It’s official: 60s Soul is the best thing to have ever happened to music! I mean, seriously, everytime I add more and more songs I didn’t know it existed (and some that were just hidden in my subconsciousness) on my Spotify playlists, I discover more gems. The Supremes, Four Tops, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, The Isley Brothers, Aretha, Dionne, Smokey... there’s too many to count.
The following are my top 10 most listened to 60s soul songs currently:
10 – I Want
You Back
It was the end of the 60s, and the world seemed to have lost all of its innocence. And while many soul stars of the decade would engage in more serious and socially conscious music in the next decade, the world still needed to have some fun. And then comes the Jackson brothers, bringing all the Motown experience (harmonies, choreography, lots of style) in a family mode.
And then there is Michael, just a little boy with a huge voice, singing about regretting having snubbed some girl at school. The best thing about this song is that it really feels like music made by kids, but still resonates with adults... even 50 years later. I guess you could call it timeless.
9 – I’m
Gonna Get You Yet
Surprisingly, a hidden gem. When I heard this for the first time, I thought it was a big hit at the time, and it turns out The Dixie Cups were what you might call a two-hit-wonder, with “Iko Iko” and “Chapel of Love”. However, their best song is this one: a true personification of 60s girl group pop, with striking catchy lyrics and adorable harmonies.
8 – He’s a
Rebel
It seems this group is kinda controversial. Apparently, it was left by Phil Spector after he turned his attention to The Ronnetes, and there was a lot of discussion about who was really singing that. Regardless, we give credit to Darlene Love for interpreting this story with so much passion and likability.
Just like Sophia Petrillo, I’m going to create a visual scenario for you. Picture it: California, 1963. You are a girl with big hair and a heart of gold that belongs to the bad boy of the town. It would be a perfect teen drama for the time, especially if he ended up dying after trying to change his life. Anyway, this song embodies everything that is great about 60s pop.
7 – Love is Like a Itching in my Heart
Honestly, this song is the best one. Most of The Supremes' songs are about unrequited love and unfulfilled sexual desire, and for the time, this last feeling is blatant in this one. Diana’s voice is almost titillating with the pain in her voice and the need for her lover. And the whole song is just phenomenal. Really underrated, especially because it was released on the same album as “You Can’t Hurry Love”, which found much more success.
6 – Love Child
Brilliant. Spectacular. Amazing. Everything about this song is supreme, and here’s why: I love these kinds of songs that seem to be going in one direction, and suddenly change. This amazing piece of work feels kinda unfinished, in the sense that the drama it tells doesn't seem to have a resolution in the end.
5 – Ain’t no Mountain High Enough
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| Not the original cover, I just put here because they are so cute |
What can be said about AMHE that hasn’t been said a trizillion times? It’s the ultimate love duet of all time, no doubt about that. Marvin and Tammi are the perfect match: he, with his strong voice, sweet like candy and soulful as gospel, and she, with her Diana-esque tone and lovable girl-next-door personality. With that chemistry, it’s hard not to think they had something going on..
But I digress. This is the kind of art piece people will still be paying attention to 300 years from now, and it takes tons of talent to create something as timeless as this masterpiece.
4 – Baby Love
Diana Ross's "uhh-ahh" are probably the most iconic thing in Motown's history, and thanks Baby Love for that. One of the biggest hits of the record company, this song skyrocketed The Supremes as the black ambassadors in the 60's pop music world and the only american act that could rival The Beatles on the charts.
Besides the historical context, this song is really good, although in my opinion it kinda pales in comparision to "Where Did Our Love Go", the group's first true hit, and the single that followed (which you will still see here). But I still appreciate many things about it, especially the fact that it has a more R&B oriented sound that their previous song.
3 – Dancing in the Street
Sorry Bowie and Jagger, Martha is the real deal. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas scored a huge number one with this anthem for jumping on the dance floor... and for civil rights too. "Sweet music, there's music everywhere" is a line that seems to embody the Motown spirit, SINCE THEY WERE EVERYWHERE. I could mumble a little more, but to resume the opera: this is one of the top 5 songs of the 60s, one that people immediately think when we talk about that decade. And this is saying a lot.
2 – Then He Kissed Me
Will this song live forever in my head as the opening scene for "Adventures in Babysitting"? Very much, but it doesn't change the fact that it's a bop! The classical intro has that Ronettes sound, characteristic of Phil Spector's productions, and the vocal synthesize the label's desire to mix the old and the new.
And it tells a little story too, which highlights the song's fairytale aspect. It's a sweet little pop girl group song, made for lovers to dance really close at the school's prom.
1 – Come See
About Me
The lyrics are the usual "Supremes-Holland-Dozier-Holland-You Don't Care About Me But I Love You" stuff, with Diana basically crying from the pain of rejection. However, have you ever heard a more joyful cry? I mean, this song is literal happiness for me, and I don't think another lifts me up as much as this one does. And it doesn't matter the person you play this, they will go humming "hum-hum... for-you...".
