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Tamla T 54046 (A), August 1961
b/w So Long Baby
(Written by Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Brian Holland, Robert Bateman and Freddie Gorman)
Fontana H 355 (A), November 1961
b/w So Long Baby
(Released in the UK under license through Fontana Records)
Motown’s one hundredth single side (by my counting system, anyway) was also their first number one pop hit, as well as one of the great enduring monuments of Sixties pop music. This, more than any other record the company had previously released, announced that Motown was a major creative and commercial force to be reckoned with, and it all started with five callow schoolgirls from Inkster, Michigan.
Motown’s first great girl group came to Hitsville after finishing fourth in a high school talent contest. The top three entries won Motown auditions, but the soon-to-be Marvelettes intrigued their school’s music teacher enough for the group to be finagled onto the trip, where they won the Motown brass over with their enthusiasm and attitude. Untutored and raw, their stage act would be developed and refined by Motown’s Artist Development handlers until they set the template for every Motown girl group of the Sixties. Their lead singer Gladys Horton was fifteen years old.
The Marvelettes’ début single was this sensational pop song, originally brought to the table by former member Georgia Dobbins (who was forced out of the group before they ever signed to Motown, because her father felt touring with a singing group was incompatible with her religious duties) and her pianist friend William Garrett, and then reworked and rewritten by two of the most respected Hitsville staff writers of the time, Brian Holland and Satintone Robert Bateman, as well as Freddie Gorman who was brought in to help with the song because he actually was a postman.
The result is easily Motown’s best single to date, a song with a killer tune, a sound like nothing else out there, and an instant and universal lyrical hook which listeners latched on to in their millions.
The hole it smashed in the charts left the path clearer for dozens of future Motown artists to follow. The label’s first pop number one (and their second R&B number one, after the Miracles’ Shop Around almost a year previously), this was a watershed; the nation’s top record, the best-selling record across America, in jukeboxes and on radios all over the nation, was by five African-American schoolgirls on a black-owned independent label. And it was brilliant.
This is one of the few singles from Motown’s formative years which is not only capable of going twelve rounds with the best of the later Golden Age records, but which can boast almost instant recognition in listeners. The only thing that really comes close is Barrett Strong’s similarly-ubiquitous Money (That’s What I Want), with which it shares some similarities: both were famously covered by the Beatles, and both are seldom remembered as Motown hits, predating as they do the birth of the “Motown Sound” by nearly three and five years respectively. But Motown hits they both were; Berry Gordy could have shut up shop right there in 1961, before the world heard of the Supremes, the Temptations, the Vandellas, the Four Tops or Marvin Gaye, and Motown’s place in music history would still have been secure.
The five writers might have turned this into a case of too many cooks, but it’s actually a wonderfully crafted record. That supreme pop craft is evident right from the beginning, with an off-beat start – a drum beat, a backing vocal shout of “Wait!” before the lead vocals kick in, oh yes, wait a minute, Mister Postman – just enough to grab your attention, when a straightforward start would have perhaps called more attention to the song’s simplicity.
Indeed, everyone has heard this so many times, it can come as a surprise to realise how straightforward a song this really is under the hood. The strange, slow syncopated drum signature aside, the whole thing is carried by the main vocal line, handled very ably by Gladys Horton, who is given almost all the really hard work on the record. The illusion of complexity is created by having the Marvelettes sing a flat verse (Please mister postman, look and see) on backing vocals while Gladys does a melismatic, powerful, hairs-standing-on-end vocal riff, and then she and the other Marvelettes swap places, Gladys singing the words of the verse to create the “chorus”, leading to an almost unbroken loop of self-reinforcing pop perfection. (Using the backing vocals to both lead off the song and play off the lead is a trick that the Marvelettes would pull time and again throughout their careers, reaching a high point with the superb 1963 B-side He Won’t Be True (Little Girl Blue), in which the backing vocals do the entire first verse and a half before the lead makes an appearance).
Other than this incredibly neat trick, the skeleton of the song is beautiful in its simplicity. The instrumentation is surprisingly sparse, its only prominent feature a piano pounded by “Popcorn” Wylie, and the other Marvelettes’ backing vocals (limited mostly to one- or two-note lines) are shrill and grating. The backing vocals would continue to be an intermittent problem on Marvelettes records for several years (not particularly surprising given their youth; the group were all aged between fourteen and sixteen, and their original, wryly self-deprecating name, The Casinyets – “because we can’t sing yet” – was accurately chosen).
OK, so the backing vocals are weak, meaning the song has to be carried by the main vocal line. Sure, whatever. But wow, what a main vocal line. Gladys is an amazing singer, incredibly gifted for her age, and – crucially – she’s totally believable. She is her character, waiting desperately for a letter from her boyfriend, pleading with the postman to check his bag again. Just as with Diana Ross on the Supremes’ much-maligned début I Want A Guy, here Gladys Horton is singing from experience, from something that she knew from her own life, about being a fifteen-year-old schoolgirl in love.
This is no maudlin teenage love letter, though, it’s desperate and it’s real, and what’s more it’s brilliantly done. One of the catchiest of all Motown records, the brave decision to let Gladys do most of the heavy lifting is paid off a million times over as she takes total control of the tune. When we get to the soaring climax and the peerless “Wait a minute, wait a minute” bit, it’s almost perfection; the inexplicable lapse into patois (“Deliver de lett-ah, the soon-ah de better”), so risible in John Lennon’s delivery a year and a half later, sounds natural and ad-libbed here.
No, it’s a great record, plain and simple. This is just about as good as any pop record that had ever been made up to that point, and while it would still be years before Motown approached anywhere near this level of quality on every release, it’s still an essential inclusion in any Motown best-of shortlist. In a word: marvellous.
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.
(Or maybe you’re only interested in The Marvelettes? Click for more.)
The Golden Harmoneers “Precious Memories” |
The Marvelettes “So Long Baby” |
DISCOVERING MOTOWN |
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Rick Bueche said:
Deservedly Motown’s first No. 1 record, it was ahead of its time in terms of funk and soul. Gladys nailed the lead, with the help of Supreme Flo Ballard and the backing vocal, though a bit shrill, off-key and undistinguishable gave the record an edge. Often imitated but never duplicated, not even by the Beatles. ( I will NEVER understand how the benign version of this by the Carpenters went No. 1 in the 70s. Love me some the Carpenters, but this was just not them at their best. Karen’s D-liver D-letter was so lame, kinda like Doris Day singing Aretha).
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Damecia said:
LOL I love the Carpenters too but their version was super lame. It was too clean and perfect. Sometimes things are better left raw and unpolished. That’s why the Marvelettes version worked.
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Dave L said:
In 1993 I found a clean, shiny copy of the original ‘globe & disc’ label verison of this and the picture sleeve for $35. You better believe I snapped that up quick, and still have it. As of 2004, in the group’s biography by Marc Taylor, Katherine Anderson Schaffner says the group had still not received a gold record for this one. If that’s still the case, it’s nearly criminal.
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Mickey The Twistin' Playboy said:
The song still sounds great decades later. If you listen to the other records out at the time there was simply nothing like “Postman.” 10/10.
“So Long Baby” and Wanda’s falsetto had to grow on me. I like their live version better. 6/10
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144man said:
It’s interesting that Tamla isn’t even mentioned on the Fontana label.
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Michael Landes said:
As usual I agree with everything in the review of a purely descriptive nature. Yes, the backing vocals are weak, and yes that weakness is mitigated, or even surmounted by the credible girl-ish ness of the backing, which is simply charming. Yes, it’s great, in spite of a few weaknesses.
Yet, I’m a bit bothered by what I feel is the almost hysterical enthusiasm that places this track so far far above everything else released thus far. Yes, historically this is the breakthrough, the first pop chart #1 for the company (there were only approximately three dozen total in all, most by the Supremes), but that doesn’t signify its superiority over for example, Money, Bad Girl or Shop Around, all of which preceded it, After all, good as it is, the wonderful marvellettes themselves only got better. Nonetheless the breakdown of the arrangement I found very accurate and insightful. And after so much mediocrity preceding it, I can understand the hyperbole at the relief of reaching this point at which the the first rate tracks start appearing with ever increasing frequency. It can indeed be considered the watershed track that marks the turning point for the company both in terms of commercial and artistic ambitions. Nonetheless, it is still hyperbole and weakens the credibility of the reviewer.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Whoa, whoa, hold on there a moment!
You, and anyone else, can rip into my subjective opinions all you like (I’m talking generally here, I know you weren’t particularly disagreeing) – dissent is, after all, encouraged, and I love reading contrary opinions (it’s often more fun to read the comments of someone you don’t agree with, I find), and I’ve been really enjoying your comments on my other reviews, favourable or otherwise!
The “weakens the credibility of the reviewer” thing, though – to insinuate I’m objectively mistaken, and thus haven’t thought about this properly, simply because you happen to disagree… well, that’s a bit harsh! Allow me to rebut, lest people get the wrong idea about what I’m doing here.
Personally, I love this because I think it’s a brilliant, barnstorming pop single. I think it’s twice the record Shop Around is, and I think it’s better than Money; the reasons why are all laid out above. Now – and this isn’t directed specifically at you, Michael, but at everyone reading this blog – if I give what someone feels is unduly lavish praise or unduly harsh criticism, and they want to tell me and the rest of the world that they couldn’t disagree more strongly, that’s fine. Everything on the site is just my personal opinion, something I’ve bent over backwards to make clear. I’m not precious about my opinions, because I recognise them as just that, opinions; if anyone wants to disagree with every single review I’ve written, thumbs down across the board, giving 10s to all my 1s and vice versa, well, fantastic, that’s actually kind of what I was hoping for – I’m just one critic, and there’s nothing that makes my opinion any more or less valid than anyone else’s, I just happen to have written all my thoughts down.
But what everyone does need to know is that everything on the site is my honest, considered opinion. I put a lot of thought into writing this stuff, and I always mean every word. The decision to start doing this site wasn’t just a passing whim, or the result of a bet; I knew I was committing myself to several years of work, but I decided to try it anyway, because I love Motown so much, and because I thought Motown really deserved something like this. With a really well-known track like this one, whatever mark I give, it’s unlikely to be a snap judgement formed having listened to it three or four times one day.
Readers! Tear down my opinions all you like, consider me a tone-deaf, clueless buffoon if that’s how you roll – I always think knowing how a given critic’s tastes differ from your own is an important and useful part of calibrating your response when they review stuff you’ve not heard! – and I’ll always approve such comments for publication, provided they’re not just a load of gratuitous abuse. Your say is just as important as mine. All I ask is: please don’t anyone be under any misconceptions that I somehow don’t mean what I say, or that I haven’t really thought about it. I do, and I have, and this is the result.
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michael Landes said:
My apologies.
As I say, your analytical description of the track itself I found quite insightful. In fact, it’s perhaps my favorite review that I’ve read so far. I was just responding to ……well, I made that clear I guess. But I certainly wouldn’t dream of impugning the integrity of your reviews which have been more than anyone has a right to hope for. Again, my apologies for speaking out of turn.
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The Nixon Administration said:
That’s quite alright, I have thicker skin than that probably made me sound, I just wanted to make my position clear for future readers!
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Landini said:
Mr Nixon. Give yourself a pat on the back. You convinced me to give the early Marvelettes another chance. Always loved the sophistisoul of the later records but found the early ones a bit too screechy Last night I pulled out my Ultimate Collection out and gave it a good listen and really enjoyed it. Well okay So Long still grates but found myself even liking Twistin Postman and the inane Hes a Good Guy. If I was wearing a hat I would take it off to you sir.
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The Nixon Administration said:
You’re very welcome indeed. The rehabilitation of the early Marvelettes was already well underway thanks to the brilliant Forever box set, but still: If I can get just one more person to check out the Playboy LP, my work here has been worthwhile.
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Steve Robbins said:
As a witness, it was a very good POPULAR song heavily played on the Top 40 stations. That doesn’t mean it’s better than Money or Mighty Good Lovin. It means Berry tapped into his Young America teeny-boppers, each with their own 98 cents. If it sold a million copies, I’d say half a million weren’t potential Motown Junkies, just kids going through the motions, kinda like buying Ipods today. I repeat…very good.
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Dawsy said:
Marvelettes – Please Mr Postman.jpeg
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Mickey the Twistin' Playboy said:
The “Playboy” lp is one of the best in Motown’s catalog and the best in the company’s formative of years.
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Landini said:
Man, I have to say I love your name “The Twistin Playboy”! How funny. Good job on that one buddy! Un, let’s see, could I be “The Breathtaking Postman” or maybe “Stubborn Kind of Monkey”? Okay, I’ll stop while I’m ahead! I’ll stick with Landini. All the best to you friend!
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The Defiant One (@DudeKembro) said:
One of the great records of the rock era, arguably Motown’s best song period (I don’t believe it, but it’s arguable). Horton is simply brilliant. The Beatles version now sounds like soulless tripe, but this is one of the signature tunes of the 60s and deservedly so. It will never be forgotten.
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Damecia said:
Pure pop perfection! This song is good from start to finish. Even though the backing vocals are said to be weak I think they fit perfectly with the song and are a great contrast to the strong lead vocal. Without the backing vocals I don’t think this song would have been a crossover. R&B definitely, but not pop. The start of the song reminds me alot of the Jackson 5’s “The Love You Save” because the track comes on with one word full of energy. Nice tidbit about the girls calling themselves the The Casinyets!
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Dave L said:
According to the group’s biography by Marc Taylor, at the point Georgia Dobbins and William Garrett agree on her taking the song and refashioning into something appropriate for a young girl group, “I thought it would be a month or two before Georgia finished the song,” says Gladys, “but in just two or three days, she was at my front door singing it.”
When her own father wouldn’t agree to the contract with Motown, it was Dobbins herself who taught Horton the lead and bolstering her confidence that she could do it. While it was Gladys’s idea from the beginning to form the group, she knew from the first she wanted Georgia in it, who had graduated Inkster High School ahead of the other members. Dobbins admits deep disappointment in the biography, saying she went into “seclusion for about a year” and “wouldn’t listen to the radio or anything” and didn’t sing again until 1978.
It’s Gladys, then, that finds an initially reluctant Wanda Young, who had just about concluded to attend nursing school: “She was the greatest and fit right in with the group from the start. Nobody, and I do mean nobody, could ever wear Georgia Dobbins’ shoes, but I couldn’t have found a better replacement than Wanda.”
If one didn’t beforehand, after reading the biography, any Marvelettes fan can’t but regard Georgia Dobbins as a full member the group, even though the fame and success hadn’t even come yet.
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Mickey The Twistin' Playboy said:
I don’t really see Georgia as a “full member” of the group. She never recorded or performed with the group as the Marvelettes.
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Damecia said:
Agree!
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Damecia said:
This song is sooo good I have to comment on it twice! (Plus I’m currently stuck in 1961 in the Master Index and it just happened to be next lol). How could anyone not like this song?!? From that beginning “Wait” I’m hooked all the way to the last “Please Mr. Po-o-ostman.” “Please Mr. Postman” is the perfect representation of the short, but great girl group era in music. The girls in the back are just important as the girl on lead. One can’t do without the other. Again the 10/10 is much deserved here. The finest record Motown released up til this point.
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Kevin Moore said:
I’m okay with the 10/10 in spite of the lack of harmonic interest. This one really intrigues me. I’ve been endlessly bitching about the endless overuse of “the doowop progression”, I vi IV V, but here it sounds as fresh as Heart & Soul and Blue Moon must have sounded to 1940s listeners. Why does it sound so fresh here? My guess is that it’s the way the lead and chorus are juxtaposed. Speaking of which, everyone is praising the lead and dissing the chorus. For me, the only flaw in this otherwise timeless classic is the first two lead vocal phrases which are almost painfully out of tune – if only they’d had overdubbing back then. But the backup vocals are reasonably in tune and the arrangement itself is quite brilliant and no doubt made its mark on the vocal harmony arrangements of those four Liverpudlians who so famously covered this song (and no doubt played it live a thousand times before writing their first masterpieces). [As I’ve typed this, the track is now near the end and the chorus is getting more out of tune while Gladys is getting better and better.]
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Robb Klein said:
I bought this song new, and like it a lot. But, I don’t think it’s strong enough to get a perfect 10/10. I’d give it an 8.5 (or 9 on a good day). There are 4 or 5 Marvelettes’ cuts I like better, and I would probably rate only one of those as a perfect 10 (“I Should Have Known Better”).
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Steve Eaton said:
I didn’t know the “Postman” album was not
well regarded. Even though I own two original
copies of it and the “Playboy” 33 (my favorite), I’ve never played the former, and have heard the tracks only recently, via YouTube. The title song we all agree is in a
place of its own. I think “Happy Days” is
no slouch, but what I am really leading up
to is “I Know How It Feels”. I’m not technically
versed in music, but I’m going to stand by the
bold statement it’s one of the gals’ best from
any period. I know, maybe the Ondioline can
take a little getting used to, but I think it adds
to the mood well here. I don’t know if Mr.
Terry’s baritone is present at all, but the rhythm changes, and the blipping tenor (I assume) during the uptempo modes and
solo, combined with what I think are simple
but good sound lyrics and heart-felt delivery,
make this tune sound better with each hearing. That’s worth something, I’d say.
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