100 MOST ESSENTIAL MOTOWN SONGS. This update: #30-21. The countdown continues next weekend.
Hear the 10 songs added today on spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/alanrosscaffelatte
                                                                    spotify:user:alanrosscaffelatte

Caffe` Latte` presents…

THE 200

MOST ESSENTIAL

MOTOWN

SONGS

30

PAPA WAS A ROLLIN' STONE

The Temptations

They don't come more soulful than this track from The Temptations. "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" was crafted by Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield. The latter's production was right on target. Each member of the vocal group gets a go at revealing more about the no-good father the song is about. The dark and funky arrangement is one of the best in R&B history. Released in 1972, the almost 7 minute single was edited down from the 12 minute album version. In the USA, the Grammy award-winning disc reached #1.
 

29

UPSIDE DOWN

Diana Ross

Diana Ross re-asserted herself as a performer at the dawn of the 1980s with a re-invention of her sound and image. Motown's queen dropped "Upside Down" in 1980, the lead single from her 'Diana' album. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (of Chic fame) wrote and produced the project's tracks. Ross was suddenly cutting edge again. The single re-connected the superstar with her R&B roots. In America, the disc topped the Pop, R&B and Disco charts. It also went to #1 in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In Britain, the single peaked at #2.
   

28

NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE

The Jackson 5

Lead singer Michael Jackson may have only been 12 years old on this single, but he conveyed the lyrics with an incredible maturity. The disc reached #2 in America for the Jackson 5 in 1971. It has been covered many times, returning as a major hit for Gloria Gaynor (1974) and The Communards (1987).
 

27

ALL NIGHT LONG (ALL NIGHT)

Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie's zenith in the 1980s was the worldwide smash "All Night Long (All Night)". It instantly became a party favourite. The celebratory song was written and co-produced by Richie. In the US, the disc reached #1 on the Pop, R&B and AC charts. It peaked at #2 in Britain. The song was the lead single from Richie's 1983 album 'Can't Slow Down', which became Motown's best selling LP at the time.
 

26

LOVE CHILD

Diana Ross & The Supremes

The single's label should have correctly stated the song was by Diana Ross & The Andantes, as Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong were again not invited to the recording session for this US #1 hit. Nevertheless, "Love Child" remains a watershed for the Motown catalogue. Written and produced by a team known as "The Clan", the song was controversial. Its lyrics dealt with unwed mothers. This was a radical departure from the usual themes on past (and tamer) recordings by The Supremes. On "Love Child", The Supremes injected a new angle on the psychedelic soul sub-genre of R&B that The Temptations were capitalizing on at the time.
 

25

SHOP AROUND

The Miracles

"Shop Around" was an early but significant Motown single. Berry Gordy Jr produced the recording. He co-wrote the tune with Smokey Robinson. It was recorded in 1960 by the latter's group The Miracles. Its chart success was a critical good omen for the fledgling label. In the USA, the disc peaked at #2 Pop (Motown's best achievement thus far) and gave Motown its 1st #1 on the R&B chart. It was the label's 1st million-selling single.
  

24

MONEY (THAT'S WHAT I WANT)

Barrett Strong

Barrett Strong co-wrote many of the songs that appear on this Top 200 with Norman Whitfield. Prior to his songwriting success, he was a recording artist on the label. His version of Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford's "Money (That's What I Want)" helped provide funds for the nascent Motown. The single reached #2 R&B and 23 Pop in 1959. Gordy produced the cut. The Beatles covered the song in 1963. In 1979, The Flying Lizzards' remake went Top 5 in the UK.
 

23

THREE TIMES A LADY

The Commodores

When Lionel Richie presented his new composition "Three Times A Lady" to the other members of The Commodores, it was automatically added to the track listing for the group's next album 'Natural High'. The ballad was its lead single, a bold move in the era of the disco boom. Issued in 1978, the song became the band's biggest hit, topping the US Pop, R&B and AC charts, as well as climbing to #1 in Britain, Canada and Australia. The love song defined the sound The Commodores and a solo Richie would return to several times.
  

22

(LOVE IS LIKE A) HEAT WAVE
Martha & The Vandellas

Phil Spector took the girl group sound to new heights with The Crystals and The Ronettes, but they were soon eclipsed by the consistent quality of Motown's female troupes such as The Marvelettes, The Supremes and Martha & The Vandellas. With Martha Reeves on lead vocals, the latter trio delivered some of the trend's best songs. "Heat Wave" was written by the label's brilliant Holland / Dozier / Holland team. Unleashed in 1963, the disc reached #4 Pop and topped the R&B chart in America. It was later covered by many, including Linda Ronstadt and Phil Collins.

21

PLEASE MR POSTMAN
The Marvelettes

Motown's first #1 on the American Pop chart was The Marvelettes' "Please Mr Postman". In 1961, the single also topped the R&B list. Brian Holland, one of its co-writers, went on to form a celebrated songwriting / production team with Lamont Dozier and brother Eddie. The disc's success augered well for Motown in its early years. This chart topper would be followed by numerous others for Gordy's company. The song itself was covered by The Beatles in 1963. It returned to the #1 position in 1975 as a remake by The Carpenters.