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Gordy G 7024 (B), October 1963

B-side of Too Hurt To Cry, Too Much In Love To Say Goodbye

(Written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland Jr. with Janie Bradford)

Scan kindly provided by Gordon Frewin, reproduced by arrangement. All label scans come from visitor contributions - if you'd like to send me a scan I don't have, please e-mail it to me at fosse8@gmail.com!B-sides for made-up Motown groups are very much a mixed bag; for every I’ll Love You Til I Die by “the Pirates”, there’s a… Well, there’s a Come On Home, that’s exactly my point.

This “song” (I use the term in its very broadest sense) had already been used as a B-side for the one and only Motown single by “Holland-Dozier”, a duo comprising this song’s producers Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier. With Motown having opted to issue a new recording by Gladys Horton and the Andantes, Too Hurt To Cry, Too Much In Love To Say Goodbye, under the made-up name “The Darnells”, they seem to have been stuck for a B-side; rather than have Gladys and the Andantes cut another new number, this weird little two-minute instrumental sketch was instead dusted off and repurposed.

It’s exactly the same backing track as used on that earlier Holland-Dozier single, and has exactly as much to do with the featured artist on the A-side as it had back in June. Here, the basic track is updated with some very sparse backing vocals (though not really a “lead” as such), courtesy of the Andantes, Four Tops and Holland and Dozier themselves, chanting “Come on home, come on home” a couple of times. It’s a little baffling why these vocalists – who’d all appeared on the “Holland-Dozier” A-side – weren’t used on that version rather than this one, and it’s doubly confusing when – considering this is a record credited to a made-up girl group – the most identifiable vocalist here (the one singing “Yeah yeah yeah!” after every couple of “Come on home”s) is definitely male… but those are just about the only points of interest here.

Still, since they barely altered the record from its previous appearance, I suppose there’s no need for me to write too much (everything I said the first time round still applies)… and no need to alter the mark either. Pointless and confusing.

MOTOWN JUNKIES VERDICT

3/10

(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:

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 Darnells? Click for more.)

The Darnells
“Too Hurt To Cry, Too Much In Love To Say Goodbye”		 Howard Crockett
“The Big Wheel”

DISCOVERING MOTOWN

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