Worst Motown songs?

[jboy88]

I can't get next to you? Marvins I heard it through the Grapevine?, some people have no taste!

i've only heard Charlene's version once! I was nine and didn't pay it much attention. but I liked the Tempts and Nancy Wilson's version [[Those Nancy can make anything tolerable).

[kenneth]

And if you're really brave, try this with its opening rap and ad libs. If you think Charlene's version is bad, feast on this! Kenneth, quite a find, eh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhnq0...eature=related

As the kids say...OMG...Howard Keel??? Okay, doing "Make Believe" makes sense, but "Never Been to Me?" This must have been during his "Dallas" days as an elderly matinee idol!

[jobeterob]

It's pretty hard to understand what Berry or Motown was thinking about with Irene Ryan unless they were just big fans of hers................like I was. But the song clearly wasn't going to be a pop or R & B hit.

I don't know if I'd class it as "bad" either though.

And I think I'd rather hear it than Marvin's Grapevine again. But Gladys all day long is fine for me too.

[kenneth]

It's pretty hard to understand what Berry or Motown was thinking about with Irene Ryan unless they were just big fans of hers................like I was. But the song clearly wasn't going to be a pop or R & B hit.

I don't know if I'd class it as "bad" either though.

And I think I'd rather hear it than Marvin's Grapevine again. But Gladys all day long is fine for me too.

Is the Irene Ryan track her song from "Pippin"? She was in the original cast on Broadway.

[jobeterob]

That definitely was her song from Pippin.

[tamla617]

jillfoster

i dont know what happened in the states but in the uk torn between two lovers was a 77 release'charlene's hit was 1982

[roger]

jillfoster

i dont know what happened in the states but in the uk torn between two lovers was a 77 release'charlene's hit was 1982

Tamla617 ..

"I've Never Been To Me" camo out on the Motown distributed Prodigal label in 1977 .. both in the U.S and U.K. I even remember hearing it on the radio a few times back then .. I'd have been living in sunny Leicester at the time so my guess is I heard it on the U.S. chart countdown show on Beacon Radio out of Wolverhampton, as it was a minor U.S hit .. peaking at #97 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It was one of those records that became a late-night radio favourite on a number of radio stations and Motown decided to reissue it in 1982 .. in the U.S. it got to #3 in the U.K. it got to #1.

Its not really my taste in music but I wouldn't call it a "bad" record, I'm sure if it had never been released on Motown people on this forum would have no thoughts on it one way or the other.

Roger

P.S. Bit of trivia here .. CHARLENE decided to retire from singing in the late '70s after she married an Englishman and she moved to London. She was actually working in a newsagents at Bromley By Bow and living in Ilford when the record broke big in 1982

[luke]

I remember Irene doing No Time At All and it was great!

[luke]

Is No Matter What Sign You Are so different from Aquarius/Let Sunshine In? When the moon is in the ...then peace will guide the planet...

[soulster]

The only thing about bashing music you don't like is that there is always someone out there who gets something out of what you don't like. So, there is nothing that is totally worthless even that Charlene song that is worthless!

[smark21]

Is No Matter What Sign You Are so different from Aquarius/Let Sunshine In? When the moon is in the ...then peace will guide the planet...

Acquarius/Let the Sunshine In is more of a message/inspirational song, it's trying to make a statement. No Matter What Sign You Are is just about a girl who's all horny for a guy so much so that she won't pay attention to what sign of the zodiac he might be.

[MIKEW-UK]

Charlene still going strong....... in interview she claims to be the first white woman signed to Motown.....thought it was Chris Clark? [[Christine Schumacher doesn't strictly qualify).

http://www.blogher.com/abortion-dome...rds-racism-too

http://charlenesongs.com/

[roger]

Charlene still going strong....... in interview she claims to be the first white woman signed to Motown.....thought it was Chris Clark? [[Christine Schumacher doesn't strictly qualify).

http://www.blogher.com/abortion-dome...rds-racism-too

http://charlenesongs.com/

Wasn't it DEBBIE DEAN who was the first white woman signed to Motown? She recorded "Don't Let Him Shop Around" in 1961. Then there was CONNIE HAINES who turned up in 1966, about the same time as CHRIS CLARK.

I think it was CHRIS CLARK who was the first white woman to have any degree of commercial success with Motown.

Roger

[MIKEW-UK]

Roger, you are absolutely correct! I didn't realise Debbie Dean came back to Motown as a songwriter...

http://soulstrutter.blogspot.com/200...-i-loving.html

[randy_russi]

Almost anything by the J5 beginning with ABC--can't stand it!!!!! Mama's Pearl too and the Love You Save--horrible!!!!
That entire ABC lp and their Christmas lp--can't stand either.

[soulster]

Almost anything by the J5 beginning with ABC--can't stand it!!!!!

I think you might be kind of lonely there.

[vcq]

R. Dean Taylor, "There's A Ghost In My House"

[thisoldheart]

i love "there's a ghost in my house". it fits right in with the tops "7 rooms of gloom"!

[jillfoster]

jillfoster

i dont know what happened in the states but in the uk torn between two lovers was a 77 release'charlene's hit was 1982

Charlene's original release in the US was late 76 according to what I read.... I know wikipedia says it was 77, but my copy of "Hard to find Motown Classics" lists the copyright as 76. I for one, would be interested in the exact release date. I find conflicting stuff like that all the time, I saw Kiki Dee's "Great Expectations" listed as released in the summer of 1970, and I also found a site that listed it's release date as Janaury 1, 1971.

[roger]

Charlene's original release in the US was late 76 according to what I read.... I know wikipedia says it was 77, but my copy of "Hard to find Motown Classics" lists the copyright as 76. I for one, would be interested in the exact release date. I find conflicting stuff like that all the time, I saw Kiki Dee's "Great Expectations" listed as released in the summer of 1970, and I also found a site that listed it's release date as Janaury 1, 1971.

According to Joel Whitburn's "Top Pop Singles 1955-1990" ..

"Ive Never Been to Me" debuted on Billboard's Hot 100 on 24 September 1977 on Prodigal 0636. Earlier that year she had two other records on the Billboard Hot 100 .. "It Ain't Easy Coming Down" [[ Prodigal 0632 ) and "Freddie [[ Prodigal 1633 ).

And according to the discographies in Sharon Davis's book "Motown The History" the release dates were as follows ..

Prodigal 632 .. "It Ain't Easy Coming Down" ... November 1976
Prodigal 633 .. "Freddie" ............................ March 1977
Prodigal 636 .. "I've Never Been To Me" ....... July 1977

Sharon Davis's book also lists two L.P.s by CHARLENE ..

Prodigal 10015 .. "Charlene" .......... November 1976
Prodigal 10018 .. "Songs Of Love" .. May 1977

If Wikipedia is to be believed "Songs of Love" was a repackaging of the first L.P.

So .. it looks like "I've Never Been To Me" first came out on an L.P. in November 1976 but wasn't released as a single until nine months later ..

Roger

[tamla617]

jillfoster
i dont understand why motown uk waited 'till 82 to release never been...seems an odd thing to dig up 5 years after the states.and on prodigal too not the mighty motown!but they were vindicated by the #1 chart success here.
i just cant imagine the conversation at motown uk when this song came up for release.was there a radio station here that "discovered" never been..?.or a club hit,which i cant imagine at all,which led to a demand for it

[roger]

jillfoster
i dont understand why motown uk waited 'till 82 to release never been...seems an odd thing to dig up 5 years after the states.and on prodigal too not the mighty motown!but they were vindicated by the #1 chart success here.
i just cant imagine the conversation at motown uk when this song came up for release.was there a radio station here that "discovered" never been..?.or a club hit,which i cant imagine at all,which led to a demand for it

Sharon Davis, in the discography section in her book, has the U.S. reissue release date as February 1982, and the U.K. reissue release a month later in March 1982.

In the write up on CHARLENE in Sharon Davis' book, Charelene is quoted as saying that the U.S. reissue was prompted by public demand due to extensive radio play of "I've Never Been To Me" in Tampa, Florida by a D.J. called Scott Shannon.

However, as I implied in my earlier post, the song had received some airplay in Britain back in 1977 and I'm pretty sure that it also received a number of spins as a "forgotten radio turntable hit" in the [[English) Midlands in the 1978-82 period.

Roger

[tamla617]

roger
cheers,that would explain it.i remember it all over radio 1,i didnt know it was a motown record until a while after.
you could have knocked me down with a feather when i eventually found that out.i realised then complete ism isnt going to be 100% pleasure!

[ExGuyParis]

Motown certainly released some clunkers in the midst of all the gold.

In no particular order:

I'm Still Waiting - Diana Ross

Most Rare Earth label releases and most post 75 releases in general!

WHAT?!? I love that song. Most of the others... OK.

[kenneth]

WHAT?!? I love that song. Most of the others... OK.

I agree, "Still Waiting" is one of her best, with a more vulnerable quality than you tend to hear from Ross.

[jobeterob]

I'm Still Waiting is way down my list of favorite Ross songs; but it is no where near being one of Motown's worst songs.

Upon thinking about it, the kind of Motown songs that I didn't like were ones that sounded contrived and over produced without an effective hook ~ a song like What It Is by Undisputed Truth comes to mind.

[TomatoTom123]

People wonder why he didn't continue to have hit records. Simple: He couldn't sing. They mixed the backup singers louder than he was on his records to drown him out or cover his weaknesses. At Motown, he was overshadowed by so many other better male singers. Why him when there was Jimmy Ruffin and Edwin Starr?
Listen to his take on Save My Love For A Rainy Day and then play Eddie Kendricks' version. It blows ol' Marv away.

I know this thread is five years old but I was reading through it with no intention of posting until I saw this piece of utter nonsense [[jokin) and couldn't resist. For me, Marv Johnson's version of "Save My Love For A Rainy" is the best, hands down. He may not have been the world's greatest singer but he had a lovely, distinctive and likeable voice that works particularly well on that song. "I'll Pick A Rose For My Rose", "I Miss You Baby", "So Glad You Chose Me", "I'm Not A Plaything" and "Another Lonely Night" are all brilliant tracks too!

[soulwally]

Indeed this thread is a blast past from the past, Tom. It does prompt the thought... whatever happened to Copley?

[jobeterob]

There are some other people on this thread that were friends with the Gordys. People come and go; they get tired of the hash and rehash. And some wouldn't put up with the bickering.

[Jaap]

[QUOTE=vcq;55724]Anything solo by young MJ [[see: Hello, World). He had some pitch issues and frequently sounds shrill to my ears [[seriously, his attempt to "cover" Edwin Starr, Jackie Wilson, Stevie Wonder, etc. is kind of painful...he didn't have the pipes or gravitas to pull it off at that point). /QUOTE]
In case of the young MJ solo, I would agree, with some very notable exceptions, such as "AIn't No Sunshine When She's Gone." With most Bill Wither's songs, it is difficult to come even close to the original, but the then 13-year-old MJ sings his version with so much maturity and really showcases his raw talent that indeed came to full bloom is his later solo work [[particularly the Off The Wall album).
On the topic of worst Motown song, the biggest mystery to me has always been Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called To Say I Love You." As many will agree, Wonder made some of the best and most innovative music, particularly in the 1970s, and then he did this song... and it became one of his most popular and best selling hit singles. To me, the song always sound like music that is performed in hotel lounges. But then, so many people love the song, so it must have something that I apparently don't recognize.

[Motown Eddie]

My pick for the worst Motown song is "Angel In Blue/Blue Cinderella" by Joel Sebastian. Joel was a popular DJ in Detroit at the time and as the notes for the song on "TCMS Vol. 1" state, "BG understood the value of friends in radio as well as anyone in the business". That pretty much sums it up.

[sup_fan]

Motown songs I don't like:

Love Is Here and Now You're Gone - Supremes. I don't like the harpsichord and bouncy bass line
Beyond Myself - Supremes. Jean is horribly shrill and out of tune. also don't like the choral effect of the backgrounds. but could have had potential if redone
My Cherie Amour - just find it corny and annoying.
Twistin Postman
Some of Mary Well's and Marvelettes very early recordings. Like their various album filler from first couple lps
Marvellets Live - out of tune and out of sync with the band.
Joy To the World - Supremes.
Silent Night and O Holy Night - Supremes [[Flo). these are so freaking slow that she struggles with intonation and pitch.
Martha - late 60s. for some reason on many of Martha's tracks from Sugar & Spice and Nat Res, she gets a very peculiar vibrato going. not all the time but often. Still present on Black Magic but seems to be a bit more covered up by the overall production

[soulster]

Motown songs I don't like:

Love Is Here and Now You're Gone - Supremes. I don't like the harpsichord and bouncy bass line

And I think that is one of the best Motown productions they ever did.

[TomatoTom123]

And I think that is one of the best Motown productions they ever did.

Wow, you see, sometimes two people people listen to the same song and hear two different songs altogether!

[luke]

Twistin Postman. Yuk

[waynesville]

Motown certainly released some clunkers in the midst of all the gold.

In no particular order:

Endless Gush - Ross/Richie
Hello - Lionel Richie
Three Times A Lady - Commodores
Randy The Newspaper Boy - Ray Oddis
I'm Still Waiting - Diana Ross
No Matter What Sign You Are - DRATS
Talkin' To Your Picture - Tony Martin
The Bigger Your Heart Is [[The Harder You'll Fall) -Tony Martin
Love Makes The World Go 'Round, But Money Greases The Wheel - Dee Mullins
Three Choruses Of Despair - Rick Robin & Him
We're Off To Dublin In The Green - Abbey Tavern Singers
Muck-arty Park - Soupy Sales
The Luney Landing - Captain Zap & Motortown Cut-Ups
What The World Needs Now/Abraham, Martin And John - Tom Clay
Shame And Scandal In The Family - Vin Cardinal
I've Never Been To Me - Charlene
Where Were You When The Ship went Down - Dickey & Poseidons
Please Mr Postman - Pat Boone Family
I Comma Zimba Zio [[Here I Stand The Mighty One) - Abdullah

Most Rare Earth label releases and most post 75 releases in general!

Oh Lord, I had managed to forget the awfulness of Three Times A Lady! Thanks [[not!!!) for reminding me. But entirely disagree about I'm still Waiting - I though that an excellent tune!

[nomis]

Rockin Robin...dire Im a huge MJ fan but just hearing the opening bars of it gives me a cold sweat

[luke]

Shake Sherry. Quite monotonous

[jakaa123]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...circa_1965.jpg The Classic Five!!

[jakaa123]

I'm sorry folks! Wrong Thread! I'm A Rookie On This Site😆

[144man]

Was the discussion we had on "I've Never Been to Me" really five years ago? Doesn't time fly when you're enjoying yourself!

I never saw the point of picking novelty records like "Happy Ghoul Tide" for this thread as they were hardly meant to be masterpieces in the first place.

[rovereab]

R. Dean Taylor, "There's A Ghost In My House"

I dislike the stereo mix of this song [[especially the intro) but love the mono mix!

[Motown Eddie]

Another entry in the Worst Motown Songs list;

"He's A Good Guy [[Yes He Is)" -The Marvelettes

[lockhartgary]

I could never get into "Stuck On You" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

[thommg]

That definitely was her song from Pippin.

The single was not directly from the Pippin cast recording. It was a new pop version with a chorus behind her. I'm surprised that it wasn't included on the remastered version of the cast recording a few years back. They did include the pop versions of songs by Michael Jackson & The Supremes. That would have been the place to put Irene's novelty version.

[imakicola]

This thread was inpired by the recent Guardian article: "[Mowest's] only hit was Tom Clay's terrible spoken-word rendition of What the World Needs Now, the portentous oration intercut with socially provocative media reports." I was listening to my favorite Motown channel on Live365 at work, and Tom Clay's "song" came on. I spent several minutes wondering what I'd just been listening to.

I've seen loads of lists of top Motown songs, but I'd love to hear what SDF thinks are the worst songs out there. Maybe it's the lyrics [[or lack thereof), off-key singers / musicians, whatever. Even a hits factory like Motown was bound to release a few less-than-stellar tracks throughout its long career.


From the hundreds of Motown songs I've listened to, my money is on Popcorn and the Mohawk's "Custer's Last Man."
2. The Valadiers' "Greetings" [[This Is Uncle Sam). Great song, but way out-of-tune.
3. "No Matter What Sign You Are" [[The Supremes). I read that this song was so bad, that Cindy and Mary aren't even on it [[it's the Andantes). Can anyone provide more info about this?

Cindy and Mary aren't on "In and Out of Love" or "Forever Came Today" or "Love Child" or "I'm Living in Shame" OR "No Matter What Sign You Are" OR "Someday We'll Be Together"!

And Cindy isn't on "Reflections." Just Mary [[and Marlene/Flo/disputed). And "In and Out" is allegedly Mary, Flo, and the Andantes.

[Circa 1824]

1. Stone Liberty - Diana Ross
2. I Will Survive - Diana Ross

[144man]

1. Stone Liberty - Diana Ross
2. I Will Survive - Diana Ross

I rather like "Stone Liberty".

[icustomboxes]

Some of the songs given below :
Mama, I miss you
Won't you forgive me mama
For all the wrong I have done
I know you've done your best
Oh I know you've done the very best you could
Mama I thought you under
I am living in shame
Mama, I miss you

[Boogiedown]

I'll go along with the Charlene song as the line

"I've been to paradise , but I've never been to me"

never fails to trigger the gag reflex !!