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At 53, The Miracles - (Come Round Here) I'm the One You Need" (1966)
Unlike most Miracles songs, which were written and produced by the group themselves, "I'm the One You Need" was written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, best known for their work with The Supremes and The Four Tops. The single was a Top 20 Pop Hit, peaking at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.
At 52, Diana Ross & The Supremes - Baby Love (1964)
"Baby Love" was written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland. Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson had brief solo ad-libs towards the end of the song but after this release Ross would be the only member to have any solos on the 1960s singles.
"Baby Love" topped the Billboard pop singles chart and the United Kingdom pop singles chart concurrently. Beginning with "Baby Love", The Supremes became the first Motown act to have more than one American number-one single, and by the end of the decade, would have more number-one singles than any other Motown act (or American pop music group) with 12, a record they continue to hold.
"(I'm a) Road Runner" was the title track of the successful 1966 album Road Runner. Written by the team of Holland–Dozier–Holland, it was released on the Tamla (Motown) label in 1966 and reached the top twenty in the U.S. and the UK.
Walker plays the distinctive tenor saxophone solo, backed by Mike Terry on baritone saxophone with Willie Woods on guitar. During production of the record, it was discovered that Walker could play the song only in two keys. So Walker sang in a key that he couldn’t play, and after being recorded, the saxophone track was sped up to match.
One of those '60's all-night dancing club favourites .....
At 50, Martha And The Vandellas - Nowhere to Run (1965)
"Nowhere to Run" by Martha and the Vandellas is one of the group's signature songs. Holland-Dozier-Holland and the Funk Brothers band gave the song a large, hard-driving instrumentation sound similar to the sound of "Dancing in the Street" with snow chains used as percussion alongside the tambourine and drums.
"ABC" was released on February 24 and knocked The Beatles' "Let It Be" off the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Michael Jackson just belts it out - natural, effortless, and untrained - gifted.
"My Guy" was written and produced by Smokey Robinson of The Miracles. When Wells recorded her vocal she sang over the song's outro with a huskiness evoking the line delivery of Mae West: Wells would recall: "I was only joking but the producers said 'Keep it going, keep it going'."
"My Guy" became the biggest hit ever for Wells, Motown's first female star, and reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart on 16 May. "My Guy" was Wells' last hit single for Motown, except for duets she recorded with label mate Marvin Gaye. An option in her recording contract let Wells terminate the contract at her discretion after she reached her twenty-first birthday on May 13, 1964. Encouraged by her ex-husband, Wells broke her Motown contract and signed with 20th Century Fox in hopes of higher royalties and possible movie roles. However, Wells' career never again reached the heights it had at Motown, and she never again had a hit single as big as "My Guy".
At 47, The Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) (1965)
"I Can't Help Myself" is one of the most well-known Motown recordings of the 1960s and among the decade's biggest hits. It was the Four Tops' first Top 40 single in the UK, peaking at 23 in the summer of 1965, then reaching 10 on its spring 1970 re-release.
The melodic and chordal progressions are very similar to the Supremes' 1964 hit "Where Did Our Love Go," also written by Holland-Dozier-Holland. According to Allmusic critic Ed Hogan, the title "I Can't Help Myself" is an oblique acknowledgment by Lamont Dozier that he could not resist recycling his previous hit.