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Gordy G 7046 (B), September 1965
B-side of Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)
(Written by Edward Holland Jr., Janie Bradford and Lamont Dozier)
Tamla Motown TMG 538 (B), October 1965
B-side of Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)
(Licensed for British release via EMI/Tamla Motown)
Some Motown songs work because the match of singer and song is inspired, the character of the one giving extra weight to the meaning of the other. The A-side here, the crackling Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While), is a great example of that – Kim Weston is the sort of woman you could never imagine as a meek shrinking violet, and so when the Holland-Dozier-Holland team offered her an addition to the burgeoning canon of Motown post-breakup songs, her plea for a second chance comes over more like a demand.
Here on the flip, Kim turns in something more in keeping with the records she’d made before Motown worked out what to do with her (which is, of course, exactly what this is): a big-voiced, though pleasingly low-key torch song, gliding along (or, well, stuttering along, really, but more on that in a moment) on a cloud of strings in a would-be velvety, bluesy sort of way. Kim’s narrator is in a fix; she’s worried her boyfriend only likes her because she reminds him of his ex, and she’s letting him know his actions aren’t exactly helping the situation. It’s quite beautiful, in places, and it’s sung beautifully. But, beautiful though it is, Don’t Compare Me With Her trips up almost straight away, because… well, who in their right mind is comparing Kim Weston to other women?!
It is lovely, though. Very different from the A-side, of course, but still striking in its own way; another slowie hung on an off-the-peg 6/8 doo-wop skeleton, full of stops and starts and fitful breaks and coarse horn bursts and strange, unexpectedly sweet little moments. It’s an older recording – left in the can for almost a year and a half before being dusted off – and it shows in places: the LA session players are very far removed from the Motown sound, and despite all the chord and tempo changes, the song comes across as being complex rather than sophisticated. If anything, it feels like a dress rehearsal, an early (musical) proof of concept for the Supremes’ magnificent Who Could Ever Doubt My Love, aiming for the stars but with its makers’ inexperience visible through the crudely-stitched seams.
Where it absolutely doesn’t show is in the lead vocal. As is always the case on pretty much any of Kim’s records, the best thing here is Miss Weston herself, sounding assured and secure (even when playing a character who’s anything but); a singer finally finding her voice, in every sense. If it’s just too difficult to imagine the situation where anybody would conceivably be in a relationship with Kim and yet still pining for someone else, Kim still nails the part, bringing just enough of both outrage and fear to the table as she repeatedly coos her insistent request: “don’t compare me with her / DON’T compare me with her…”
I like the lyric here, too. It’s tempting to look at the unusual writing credit – the Holland-Dozier-Holland team with their old collaborator, the great Janie Bradford, in place of Brian Holland – and wonder whether the team having a female perspective in the writing room was a big step, because Kim’s narrator here is one of the most fully fleshed-out characters Motown had yet come up with back in the spring of 1964 when this was recorded.
Kim’s vocal is so ocean-liner smooth that, in my mind, the whole song gets smoothed out with her; it’s always a surprise when I actually come to play it and encounter its stark, jabbing strings and jarring time changes (most notably just after one and a half minutes, when the backing collapses completely to be replaced with a reprise of the staccato drum fill from the intro, with no regard for the fact Kim herself is stranded mid-sentence). It’s a mess – but it’s a likeable mess, and thanks to Kim’s vocal, rolling with the punches so adroitly you can’t help but applaud, it’s probably better than it has any right to be.
MOTOWN JUNKIES VERDICT
(I’ve had MY say, now it’s your turn. Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment, or click the thumbs at the bottom there. Dissent is encouraged!)
You’re reading Motown Junkies, an attempt to review every Motown A- and B-side ever released. Click on the “previous” and “next” buttons below to go back and forth through the catalogue, or visit the Master Index for a full list of reviews so far.
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| Kim Weston “Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)” |
The Supremes “Things Are Changing” |
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Motown Junkies 
When Kim sings out on the “Don’t think of her when you call my name…” section, it sends shivers down my spine.
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A seven for me 🙂 I’ve always liked it, especially that it had a relatively long intro for a Motown 45. It’s troubled female perspective made it a worthy companion piece in 1965 with Martha’s “Love Makes Me Do Foolish Things.” And yes, soon enough, with The Supremes “Who Could Ever Doubt My Love.”
By this point, it was a few and far between when a Motown flipside proved a genuine dud. This is the moment, once “Helpless” and “A Love Like Yours” were also ready, for a Kim Weston album on Gordy, The 913 and 916 catalog numbers instead just when unused. I would have bought it.
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It always struck me as Kim’s version of “Don’t Make Me Over” down to the curious Bacharach-like time signature changes. I’d say I’m more likely to say a 6.5 or 7, most of my issues with it are sourced from the comparisons to the Warwick hit in my head. I’ve never heard it in Stereo/wonder if it sounds a bit more full in Stereo.
There’s points where it feels too often Kim is carrying the record along. If the track were mixed better so it sounded as supportive of Kim’s “feelings” I’d like it more. It’s a Holland-Dozier-Holland song begging for a Bacharach or Teddy Randazzo “all stops out” treatment to me.
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We all know Kim has the talent to totally overwhelm a tune. In this case she did not and i’m ever thankful. Her reading is sensitive yet forceful. Its as if there is this conversation that could possibly turn into a screaming match but she’s holding her ground until in the end her boyfriend finally relents.
As for Janie Bradford’s contribution, its an interesting point since Eddie was always the wordman how much influence she might’ve had over the lyrics. From what i’ve read, the guys had a certain way of working and didnt care for being monked with too much.
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You may want to alter the color in your contributors’ comment fields. The type is too light to read at any angle but straight on and even then it’s faint. I don’t have a monitor that is flexible, so I’ve got to stand to read any comments. Same goes for your capsule summaries of past essays.
Thanks.
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That’s not me – something has apparently gone wrong with the site (dark red headings? things going black?). I’m working on getting it fixed.
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It’s not fixed… but at least it should now be readable for the moment while it’s *being* fixed?
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Tilt! Thanks for the update. It was quite a shock to sit down on an early morning to hear some more good news about Kim and be blasted by those reds and oranges.
I always liked this song for its majesty but it doesn’t quite hold up like other H-D-H ballads have. No such problem with the flip, however. It’s timeless!
I’ve been racking my brain (and failing) to come up with a quote I remember reading about “Take Me in Your Arms.” The writer said that this record could have shown the way forward for Motown but that the company chose not to follow its lead. I took that to mean that they diluted some of the fire and power of this disc to broaden their popularity base. I don’t agree. Motown took many paths in the years to come but we can now see that many of them led to continued strength and innovation. Yet the fact that this record inspired that quote shows how important it really was.
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RE. the quote about “Take Me In Your Arms” = could you be thinking of David Morse in his wonderful MOTOWN book from 1970? He said something to the effect that “Take Me…” represented a road that Motown could have taken, but didn’t. If you ever find Morse’s book, it is great! Best to all!
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Thanks, Landini! That’s the quote I was trying to identify. It compared “Take Me in Your Arms” to a Stax record. Morse’s book is a unique one in the way it delves into themes, variations, and sources of Motown’s music by comparing its major groups (Vandellas, Miracles, Temptations, Four Tops, Supremes).
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Yeah … I also liked the fact that he just talked about the music & the tabloid aspects of the artists’ lives. Interesting that he mentions the Jackson 5 who were barely getting started.
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Oops! Meant to say and NOT the tabloid aspects….
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It’s a solid Motown ballad. I love Kim’s phrasing and lyrical interpretation on this record. It’s one of my fave recordings of hers. 8/10
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One of the most beautiful and touching songs of all time. It is an undiscovered gem that should be re-introduced to the public on a show like American Idol. I enjoyed your comments and will listen to the song again for your described shortcomings. The song is a solid 10 and I appreciate your thought provoking comments. Thank you.
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One of my favorite intros of all time. The rest of it doesn’t quite match the magnificence of the intro, but it’s still pretty impressive stuff. Interesting production credit off Holland-Dozier with Mickey Stevenson. I don’t recall seeing that production combination on any other single or indeed the production code reference H (Holland-Dozier) A (William Stevenson) together.
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Recently heard Brenda Holloway’s version of this recorded a few weeks later at Hitsville and produced by Holland – Dozier. It sounds like the same backing track but with a slightly different vocal arrangement. Whereas Kim’s version is Kim all the way, The Andantes back Brenda up. And that messy bit ca. 1:30 that you mention is smoothed out in this version. The Andantes coo the title and when the moment comes for Brenda’s re-entry, she’s on it. She seems emotionally invested in a different way from Kim.There’s that wonderful hurt to her voice mixed with a simmering anger. The one thing I disagree with you on is that it’s a West Coast rhythm section. I know DFTMC says Kim’s was recorded in California. But did Holland and Dozier make records out in California? The Brenda Holloway version is listed as having been recorded in Detroit. Both versions sound the same to me and the drummer sounds like a Detroit drummer to me. But I’m not quite sure.
I’ve always liked Kim’s version of this but Brenda’s may have a slight edge. Surprised it never surfaced as an album track.
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I haven’t listened to it lately, but it might be Benny Benjamin, Pistol Allen, Uriel Jones, or even only seldom Motown drummers, George McGregor or Melvin Davis. Uriel Jones style was quite different from Benjamin’s and Allen’s. McGregor and Davis didn’t sound like any of the three most-used Motowners. I’ll be interested to find out who the drummer was on this cut.
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Hi Robb, I hope you are having a good summer! That is so cool that you guys can pick out the different drummers. After singing with a group at my church a few years ago, (With a small combo), I have really appreciated how important a drummer is to a vocalist or group. When I listen to music, I try to really follow all aspects of it – vocals, background vocals, bass line, percussion, etc. It is amazing how I will pick up something new in a song that I have listened to for years. Lately, I have been really getting into how a recording is engineered/mixed etc. I have been reading about studio guy Bruce Sweiden who worked with Quincy Jones for many years & also with groups such as the Chilites. Anyway, enjoy what’s left of your summer!!!!
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The music track is from Detroit.
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I’m astonished at how many agree (100% with everything) on this one. It’s not even the rating that I’m looking at, but at how easily something I always took to be a lovely, beautiful tune seems to be collapsing by committee. So did everybody have issues with this before or was it only after someone pointed out the elements that, in a personal opinion, are viewed as shortcomings? (One poster even remarked that they will go back and re-listen for those shortcomings.)
I always felt this was brilliant lyrically and in execution. I’ve often wondered if some of the Motowners got some of their ideas from watching old movies. “Don’t Compare Me With Her” is basically the plotline of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” set to music; Kim Weston’s narrator telling her version of Jimmy Stewart to knock it off with the Insta-Cloning efforts.
Musically, my younger self heard this as Motown making music that sounded Big, Dramatic and worlds beyond what many of the other record companies were doing, or trying to do. Whatever everyone is going on about as far as rough transitions or parts that just don’t work, I just don’t hear it.
This is where I have to remember that art really, really, REALLY is Subjective and not Objective. At All. In fact, I’m writing a song all about that (wink!)
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This has, from when I first heard it when it came out, one of my favourite Motown ballads. I think that assigning it a rating of “6” is underrating it greatly. I’d give it a solid 8 on a bad day, and 8.5 on a good day. Kim really did a masterful job on the emotional vocal.
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I was happy to see your response. I was afraid I had come on too strong. The rating, as a personal opinion, I could accept. I’d rate it at 8. It was just that it seemed some might have been agreeing maybe too easily. It’s a wonderful Motown song, the kind that couldn’t have been done anywhere else. For whatever reason, this one just had me wondering if it had been rated a 9, would everyone still have hit the “thumbs up” button? At any rate, I guess I blew off some kind of steam!
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And it’s appreciated! I’m always very conscious of the fact I’ve got the biggest soapbox here, but that that doesn’t mean that my opinions are any more important than anyone else’s. The thumbs are meant to help reflect (if not redress) that kind of imbalance, as is the comments section being completely open; ideally I’d love to see a huge spread of opinions under every entry, especially when I know I’m being contrary, but it doesn’t always happen.
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This is a great and unexpected surprise! I have to tell you, your blog really has been working a number on me lately. I’ve been here off and on before but lately, I’ve been here nearly every evening ( I work nights on a standby basis and during the downtimes, I’m reading your blog.)
You have an amazing gift, skill, facility for writing about Motown with, simultaneously, the joy of a fan and the precision, well-researched prose of a journalist. You don’t do rah-rah pieces, even when you’re absolutely in love with a record. You reveal contemporaneous events that place these records into a context I often never had considered.
A few days ago, I read your review of The Elgins’ “Darling Baby” and I was, for lack of a better word, mesmerized. I had never liked the song. I always felt it was just so repetitive and went nowhere. Your comments though- it was like someone illuminating the works of Shakespeare. The way you wrote about just how dexterous a job Saundra had to do vocally to make that one work made me take out The Motown Complete Singles and listen to it. I don’t know why, but this time I appreciated the song and Saundra a lot more.
For me, being a Motown fan has been hugely a solitary and rather isolating thing; not the sort of thing you can excitedly talk about with friends. So your blog really has been like manna to me. Extremely informative, literate fascinating points of view on the music I love most. A huge Thank You for the incredible job you do.
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