Reached #23 on the pop charts. This track, however, is downright spooky, with Gaye's vocal (deliberately arranged in a higher register) teetering between lovesickness and madness. Written by William Weatherspoon, Paul Riser, and James Dean. Never one to waste a good line, Robinson lifted "Just like Pagliacci did / I try to keep my sadness hid" from his own 1964 exploration of this motif, "My Smile Is Just a Frown (Turned Upside Down)", a rarity pawned off on Carolyn Crawford. Smokey Robinson And The Miracles. You've Really Got A Hold On Me 1962 (This song later also became a hit for Gayle McCormick (1972) and Eddie Money (1979).) And this is what really sells the track, Horton's underlying toughness coming through despite the perfunctory politeness of the lyrics. The story of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is almost apocryphal now. Ruffin's performance and the sturdy backing serve the song so well that you start thinking of the loss it describes less in terms of romantic relationships and more in terms of a deeper loss of love. Ronstadt's version of the song was a success peaking at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching number 11 on the Billboard C&W chart in tandem with its B-side: the Emmylou Harris duet "The Sweetest Gift", and number 42 in 1976 on the UK Singles Chart.[12]. Even worse than the looming fight is the inversion of pop: "For the only joy in life is to be loved." Produced by William Weatherspoon and William "Mickey" Stevenson. Musically, "Hangin' On" is typical of a melodramatic 1960s Motown single but for one feature that makes it especially unique. It's a track half-crazy and half-refined, a latent madman in the opera. "Eyes Closed" highlights this aspect as the act create a deep sense of atmosphere and mood with the most minimal of tools. This makes sense in terms of the song's lyrical concerns. Photo: Partial cover of Motown Unreleased: 1969. However, despite these mixed messages, the Velvelettes were able to deliver in a way that never felt less than powerful. How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.
Reached #1 on the pop charts.
Bomba Estéreo founder Simón Mejía electrifies nature for a different kind of jungle music on his debut solo album, Mirla. Talk about your international invites. Gaye has seldom, if ever, expressed himself better, showing restraint through most of his singing but revealing the hurt and anger as needed. - John Bohannon.
The Miracles were the Motown Record Corporation's first group and its first million-selling recording artists. But the song was just as pivotal a victory for Wonder. Cleveland and Robinson left the store and went back to the studio, where "I Second That Emotion" was born. Wonder had concocted an undeniably infectious groove reinforced by a memorable clavinet riff and propelled by a chorus of lazy, loveable brass blasts.
There's nothing subtle here. //]]> - Dave Heaton. Reached #5 on the pop charts. The note continues through every chorus of the song, adding a sense of urgency to the big beats beneath it and the plaintive vocals above. It's almost impossible to catch this, except in the third verse, when you can hear a couple of seconds of the overdub of Gaye's vocals over Terrell's.