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Tamla T 54074 (A), December 1962
b/w Sunset
(Written by Brian Holland, Janie Bradford and Lamont Dozier)
After the godawful novelty horrors of “Little” Stevie’s previous single, the atrocious Little Water Boy, Motown must have realised something was wrong, that their master plan for the “12 Year Old Genius” of their creation had so far resulted in two resounding flop singles and a slew of bad reviews.
What to do about it? Stevie did have something about him, that much was obvious, and he could whip live audiences into a frenzy – live audiences who weren’t old ladies going “Awww!” and cooing over the “adorable singing blind kid” schtick, but teens who just wanted to dance. Perhaps after two novelty singles playing up the kiddie angle, then, Motown decided to treat him like some of their older acts. The Marvelettes, most of whom weren’t that much older than Little Stevie, had recently cut a string of absolutely cracking tracks under the supervision of the maturing production team of Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier; the duo were therefore enlisted to create a new single for Stevie, something that wouldn’t patronise him or his listeners. Together with their new writing partner Janie Bradford, the trio knuckled down to their task and came up with by far Stevie Wonder’s best A-side to date.
The first thing you notice listening to this is a 4/4, four-on-the-floor handclap beat exactly the same as that featured on the Supremes’ magnificent breakthrough Where Did Our Love Go (another Holland-Dozier production, of course) 18 months later.
Contract On Love isn’t as “clean” as that record – it’s cluttered, fussy, and there’s too much going on, while the lyrics are much harder to grasp – but it’s the first of Stevie’s singles which actually sounds like a Stevie Wonder record, the young vocalist (who again, disappointingly, doesn’t get given the chance to play harmonica on this, but never mind) clearly relishing the opportunity to cut loose. If his reedy, pubescent voice grates in places (and readers of this blog will already be aware that I don’t cut poor vocals slack “because aww, he’s only twelve”), the building blocks for the strong leads he’d turn in on his later mid- and late-Sixties hits are definitely there, and his harmonies on the high parts work well enough; his enthusiasm compensates for some of his technical shortcomings.
Meanwhile, the band (especially bass and keys) are on absolutely sparkling form, and the backing vocals (unidentified on the label – are these the Love-Tones?) form an engaging blend with the band, if not the lead singer.
It all adds up to an enjoyable record, hardly a classic single but a vast improvement on what had come before. It was still very early days for both writers and singer, and there was much better to come from both, but this was at least a step in the right direction.
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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| Marvin Gaye “Hello There Angel” |
Little Stevie Wonder “Sunset” |
Motown Junkies 
This was the first of Stevie’s records to make it to any of Motown’s later 16 Big Hits collections, Volume 1 to be exact, with its flipside, “Sunset.” It was the one pre-“Fingertips” hit of Stevie’s that not only was tucked in the Uptight album in ’66, but also included in his first Greatest Hits in ’68.
If you didn’t know who Stevie was, you’d know it was somebody young singing, but not necessarily a child, so any possible cringe factor is removed. It’s snappy, happy and fun and as good as many an uptempo Marvelettes number in the same era.
I would turn 9 on March 31, 1963, and “Fingertips” would be on the scene two months later. It was the first Motown hit I was really THERE for when it the big new thing that everybody knew, and was sailing up the charts and heard everywhere. There was a little candy and soda shop in my Philadelphia neighborhood that had a jukebox, with letter- and number pushbuttons that played sides for only a nickel. To this day, I remember “Fingertips Pt. 2″ was ” E-5 ” and “Heat Wave” was ” D-9. ” I’ve forgotten the names of some teachers from those years, but not that.
What Stevie and Martha managed to do in 1963 was make me instantly “brand-loyal.” You’d have never known in my house, that “Workout Stevie Workout” and “Hey Harmonica Man”, or “Live Wire” and “In My Lonely Room” weren’t every bit the smash hits as the cornerstone records that preceded them. As soon as I learned Wonder and Reeves had something new out, I had to have it. My knowledge of the Motown “family” would soon expand and encompass everybody, but those two conquered me first.
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>“Heat Wave” was ” D-9. ”
For me, I had to find it by cycling through the push buttons on the radio in my mom’s car driving around Los Angeles. I was the stupid white 7-year old that Gordy had been trying to target. As you can see from my comments, I’m hearing many of the songs thus far for the first time, so Gordy’s previous attempts hadn’t found me, but Heatwave hit the bullseye. I distinctly remember hearing it on the radio for the first time and I went right out of my mind, giving my mother no rest until she gave me an advance on my allowance and drove me to the record store (while I drove her nuts pushing the 5 buttons repeatedly, trying to find the song on another channel). I became familiar with the hooks to Shop Around and Hitch Hike much later – when they were already classics – but Heat Wave was the first one that I heard when it first came out and it was life-changing. I didn’t know rock from jazz, black from white or Detroit from St. Louis, but that track seemed to speak directly to me. I didn’t understand the lyrics – it was just the sound of the syllables, the chords and the groove that got me. And I still remember that purple label spinning around on the turntable.
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I’m like you, in the sense that the lyrics mean very little to me compared to the melody, sound of the instruments and writing of the music. I see from your comments, that you are an American, living in Los Angeles, who probably started listening to Motown music in 1959, with “money” by Barrett Strong, or maybe a little later (1960 or 1961?). What radio stations did you listen to? KFWB? KRLA? KGFJ?
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Very goofy. but no goofier than the supremes’ I Want A Guy. And I like this even more. In fact, believe it or not this is the ONLY Stevie Wonder song I listen to until
Uptight in 66 and if I had to choose between them, and never listen to the other again, I’d unhesitatingly choose this hysterical rave, and toss Uptight in the trash. Comparing the two, Uptight seems contrived while this is merely unhinged (but in a good way 🙂 )
love it. love it.
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If you can say “Uptight” sounds contrived, I’m not sure that you “Get It”…This was during that period where you can say “The Cement Has Dried” or damn near as far as the Motown Sound was concerned. “Uptight” sounds to me like Brass Knuckles to the mouth of the rest of the record Industry, teeth all over the place. I understand that you like “Contract” and I do as well, but toss Uptight in the trash? Please. If I were to make a statement like yours though, I’d substitute “Fingertips Pt. 2” for “Uptight” and keep it moving (Smile)
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It didn’t chart and I never heard it in the day. I think the song is a good one but it should be somebody other than Stevie leading the helm.
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The background vocals on “Contract On Love” are supplied by the Temptations. Listen to bass singer Melvin Franklin at the end of the record and you can clearly hear Eddie Kendricks throughout.
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since my dissent is welcome here, let me say this is a ten in my record collection. stevie bursts outta nowhere and continues his frenzied pace ’till the end! and what are you doing dissin’ his voice? he makes michael jackson sound like donny osmond! i just wanna sign “on the dotted line” that “contract on love” deserves more respect!
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This is one of my favourite all time Stevie Wonder songs. I’d give it an 8 or 8.5. It might have been better with Eddie Kendricks on lead. Bur=t i’s a very good song and production, and I love to listen to it.
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An awesome song from Stevie early days. One of my favorite songs from him and it doesn’t hurt that the Temptations are doing the backing vocals. Great!
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I’m not sure who the others are in the background but i can hear Eddie kendricks quite clearly.
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The others, other than Eddie Kendricks were: Otis Williams. Paul Williams, Elbie (Elbridge) Bryant, and Melvin Franklin. They were the complete Temptations group At that time. I don’t hear any extra singers (such as members of The Andantes, Love-Tones, or anyone else).
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The temptations are the background vocals on this
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The question came up about the background singers. It has long been known here in Detroit and obvious if you listen that the Temptations sang background on this track. By the way, I went to Roosevelt elementary school with Stevie in 1957,. five years before this song came out. He had had several releases locally, including the epic croon “Sunset”
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