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Motown M 1035 (B), October 1962
B-side of Two Lovers
(Written by Smokey Robinson)
Oriole CBA 1796 (B), January 1963
B-side of Two Lovers
(Released in the UK under license through Oriole Records)
It struck me, whilst listening to this song a little while ago, that one day in the not-too-distant future, the same fate will befall the Marvelettes’ Please Mr Postman as has happened to this one – a song centred on the vagaries of communication and romance in the Twentieth Century will have simply ceased to make sense, because technology will have made the terminology obsolete. What’s a “postman”, Grandma? What’s an “operator”?
I’m too young to remember a time when there was such a thing as a telephone operator – not in the sense that Mary’s singing about here anyway. I mean, I’m not dense, so I can work out what’s happening by the context: Mary first expresses gratitude to the telephone operator who’s trying to place a call between her and her absent boyfriend, and then complains to the operator because the call isn’t going smoothly (she can’t make out what he’s saying – Did he say that his love was true? Did he say that his love was mine? Did he say he was coming home? Did he say where he has been? – and doesn’t like to be interrupted; she then gets cut off, and asks to be reconnected). But it’s no longer an experience I can relate to, or at least not in the same way as Mary’s listeners may have done in 1962.
Now, there’s potential there – the song lets us learn about Mary’s relationship purely from her anxious one-sided conversation with the unheard operator, and we never hear a single word exchanged between Mary and the boy himself, which is quite a clever trick. Instead, Smokey’s monologue leaves it to Mary to reveal what’s happening by having her express her insecurities as the call gets beset with technical problems: It shouldn’t take this much time… It’s unfair to make me wait any longer… What is the hold-up, please? Doesn’t he have change?. The lines aren’t fantastic, but it is a neat enough device – except that try as I might, I just can’t get into the sort of headspace where it would be acceptable for someone at a telephone company to be listening in on, and interjecting during, my own private romantic conversation, and so the whole thing feels somewhat artificial.
Maybe if I could empathise a bit better with Mary’s predicament, this might strike more of a chord. As it is, this really doesn’t do anything for me – the lyrics aren’t particularly well-written (as with the A-side, Smokey seems to have been having an off day crafting believably-flowing conversational dialogue), the tune doesn’t serve the lyrics well (though there is a pretty good bit towards the end when they both come together promisingly – Put him on the line, put him on the line, I want him on the line – just before it all fades out), and it doesn’t sound particularly good either.
Mary spends most of her time stuck in an uncharacteristically high register that doesn’t really do her voice many favours; you can tell it’s her, but alongside some of her recent amazing lead performances (not least the A-side, Two Lovers, where her vocal is far better than the rather routine song has any right to demand of her) this one is a real disappointment. There are moments in The One Who Really Loves You where the anguish in Mary’s voice is palpable, where you’re on the edge of your seat, left in no doubt just how much is at stake as Mary fights to keep her relationship alive. Her acting here doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same breath; she might as well be ringing up to complain about a billing error.
The band don’t help matters, either, seemingly bored by yet another Smokey Robinson midtempo calypso number, but with none of the clever timing tricks and changes that had kept things interesting on previous Robinson/Wells records. They react by turning in a performance-by-numbers; the guitarist is the only person who seems to really be enjoying himself, since the whole thing is only enlivened by some inadvertent comedy guitar slide “BOINGG!” noises at the end of a few verses – think the Marvelettes’ My Baby Must Be A Magician, except with nothing in the lyrics to justify such tomfoolery). The Love-Tones, who’d provided some splendid backing vocals on You Beat Me To The Punch, are flat and uninspiring here, with some nasty clashes between lead vocal, backing vocals and band at 1:46 and 2:20 that really should have necessitated another take. Musically – and I’m talking both performances and the underlying song structure – the whole thing seems rushed, even unfinished, more like a glorified demo.
The thought occurs that it’s perhaps just taken at too fast a lick – the almost jaunty, insubstantial feel to the music detracts from any emotional power the song might have had slowed down to half, even quarter speed. Brenda Holloway covered the song in 1965, this time as an A-side, in a slower, slinkier arrangement that was closer to the mark – but although it’s a bit better, even that one’s too fast and thin for me, so maybe the performances and the arrangement aren’t the real problem here. I’m perhaps being spoiled by thinking of Scott Walker’s Time Operator (a slow-as-molasses monologue featuring as its narrator a man crushed by loneliness turning to the Speaking Clock for human company), which this song could have rivalled if there’d been some real feeling in there, but it’s all just too superficial, and it doesn’t make any impact at all. Not on me, anyway.
Probably the weakest record Mary Wells had yet made for Motown, and not one to dwell upon. Of course, she’d already made enough truly spectacular records that fans could overlook this unsatisfying blip.
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!)
COVERWATCH
Motown Junkies has reviewed other Motown versions of this song:
- Brenda Holloway (May 1965)
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 Mary Wells? Click for more.)
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| Mary Wells “Two Lovers” |
The Supremes “Let Me Go The Right Way” |
Motown Junkies 
It’s much better than a 3, I think. It’s a little clunky (OK, maybe a lot clunky), but I’ve heard far sloppier productions and vocals, heck, on this disc alone. I guess this is where the latin approach statrted to get old for Ms. Wells, although my all time favorite Motown record is Your Old Stand By (hence the username), and THAT has plenty of latin flavor, so what am I on about? 🙂
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No, I know what you mean – I think it’s a problem of taxonomy more than anything else, in that the “Latin” thing is a bit of a red herring that’s been mistakenly applied to Mary’s 1962 records, when the unifying factor is really Smokey’s bongo-heavy “calypso” rhythm phase; there IS something a bit different about her 1963 singles (more guitar, more echo, more prominent horns, and the resulting definite Latin flavour that’s actually more new than it seems because it’s not really on any of the ’62 records, very similar percussion and tempo notwithstanding) that makes them slightly, well, different, even as the public got tired of the act because it wasn’t different enough. Well, that’s my theory, anyway.
“Your Old Stand By” (as I’ll explain, at length, when I get to it properly in a few months) I’m now rather fond of, though I personally find it the least “instant” of all Mary’s singles – like the Marvelettes’ “Beechwood 4-5789”, it took a while for me to come around to it, having dismissed it on the first few listens. Now, I love the killer tune, and those horns, and Mary’s voice. Though I do also think the basic melody was written about 25 years before its time – I can totally imagine a ghastly SAW high-energy plasticky pop remake being a UK Number One circa 1987. But this is all for another day.
“Operator” I’ve just never warmed to, even though on paper it has all the ingredients I should like, plus Mary Wells on top, which is normally enough to compensate for any flaw. But it doesn’t do it for me, on pretty much any level – I don’t like the tune, I don’t feel the situation, and I don’t care what happens to this character. Plus, like any number of other miscues by great artists, I feel the disappointments more keenly knowing what they were capable of on their good days; if this had been by, say, LaBrenda Ben, it might have ended up with a slightly kinder hearing. As it was, I was in a bad mood that day and spat out a mark to match – perhaps I was a little bit harsh, but I think it probably reflects my opinion fairly enough. (Plus, as a rule I don’t alter marks retrospectively.)
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This is NOT calypso! It isn’t anything like the calypso rhythm(s). NOTHING. Plus it’s a classic song, although the later hit version is better.
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This is my second instance with Mary’s material where -before I caught up with Mary’s version- I’d been spoiled and soundly seduced by a subsequent version, this time Brenda Holloway in 1965. I’ve never been without a copy of hers since I was 11.
I am sort of old enough to remember this time and some of Smokey’s imagery was getting dated when this was new. By the middle of that decade you could pretty much directly dial anywhere on the planet if you knew all the numbers and area code yourself. One would only use an operator-assisted call if one were calling person-to-person (the most expensive of all), or calling collect. So, it was pretty much a method you’d reserve if you were calling very far, say a foreign country, and didn’t want to risk a wrong number, and suffer the subsequent hassle of trying to have it removed from your monthly bill.
The weakness I find with this side is much the same as with Old Love Let’s Try It Again. Thus, I mean no criticism with Mary’s work. It’s just the writer-producer in each case, took the song back, re-examined it and learned how to improve it. Key, in each case, was slowing it down.
Slowing down “Operator” let Brenda give a much more impassioned reading of the song, one that still gets her frustration at the operator’s incompetence across, but goes significantly further in revealing her lustful yearning for the man at the other end of call! And that’s a relatable element no matter how technology changes 🙂
Thus, Smokey would later improve his own ‘baby,’ but I have no doubt, given the later arrangement, Mary could have also delivered was Brenda does.
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Mary Wells’ version has just the right amount of lightness; Brenda Holloway’s voice is too dramatic for the material – a situation that is repeated on “When I’m Gone”.
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here we go again, I agree with virtually every word of you wonderful reviews of both sides of this single.
Yet, I can’t listen to Two Lovers at all, while I can listen with some pleasure to Operator. Now I agree with your Operator comments, it’s sort of pro forma but as filler sandwiched between two better Wells tracks, it works for me just fine. On the other hand, I can’t make Two Lovers, you admit yourself that the song itself is nothing much, and for me that sinks it. Great records built of inferior songs are always a personal matter of course and for me Two Lovers is the one I can’t make, while for me Operator gets by. Go figure.
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I agree with Mike above. Two Lovers has been nothing special to me, but Operator reminds me of The One Who Really Loves You in that groove, which I dig. But I feel this song is getting riffed a little bit, deserves at least a 5 rating.
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I think you are way to critical on this one. I think it’s just a fun song and deserves more than a three. Matter of fact, I guess I am wierd or something but I loved this one on a level with “TWO LOVERS”. I like the harmonies the most about it. Especially the part “Put Him on the line”. I would give it a 6 at least. It does not have universal appeal but it’s still pleasing to listen to. I have hear a lot less pleasing things to listen to come out of Motown than this.
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I’d give it a 6. I like it, although I like Brenda’s more.
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I’ve been working for the phone company for the last 26 years and yes we had and still have “call completion operators”. My mother was one for 30 years. The were used for person-to-person,ship-to-shore and collect calls and what we call cocot calls or pay phones. Trust me pay phones still exist–i just got a repair order for one last week!!!
Anyway @nix-Yes cc operators would occasionally listen in to phone calls. And they would frequently have to “butt in” to those calls placed by people who would try and get a dime’s worth of talking out of a nickel. So, yeah the lyrics will always drown me in waves of nostalgia for the “good old days” (so to speak).
And like everyone else i prefer Brenda’s version because because its slower and i love her phrasing. Plus she was sexiest damn teenager at Motown in the 60’s. Boy she was fine!!
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Operator was way ahead of its time. Recorded in early 62 ,this song shows the range this artist had. Because later songs are in a lower register, younger folk don’t realize Mary could handle anything that came her way.she was 18 years old, and that teenage anxt comes through. ..what a dynamic recording artist she was. Motown was still trying to find it’s sound and Mary is the Motown sound case closed.
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Can’t argue with you – it’s corny and bit C&W, but I love the harmonies at the end of each section – especially the Beatlesque chord on last line “that long-gone lover of mine” – and again, if it’s a Motown B-side, we know they listened to it at NEMS.
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Who are you to criticize Smokey? The Shakespear of our day…the lyrics are not relevant to you,because you did not experience making calls from a phone booth, having the operator telling you to depisit more money to continue the call…the lyrics are brilliant, delivered excellently by Mary..how many grammys do you have?
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The same number as this song, or you, I’m guessing, if that’s going to be our benchmark. Is writing about records limited to people who’ve made hits (like some sort of rollercoaster warning sign on the entire Internet, “you must have at least this many Grammys to comment”?) Balderdash.
I love Smokey Robinson. I love Mary Wells. That doesn’t mean they never had an off day, and it’s up to me which ones I think those are, just as it’s up to you to decide differently. If you’ve read this site and not understood that, I don’t really know what to tell you.
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I don’t get hung up on the “logic” of the stories in songs, because, to ME, only the SOUND matters. But I agree with Jojo that Smokey’s lyrics are brilliant, and would help make the song interesting to those who care about lyrics. And, yes, operators could and DID listen in on conversations. And back in the 1940s and even into the 1950s(in rural areas) we still had “party lines” (shared lines) on which one’s neighbours could listen in on one’s conversation. So, people with such a telephone set-up had to be careful about getting too personal in phone conversations. My father’s parents had the only home telephone on their street when domestic telephone service started in their neighbourhood in Winnipeg during the early 1920s, and all their neighbours were making telephone calls at their house for a some months. And it was about 3-4 years before every house on the street had service. (the same happened in the early to mid 1950s with in-house televisions).
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Hi Robb & Everyone… I think this is a cute song – not her best, but kind of fun. By the way, friends… a quick update on my health. I have taken 3 chemo treatments this year. So far no change (better or worse) in cancer, but it is still early. Having a port put in next week to make it easier to administrate chemo. Thank all of you for your prayers & kind thoughts. Best to all!
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Dear Landini – it’s good to hear from you. Wishing you the best of luck and fervently hoping and praying for your recovery.
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Dear Steve, I hope you know that most of us love your posts, even when we disagree passionately about individual songs. If anyone has earned the right to speak his mind about Motown, it’s you. I do hope that certain cantankerous comments will not discourage you from re-entering the field. The eloquence with which you express your deep love for Motown has been inspirational for so many of us who share your passion for this music, and we miss you very much!
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Steve isn’t discouraged in the slightest by posters disagreeing drastically over his song reviews. He has told us many times that he encourages dissent, and revels in the wide variety of opinions. He has posted infrequently lately solely because of family and paying career obligations. When they ease up a bit (in about 20 years) after the last of his children have moved out of his home, he’ll return with full energy.
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Correct 🙂 I encourage dissent – I’m just some guy, you know? Everyone gets to have their say – and I don’t really mind cantankerous disagreement, so long as I can reply in kind. I’ll be back with lots more entries really soon (he said predictably), as Robb said I’ve just been incredibly busy with work and family of late.
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Have you considered changing your name to George R. R. Motown?
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I’ve always considered the lyrics to this song very clever and entertaining and typical of Smokey’s poetic genius. Not many people could write a decent song about this subject and be able to include such phrases as ‘Reverse the charge’, ‘Static on my line’ and ‘You keep butting in’ to name a few. Personally, it’s the arrangement on this recording I find a little bland and unexciting. I much prefer Brenda Holloway’s version with the orchestral backing which give it a lot more impact.
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To Landini:From one cancer survivor to a future one…Best wishes for a complete recovery…….To Steve: Hang in there. When my catalogue reaches your most recent critique, I’m stopping till you’re back.
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