The Music of Motown

Motown was, and still is, one of the most popular types of music in Detroit. But, surprisingly, it isn’t actually a type of music. It’s a record company. All of the artists that signed and recorded for the company were considered to “be” Motown.

Motown is short for Motown Record Corporation, and came from Detroit’s nickname “the motor city.” It was a music recording company based in Detroit, Michigan that was immensely popular from 1960 to 1972 (and though the era came to an end, America is still listening to its music decades after). 

It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. in 1959. Gordy bought a large house on 2648 West Grand Boulevard, and turned it into a recording studio. He bought six more houses as the company took off, but the house -- fondly nicknamed “Hitsville USA” -- was still the primary house that artists would record in.

There are a few key reasons why Motown got so big. Rhythm and Blues were rising exponentially in popularity, so Motown sampled some of those sounds and turned them into their own kind of music. Also, in 1954, the famous court case Brown v. Board of Education had made segregation in public schools illegal, so there was a rise in civil rights activists and gave African American artists hope for success in the music industry (Britannica.com). The music that came out of Motown was predominantly created by African American artists.

Because of this, Motown played a massive role in overcoming racism, which was raging during the 50s and 60s, and helped create a strong, equal front in the music industry, and that sparked unity across the nation.

Motown took off in the 60s. The first artist signed and recorded was William “Smokey” Robinson and his group, The Miracles. Their first ever hit was “Tears of a Clown”, but their “trademark hit,” according to motownmuseum.org, was “Ooh Baby Baby.” They were eventually inducted into the Grammy and Doo Wop Halls of Fame.

Motown music was subtly complex. Bass, guitar, and tambourines were the primary instruments common in all of the songs. The sound was a mix of call and response, gospel, and jazz. Most of the music was syncopated, and many had a unique reverb to them due to being recorded in the “Echo Chamber,” located in the attic of Hitsville USA. You can hear it pretty well in “Where Did Our Love Go” by the Supremes:

Note: The Supremes are considered to be one of, if not, the most successful recording artists from Motown Records. They have a ton of popular songs, including “Stop in the Name of Love,” and “You Can’t Hurry Love."

Gordy was strict in what got produced and pushed out into the public. If it wasn’t to his standards, he would decline the song and the artists would have to start from scratch on a completely new song. Thus, artists and songwriters were ridiculously competitive. They weren’t allowed to have a good song. It needed to be perfect. And perfect they were, considering how nothing but hits ever came out of Motown.

Funnily enough, a good few of Motown’s later released songs, however, are considered today to be hits, such as “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye. Marvin Gaye was also the artist who wrote and sung the famous "Let's Get it On" and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” with Tammi Terrell.

Of course, you can’t talk about Tammi Terrell and the Supremes without talking about other Motown women. A lot of popular songs that everyone knows come from Motown, and a good chunk of them are women. Martha and the Vandellas released the famous song “Dancing in the Street,” Gloria Jones released the original “Tainted Love,” and, of course, the Marvelettes, who recorded “Please Mr. Postman.” (It was so popular, The Beatles covered it two years later!)

Note: Okay fine. Here’s the Vine.

The Temptations were signed in 1961. They took a lot of interest in “soul” music and R&B. They were also known for their dancing and how they were primarily seen wearing suits or other fancy clothing. Smokey Robinson and Ronnie Wright (from The Miracles) helped The Temptations write their first number one hit, “My Girl.”

Note: I also recommend listening to their song “Papa was a Rolling Stone.” The intro is super long though, like 2 minutes. The original song is like 11 minutes.

 

Motown lost key performers in the 70s and was no longer the powerhouse it was before, but the record label still produced hits and signed stars, such as the Jackson 5 and Diana Ross after she split from The Supremes to take on a solo career.

Despite this, and despite the era coming to an end around the early to mid 70s, that didn’t mean Motown wasn’t still making music. Stevie Wonder was 11 when he signed to Motown Records in 1961, and he has been releasing music ever since. If you happen to live under a rock and don’t recognize his name, you might recognize a few of his songs, like "Superstition."

This was towards the end of the Motown predominance and started bleeding into 70s style music, but it was written and produced when Wonder was still signed with Motown Records, and still inside of the Motown era.

In 1985, Hitsville USA was turned into a public museum, and in 1988 Gordy sold Motown to MCA. After then being sold to Polygram, Motown joined the Universal Music Group, a music corporation that spans across multiple countries. (To understand how incredible that is, some other labels currently a part of UMG are Capitol Records, Virgin Music, Decca Records, and Abbey Road Studios, to name a few).

While the company is no longer functioning, and no one is considered to be a current Motown artist, plenty of present-day musicians sample off of famous Motown songs and styles. You can also find similar Motown sounds in modern R&B artists, which was a massive influence for original Motown musicians, hip-hip, and pop songs.

Works Cited:

“Birthplace of the Motown Sound.” Motown Museum, https://www.motownmuseum.org/legacy/. Accessed 28 October 2021.

Early, Gerald. "Motown". Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Dec. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Motown. Accessed 28 October 2021.

“Our Labels & Brands.” UMG, 15 Aug. 2020, https://www.universalmusic.com/labels/. Accessed 28 October 2021.

“The Miracles.” Motown Museum, 29 Jan. 2021, https://www.motownmuseum.org/artist/the-miracles/. Accessed 28 October 2021.