With Mary Wells, Motown got serious. Before her, Tamla/Motown operated essentially like a regional label that happened to have a few massive hits. The distinctive Motown sound had yet to be formulated. Bluesier numbers like Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want)” abutted the smooth pop of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and the bongo-harmonica [...]
Archive for May, 2010
108) Mary Wells – “My Guy”
Posted in 07, 1964, tagged mary wells, motown, smokey robinson on May 25, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
107) Louis Armstrong – “Hello, Dolly!”
Posted in 06, 1964, tagged louis armstrong on May 21, 2010 | 2 Comments »
“While Broadway compositions tend to become more complex – like People in Funny Girl – the bulk of U.S. listeners seem to be resigned to, and even to prefer, the slap-bang rock-’n’-roll-style trash with which they are deluged.” –Tom Prideaux, Life magazine, Aug. 7, 1964 “It may dawn on you that Hello, Dolly! is a [...]
106) The Beatles – “Can’t Buy Me Love”
Posted in 08, 1964, tagged british invasion, the beatles on May 18, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Just over two months elapsed between February 1, 1964, when “I Want to Hold Your Hand” hit #1 on the Hot 100, and April 4, 1964, when “Can’t Buy Me Love” did the same. But those nine weeks were packed with more life-changing events than most bands have in their entire careers. The band made [...]
105) The Beatles – “She Loves You”
Posted in 09, 1964, tagged british invasion, the beatles on May 17, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
“She Loves You” is the Beatles song that everyone knows. At least that was the conclusion I came to as a young Beatles fan, decades after the group had disintegrated. Mention The Beatles to friends, and instantly “She loves you! yeah, yeah, yeah!” would be shot back in my direction, child singers’ faces scrunched up [...]
104) The Beatles – “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
Posted in 10, 1964, tagged british invasion, the beatles on May 16, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
It’s unlikely that any number-one has been written about as extensively as “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” But despite the sheer amount of this literature, nearly all of it follows a similar structure. First, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” is hailed as the triumph of “real music” (i.e., rock) over the (supposed) wanness [...]
