ALL THE MOTOWN #1s RANKED (#35-31). 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

Hear the songs as the countdown continues on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/26CwsmyHenDGwqbVozUPxz?si=def5399e3bfc472f

*35

UPTIGHT

(EVERYTHING’S ALRIGHT)

Stevie Wonder

[1966] Soul 5

Henry Cosby; Sylvia Moy; Stevie Wonder

Some songs bear a quintessential Motown feel. It’s hard to imagine “Uptight” sounding the way it does had it been recorded for any other label. The seed started from just a basic line created by Wonder before being developed into a song with Moy’s lyrics and Cosby’s arrangement. Cosby co-produced the track with William Stevenson.

*34

AIN’T TOO PROUD TO BEG

The Temptations

[1966] Soul 8

Norman Whitfield; Eddie Holland

This is still the group’s single with the longest reign at the top of the Soul Chart. The hit marked a key shift in The Temptations’ history. Berry Gordy Jr. switched gears: the group would lose Smokey Robinson as its writer/ producer in favour of Whitfield. At the time, the latter was still co-writing with Holland, but would soon form a lucrative songwriting partnership with Barrett Strong. While Smokey was at the helm, he created a trio of singles at #1 on the Soul Chart and one on the Pop equivalent. With Whitfield’s involvement, the group fared far better: accumulating 10 Soul and 3 Pop #1s.

*33

MERCY MERCY ME

(THE ECOLOGY)

Marvin Gaye

[1971] Soul 2

Marvin Gaye

Sadly, this song’s lyrics still apply today. The hit deals with our impact on the environment. Gaye wrote and produced the song which was one of the standouts on his ‘What’s Going On’ album project.

*32

LOVE CHILD

Diana Ross & The Supremes

[1968] Pop 2

Pam Sawyer; R. Dean Taylor; Frank Wilson; Deke Richards

The last 2 Pop #1 singles credited to The Supremes, in fact only featured Ross' voice. The Andantes contributed backup vocals instead of the other Supremes Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong. Curiously, the latter two were not invited to the session. “Love Child” was the first Supremes #1 not written and produced by the Holland/ Dozier/ Holland team. Its success proved that the group would continue to prosper without them. The single’s subject matter was a far cry from “Baby Love”, dealing with a more adult theme. “Love Child” peaked at #2 on the Soul Chart for 3 weeks.

*31

LIVING FOR THE CITY

Stevie Wonder

[1973] Soul 2

Stevie Wonder

In the 1970s, Wonder was at his prime. Helping him realize his musical objectives were Bob Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil. They guided Wonder on the latest musical innovation: the Moog synthesizer on four of his albums: 'Music Of My Mind', 'Talking Book', 'Innervisions' (the parent LP of this hit) and 'Fulfillingness' First Finale'. “Living In The City” was a snapshot of the discrimination and injustice experienced by African-Americans in the United States. The track features Wonder’s brother Calvin, road manager Ira Tucker Jr. and attorney Johanan Vigoda as guest voices.