ALL THE MOTOWN #1s RANKED (#1). This post concludes the countdown.

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

*1

WHAT’S GOING ON

Marvin Gaye

[1971] Soul 5

Al Cleveland; Marvin Gaye; Renaldo Benson

“What’s Going On” did not smash any sales records, but its importance in not only Motown’s history but popular culture overall, reverberates to this day. Some songs resonate with the mood of the times, and there are also rare examples of recordings with lyrics that ring true into the future. Among these are “The Times They Are-A- Changin’” by Bob Dylan, “Imagine” by John Lennon and “What’s Going On”. Decades later, Gaye’s social commentary has retained its relevance. The seed for the song came from Motown writer / producer Cleveland and Benson, one of The Four Tops. Gaye’s lyrics were inspired by his brother Frankie’s experience fighting in the Vietnam War. One of the immediate beneficiaries of the single and its parent album’s success was Stevie Wonder. Having just turned 21, he took greater control over his career and music.