ALL THE MOTOWN #1s RANKED (#30-26). Continues tomorrow.

Motown scored its first #1 60 years ago. The label, founded by Berry Gordy Jr., made Detroit a pivotal city in R&B history. Its roster boasted soul music legends such as: Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Temptations, Four Tops, Supremes, Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson and Lionel Richie. All of these titans enjoyed time at the chart summit.

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

*30

LET’S GET IT ON

Marvin Gaye

[1973] Soul 6 / Pop 2

Marvin Gaye; Ed Townsend

After venting his social concerns on the ‘What’s Going On’ album, Gaye turned his attention to carnal pursuits. The singer proved his versatility and relevance on a variety of themes. This song began as a concept of Townsend’s. The songwriter later explained that the initial idea dealt with addiction.

*29

YOU KEEP ME HANGIN’ ON

The Supremes

[1966] Soul 4 / Pop 2

Brian Holland; Lamont Dozier; Eddie Holland

1966 was a banner year for Motown Records. The label scored 9 #1 singles on the Soul Chart. By the end of the decade, The Supremes had been Motown’s greatest success, thanks largely to the hits created by Dozier and the Holland brothers. It’s worth noting too, that the trio’s compositions were produced by the former and Brian Holland. This was the case with “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”, the girl group’s ninth #1 on the Pop Chart. Holland- Dozier-Holland wrote/ produced 6 Soul and 10 Pop #1 songs for The Supremes. This particular hit would prove to be timeless: returning to the US Top 10 as remakes by Vanilla Fudge and Kim Wilde.  

*28

EASY

Commodores

[1977] Soul 1

Lionel Richie

Richie had already penned “Just To Be Close To You” for The Commodores. That ballad topped the Soul Chart the previous year. “Easy” contained elements of soul, pop and country. Richie was honing his songwriting skills. “Easy” became the group’s biggest hit thus far on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #4. Richie’s ballads would continue to prove lucrative for The Commodores.

*27

INNER CITY BLUES

(MAKE ME WANNA HOLLER)

Marvin Gaye

[1971] Soul 2

Marvin Gaye; James Nyx

Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ album made Motown nervous. The label viewed it as an error of judgement. Gaye trusted his instincts. Motown needn’t have been concerned. Three tracks from the LP reached #1 on the Soul Chart during 1971 with “Inner City Blues” being the last. The song tackles many of society’s ills, including police corruption, inflation, pollution, war and taxation.

*26

BABY LOVE

The Supremes

[1964] Soul 3 / Pop 4

Brian Holland; Lamont Dozier; Eddie Holland

Anyone thinking “Where Did Our Love Go” was just a fluke, was proven wrong when follow up single “Baby Love” followed it to #1 on both the Soul and Pop charts. After numerous flops, the trio was finally a Motown success with a second consecutive chart- topper under its belt.