ALL THE MOTOWN #1s (#130-121). Continues in 2 days.

Caffè Lattè pays tribute to the 141 songs on Tamla Motown and its subsidiary labels that reached #1 on the U.S. Pop / Soul charts, ranked in order of impact and influence. Each song’s year of chart peak; weeks spent at the top & writer(s) is included.

All the MOTOWN

No. 1 SINGLES

*130

SHOESHINE BOY

Eddie Kendricks

[1975] Soul 1

Harry Booker; Linda Allen

The former member of The Temptations scored a third Soul Chart #1 with this hit. Some initially considered it demeaning to African- Americans. Co-writer Booker had worked as a shoeshine boy and wanted the song to be empowering. Berry Gordy Jr. gave the song the green light and it was issued by the label. It was included on Kendricks' 'For You' album.

*129

SHOO-BE-DOO-BE-DOO-DA-DAY

Stevie Wonder 

[1968] Soul 1

Henry Cosby; Sylvia  Moy; Stevie Wonder

Despite his youth, Wonder was involved in the creation of a majority of his early hit singles. He frequently collaborated with Cosby and Moy, as was the case on this song. Wonder initially intended the title to be “Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Don-Day” but an error was made on the label.

*128

I COULD NEVER LOVE ANOTHER

(AFTER LOVING YOU)

The Temptations

[1968] Soul 1

Norman Whitfield; Barrett Strong; Roger Penzabene

The 3 writers of this hit had previously created The Temptations' smash “I Wish It Would Rain”. Sadly, Penzabene was so broken-hearted by his wife’s infidelity that he took his own life later in the year. This single also marked the final hit with David Ruffin on lead vocals. He was fired from the group soon after. Motown kept Ruffin on the roster as a solo act.

*127

TWO LOVERS

Mary Wells

[1963] Soul 4

William “Smokey” Robinson

Wells was Motown’s first female star. Beginning in 1960, her first 13 chart entries reached the Soul Chart Top 10. “Two Lovers” was a cleverly- constructed theme by Smokey. Wells sings about the 2 men in her life. She loves both equally. As the song progresses, we realize that both men are the same person. At the time, this was Wells’ biggest hit. Robinson would later create an even bigger single for her, which would also top the Pop Chart.

*126

HAPPY PEOPLE

The Temptations

[1975] Soul 1

Jeffrey Bowen, Donald Baldwin; Lionel Richie

Producer / songwriter Norman Whitfield had been at the helm through The Temptations’ most successful period. When he departed Motown, Bowen took over. During recording sessions, The Commodores were recording “Happy People” co-written by group member Lionel Richie. The group had initially planned to keep the song for themselves, but in the end, The Temptations were offered it. The Commodores’ original instrumentation can be heard on the track.

*125

CRAZY

The Boys

[1990] Soul 1

Hakeem Abdul-Samad; Khiry Abdul-Samad; Ashley Feazell

Motown showed great faith in The Boys, allowing them to not only write their own material but also to produce their recordings. “Crazy” was the first single lifted off the siblings’ sophomore release. It soon became the group’s third chart-topping disc.

*124

MY, MY, MY

Johnny Gill

[1990] Soul 2

Babyface; Daryl Simmons

Babyface had already recorded his own version of “My, My, My”. Gill made it his own. The track was produced by Babyface and L.A. Reid: two of the most in-demand hitmakers at the time. The song became his second #1.

*123

4 SEASONS OF LONELINESS

Boyz II Men

[1997] Pop 1

Jimmy Jam; Terry Lewis

A chance meeting with the songwriting / production team Jam & Lewis led to the boy band being offered this ballad. Despite Motown executives expressing doubt about the song, the group members selected “4 Seasons Of Loneliness” as the lead single for the ‘Evolution’ album. The single peaked at #2 for 4 weeks on the Soul Chart.

*122

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE

Stacy Lattisaw with Johnny Gill

[1990] Soul 2

Lemel Humes

Lattisaw and Gill were high school friends. By the age of 13, the former was already signed with Atlantic. She recommended Gill to the label and he was recording by the time he was 16. The pair recorded a duet album. Gill then joined New Edition. After his time in that outfit ended, he released a solo album on Motown in 1990. By then, Lattisaw had switched over to the same label. Humes wrote and produced the new duet for the 2 talents. Lattisaw recorded her vocal in New York while Gill cut his performance in Los Angeles.

*121

JUST TO BE CLOSE TO YOU

The Commodores

[1976] Soul 2

Lionel Richie

After scoring a Soul Chart #1 with funky track “Slippery When Wet”, The Commodores’ follow-up was the ballad “Sweet Love”. The single peaked at #2 for 2 weeks on the same listing. More importantly, the disc became the group’s first Pop Top 10 hit, climbing to #5. The band’s next release was another ballad from the pen of Richie. “Just To Be Close To You” returned the group to the US Top 10 where it reached #7.