joined Together”
60. Eddie Holland – “Jamie”
59. The Miracles – “Mickey's Monkey”
58. The Supremes – “Love Child”
57. Jr Walker and the All Stars – “Shotgun”
56. The Originals – “Suspicion”
55. Jimmy Ruffin – “He Who Picks A Rose”
54. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell – “Give In, You Just Can't Win”
53. The Miracles – “You Really Got A Hold On Me”
52. Elaine Brown – “Until We're Free”
51. Chris Clark – “Love's Gone Bad”
50. Tammi Terrell – “All I Do Is Think About You”
49. Diana Ross – “Upside Down”
48. Gladys Knight and the Pips – “No One Could Love You More”
47. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas – “Dancing In The Street”
46. Marvin Gaye – “Let's Get It On”
45. Kim Weston – “I'm Still Loving You”
44. Diana Ross – “Touch Me in the Morning”
43. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas – “Jimmy Mack”
42. Stevie Wonder – “Boogie On Reggae Woman”
41. The Commodores – “Three Times A Lady”
40. Marvin Gaye – “Can I Get A Witness”
39. The Elgins – “Heaven Must Have Sent You”
38. The Temptations – “Get Ready”
37. The Supremes – “You Keep Me Hangin' On”
36. The Contours – “Do You Love Me”
35. The Commodores – “Easy”
34. The Jackson Five – “I Want You Back”
33. The Temptations – “Ain't Too Proud To Beg”
32. The Velvelettes – “Needle In A Haystack”
31. The Marvelettes – “Please Mr Postman”
30. The Miracles – “Tears of a Clown”
29. Brenda Holloway – “Just Look What You've Done”
28. Edwin Starr – “War”
27. Stevie Wonder – “Uptight (Everything's Alright)”
26. Jimmy Ruffin – “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted”
25. The Jackson Five – “ABC”
24. Edwin Starr – “Twenty-Five Miles”
23. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas – “Heat Wave”
22. The Temptations – “My Girl”
21. Stevie Wonder – “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)”
20. R Dean Taylor – “There's A Ghost In My House”
19. The Four Tops – “I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)”
18. The Supremes – “Stop! In The Name of Love”
17. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – “The Night”
16. The Temptations – “Cloud Nine”
15. The Isley Brothers – “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)”
14. Stevie Wonder – “Superstition”
13. Frank Wilson – “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)”
12. The Supremes – “Where Did Our Love Go?”
11. Mary Wells – “My Guy”
10. Barrett Strong – “Money (That's What I Want)”
9. The Supremes – “Baby Love”
8. The Four Tops – “Reach Out (I'll Be There)”
7. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell – “Ain't No Mountain High Enough”
6. Marvin Gaye – “What's Going On”
5. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas – “Nowhere To Run”
4. The Miracles – “The Tracks of My Tears”
3. The Temptations – “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”
2. Stevie Wonder – “Sir Duke”
1. Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
