Why did Heaven Must Have Sent You stall?

[luke]

Truly great singers with Saundra and the Elgins. HDH at their peak. My fave Motiwn song [[now my second fave). Stalled at # 51 I believe. Did Motown get behind the record? A mystery to me.

[rovereab]

It was a big hit in the UK - deservedly so!

[BayouMotownMan]

It sounded too Supremes and the comparisons hurt the song.

[luke]

England put US to shame with this one! And didn't suffer by any comparison to the Supremes. A great record is a great record!

[bradsupremes]

The song was written for the Supremes, the track was cut for them, but was reassigned to the Elgins. Although a great song there's something about the arrangement of the track that feels choppy to me. HDH added strings to the track, but they went missing from the single. I think the strings gave it the smooth, polished feel it needed. The track HDH cut on the Supremes in 1967 has a polished arrangement.

[luke]

It was totally infectious for me from day and just perfect. Went to # 3 in England. I hear you though. Why do u think HDH did that? I wouldn't want it to sound too polished.

[luke]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HbTgd4...j26Kbp_sOo5JsB. The Elgins sing it on Swingin Times

[daviddesper]

Just one of many Motown songs that deserved to be monster hits but it just didn't happen.

[copley]

England put US to shame with this one! And didn't suffer by any comparison to the Supremes. A great record is a great record!

The UK Luke not just England!

[copley]

It was totally infectious for me from day and just perfect. Went to # 3 in England. I hear you though. Why do u think HDH did that? I wouldn't want it to sound too polished.

#3 in the UK Luke!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven_Must_Have_Sent_You

[mysterysinger]

But it did nothing the first time around in the UK. It made a huge impact when re-released later. In my opinion it was a double a sider too since "Stay In My Lonely Arms" is a fantastic song.

[Bluebrock]

One of my favourite Motown tunes. Always loved it and I am amazed it did so poorly in the USA.

[Sharpmoves]

It's a wonderful song, wonderfully put across, and I love the slightly rough-edged feel to it. It certainly deserved to be bigger globally, but here in the UK [[ahem!) we did it justice, I think. It's a Northern Soul classic too, of course. I haven't heard the polished, strings-laden DRATS version mentioned above, but am not in a hurry to do so. I think it's great just as it is. But that a matter of personal taste of course.

PS: why is it so hard to understand that England and the UK are not inter-changeable terms? You have individual states, and the The United States, and wouldn't ever use the name of a single state to refer to the entire USA, would you? And I think you'd never hear a Limey saying California but actually meaning the USA, either! Just saying...

[luke]

OMG. I slipped up .Off with my head. Sorry. I usually say UK. To err is human to forgive is...

[Sharpmoves]

OMG. I slipped up .Off with my head. Sorry. I usually say UK. To err is human to forgive is...

Devine! [[and a pleasure too).
And the good news is that we no longer behead [[or otherwise kill) people for their crimes here, either! Not even treason....

[copley]

OMG. I slipped up .Off with my head. Sorry. I usually say UK. To err is human to forgive is...

Forgiven, of course

[luke]

Thank you! God save the Queen! And I watched finale of Downton Abbey and I'm of _____desecent! Can I say English or British?

[luke]

UK society is way more advanced per death penalty, health care and soul music!!I thought queen of France said off with their heads! Uh oh now the French will yell at me

[Sharpmoves]

UK society is way more advanced per death penalty, health care and soul music!!I thought queen of France said off with their heads! Uh oh now the French will yell at me

Ne vous inquietez pas! It was the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland who yelled "off with their heads!" And she was definitely British! Marie Antoinette [[Austrian, of course) is believed to have said "Let them eat cake", when she heard that Paris bread supplies were running out during the Revolution, but that is now thought either to be apocryphal, or to have really meant, if there is no bread they must of course be allowed to eat the posh stuff [[probably brioches) to stop them dying. Qui sait?

As for whether you can say you are descended from the English, that depends on where your ancestors came from. They may have been Scottish, Irish, Welsh or English. If you're not sure, best say British! Definitely don't day "UK-ish"!

[luke]

Tres complicated ..quel dommage...merci. Lol UK ish...tutorial per Dominion,Cimmonwealth and Kingdom? Merci. Bloody goid show. Don't forget us yanks are your stepchildren!

[RossHolloway]

It would be interesting to know what other Motown songs were either just released or also climbing the charts at the time HMHSY was peaking.

[Sharpmoves]

http://www.officialcharts.com/charts...19710530/7501/ Here is the UK in the week that HMHSY peaked at No 3 - you can see T Dean Tayor at No 2, and elsewhere Stevie, Smokey, Diana, and the Temps all bobbing up or down.

[Glenpwood]

The Motown records above HMHSY the week of 12/3/66 when it peaked at #50

#3 - You Keep Me Hanging On - The Supremes
#12 - I'm Ready For Love - Martha & The Vandellas
#20 [[Come Round Here) I'm The One You Need - The Miracles
#23 - A Place In The Sun - Stevie Wonder
#25 - What Becomes Of the Brokenhearted - Jimmy Ruffin
#32 - I Know I'm Losing You - The Temptations
#38 - Reach Out I'll Be There - Four Tops

[phil]

The Motown records above HMHSY the week of 12/3/66 when it peaked at #50

#3 - You Keep Me Hanging On - The Supremes
#12 - I'm Ready For Love - Martha & The Vandellas
#20 [[Come Round Here) I'm The One You Need - The Miracles
#23 - A Place In The Sun - Stevie Wonder
#25 - What Becomes Of the Brokenhearted - Jimmy Ruffin
#32 - I Know I'm Losing You - The Temptations
#38 - Reach Out I'll Be There - Four Tops

Thanks Glenpwood, some rough competition !

[bradsupremes]

Looking at the other Motown songs on the charts, HMHSY sounds rather dated to the others. Remember this track was cut in 1965. The Motown Sound had advanced quite bit by the end of 1966.

[soulster]

Since the thread-starter didn't mention which version they were talking about, i'll say that the Bonnie Pointer's disco version did very well in the U.S.. Not so much her pop version.

[Sharpmoves]

Looking at the other Motown songs on the charts, HMHSY sounds rather dated to the others. Remember this track was cut in 1965. The Motown Sound had advanced quite bit by the end of 1966.

It's funny, but I think it sounds timeless. On the other hand, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted always sounded to me at the time a bit like something Val Doonican might have sung - eew!
https://youtu.be/_HGB4wSc7wM https://youtu.be/_HGB4wSc7wM

[alexstassi]

A lot of 60's Motown [[and many other soul) tunes were re-released in the UK in the 70's due to the Northern Soul scene. These were usually those on the subsidiary labels like V.I.P. This song was one of them . Other examples include R Dean Taylors ...ghost in my house which reached number 3 in the UK chart 7 years later.

[mysterysinger]

Anyone like the version they did with Ian Levine?

[arr&bee]

I can't speak for nationally,but that song was a monster in d.c.in the summer of[66]great motown classic.

[luke]

I watched the elgins perform HMHSY on a video, Levines version... Ugh.

[Bluebrock]

Anyone like the version they did with Ian Levine?

Err. Not really. I guess Ian wanted to put his own spin on it, which to be fair he did. Enough said!!