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Tamla T 54129 (B), January 1966
B-side of One More Heartache
(Written by Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, and Bobby Rogers)
Tamla Motown TMG 552 (B), March 1966
B-side of One More Heartache
(Released in the UK under license through EMI / Tamla Motown)
Smokey Robinson had a lot on his plate in the mid-Sixties. With the all-conquering Holland-Dozier-Holland team increasingly preoccupied (not least with providing more hits for the Supremes), and with Berry Gordy himself long since absent from the songwriting coalface, it often fell to Smokey to write and produce hits to order for Motown’s ever-burgeoning roster of star names. The Temptations had already reaped the chart rewards, and so, for the best part of a year and a half, had Marvin Gaye. With Motown seemingly finally having won the battle to turn Marvin away from his life’s ambition of (basically) being the next Nat King Cole, it fell to Smokey and his Miracles bandmates to handle the permanent transition from processed crooner to hip-shaking pop star, and they’d acquitted themselves with aplomb; if Marvin’s mid-Sixties singles are always a little more “out there” than some of his contemporaries, within Motown and without, then over the past year we’ve seen a definite template emerging nonetheless. Not necessarily musically – one of the things I’ve seen writing this blog is that each Marvin Gaye single not only sounds different from the last, but that we often see each B-side trying to catch up with that last one when the topside has already moved on – but rather, the idea of what a Marvin Gaye record should feel like. He was already one of the most charismatic, enigmatic guys on the roster and on the radio, but Smokey Robinson maybe deserves more credit than anyone else (save Marvin himself) for taking those raw materials and uniting them into something the public could readily recognise. Wow, that’s Marvin Gaye!
This one is as endearingly off-centre as anything else Smokey and his pals had served up during their tenure looking after Marvin’s singles output. For a start, there’s a definite link (explicitly drawn by the compilers of The Complete Motown Singles: Volume 6) to the A-side in that it takes up an unspecified “Eastern” feel – the weird, eerie, wonderful minor chord that twisted One More Heartache‘s quasi-chorus into new and exciting shapes. It’s not necessarily a surprise to discover this flip was written and recorded six months before the A-side, making it a dress rehearsal of sorts.
But where that “Eastern” idea was vague and exciting on One More Heartache, here it’s much clunkier, and more blatant – the intro, which kicks in with a beautiful bassy drum fill, quickly becomes (again, as The Complete Singles liner notes flag up) a plinky-plonky caricature Chinese piano riff. The plinky-plonky Chinese piano riff, in fact, a sequence of notes which would have been used on Sixties TV shows to instantly signify we were meant to be somewhere in Asia, or in an American Chinatown setting. It’s slightly cringey to me, because the context for that riff nowadays can’t help but carry a very faintly racist edge it wouldn’t have intended at the time, or at least herald the start of some kung-fu action sequence or something… but to be honest it’s just so weird to encounter it here, smothered in drums on a Marvin Gaye B-side, that it just adds to the overall strangeness of the track.
What’s more, the track isn’t even built around it, not obviously so – it’s more like Smokey simply appropriates it and weaves it into this oddly slinky groove, like a sampled loop. With that riff locked into place, the record sails along, slow and steady and cool, all centred around one of Marvin’s smoothest, silkiest vocal deliveries since his MOR days came to a close. He sings this *so* beautifully, even by his standards; there are a few moments where he cuts loose with the beginnings of a throaty soul roar, just for a second or so – now you’re GONE!, my smile is just a frown – and then that groove with its ticking drumbeat and that inexplicable piano riff just sweeps him back up again, like a big soft pillowy cloud somehow rolling down a mountain.
It’s a tale of remorse, the narrator singing to his ex-girlfriend; there’s a vague plea for her to come back to him in there, but for the most part this is a man full of regret, possibly tanked up, just setting out his thoughts in no particular order. Lyrically, it has Smokey Robinson stamped all over it – You were my diamonds, and you were my pearls / Well, I bragged to the guys ’bout my beautiful girl, he morosely recalls at one point – and the central idea just veers back and forth between Marvin’s character beating himself up for being overconfident and boastful, and just reflecting on how much worse his life is without her in it.
And it is spectacular.
Man, I know I’ve been away for a(nother) year, but I can’t recall Marvin sounding as lovely as this. Each verse reads more like a stanza, a scribbled Smokey poem where the first and last lines are the same, always starting “When I had your love…” and completed differently each time; but what comes between those opening and closing lines is a heady emotional soup full of sweet, cooing backing vocals, and big gaps for them to fill. And through it all, there’s Marvin Gaye, perhaps the one man on Motown’s books who could make a self-pitying stream of consciousness screed convincingly sound like a plea, perhaps even a prayer, for everything to just somehow be… better. Better than this. Not sure how. Not sure what he actually wants to happen, or what he’d do if the girl did actually agree to take him back. But, y’know, better. Please.
When I had your love I was a king, he sings, and however much he might regret boasting back then, he’s surely not boasting now. When I had your love, I used to smile… When I had your love, I was content. But he’s not making a cheap bid to pull on her heartstrings, he’s just beating himself up because he had things good, and now his life has spun out of control. Even when he directly addresses his ex, it’s barely coherent – honey? Baby?… Baby, come on back! –
– the call-and-response backing singers taking up his chant while he just falls apart and can’t finish the line, “Come right on back!”, is one of my favourite Motown backing vocal moments in years –
– and finally, he just loses his grip on things altogether, and the song briefly collapses into just anguish, Marvin just making vague word-sounds. In someone else’s hands, this might have sounded melodramatic or even crassly manipulative; indeed, Marvin himself has been guilty of peddling that sort of schlock before, especially while off on his standards LPs. But because Smokey and Marvin have both clearly put some work into this, and thought about how to do it properly, it never once comes across that way; it just falls into place, with that lolloping groove and that bizarre piano riff. As we vamp out, he’s still calling out to her, but oddly half-heartedly, like she’s already left and he’s about to just ask the barman to pour him another. Screw it, leave the bottle. When I had her love, I was a king.
Marvin Gaye’s time with Smokey Robinson is drawing to a close here on Motown Junkies, but this absolutely has to go down as one of their best team-ups. It’s weird and it’s thought-provoking and it’s utterly beautiful, and it will stay on your mind for months on end (trust me on that last one). I love it.
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 Marvin Gaye? Click for more.)
Marvin Gaye “One More Heartache” |
The Four Tops “Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s Over)” |
Chris said:
Welcome back!
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The Nixon Administration said:
“I know I say this every century, but I’ll never leave you behind again.”
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Robb Klein said:
As Eddie Holland once sang, “Welcome, welcome, welcome back”!
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Ken said:
Fully agree with your enthusiasm for Marvin’s singing in this. He’s off the charts wonderful. And yet that incessant piano riff that sounds like cheap fade-in music to a Chinatown or Far East segment in some dated sitcom is a deal-breaker for me. At best it’s lazy musical thinking – at worst disappointing and/or offensive, even if it’s not intentional. Every time I’m getting off on Marvin’s creatively soaring vocals and the general tastiness of the record, that rinky-tink motif returns to shoot me down. At some point someone made a decision to call Nancy Kwan’s character in the Matt Helm flick “The Wrecking Crew” Yu-Rang or to cast Mickey Rooney as a painfully exaggerated Oriental stereotype in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. And somewhere along the line, somebody obviously thought dropping this bit of musical chop-suey into “When I Had Your Love” was a good idea. No 9 for me I’m afraid but – had this relentless bit of musical punctuation been excised and adroitly replaced – a could have been 8.
Also, of course, welcome back. Even if I don’t agree with the 9, it was a joy to read your new post – as expressive and beautifully put together as ever. Hope 2019 is good to you.
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Robb Klein said:
Yes, that “Chinatown” intro moves this song down for me from an “8” to a “7”.
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Eddie said:
Welcome Back! Coincidentally, this first post from Motown Junkies in over a year occurs on the 60th Anniversary of the founding of Motown Records. I enjoy reading your reviews and I hope there is more to come.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Thank you. Not so coincidental, in fact – I was going to be interviewed on BBC Radio on Friday about the anniversary, I couldn’t do it in the end because I was at a long-prearranged hospital appointment with my daughter, but the research I did in preparation fired me up, prompted some ideas, and made me make some time to write a few new entries.
We’re also rapidly approaching the tenth anniversary of the blog itself, somewhat terrifyingly, although about five years of that is radio silence.
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Eddie said:
Alright! I can’t wait to read your next review on Motown Junkies. And while there’s been “radio silence” on your blog, it’s more than understandable considering your family and health concerns.
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Robb Klein said:
Welcome back! Glad to hear that you will soon have enough time to make a regular schedule of posting new song reviews.
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trebori said:
So, I woke up this morning, got my coffee, plopped myself in front of the computer, checked to see if there was anything new at Motown Junkies and realized….”hey, I’m still asleep and I’m dreaming!”
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Jeff said:
Welcome back!
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Dave L said:
“1 new in Social – Motown Junkies” says my gmail account this morning as about six inches of new snow covers this area of Virginia. Oh how I’ve missed this reading, and eight previous comments as I type this say I haven’t been alone in the long waiting.
Welcome, welcome back Nixon.
Get Ready, Helpless, Shake Me Wake Me, You’re The One, Whole Lot Of Shakin In My Heart, Road Runner …please tell us it’s not going to be another year each before we’re reading those. You have been sorely missed, my friend. 🙂
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The Nixon Administration said:
Well, I’m certainly going to try to keep to something approaching a regular release schedule now. Consider this the start of a second volume of Motown Junkies, I guess. Glad to see you’re still here!
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david hess said:
just wanted to say hello and thanks for making my morning, you have been missed .welcome back. hope all is well, sorry to hear ,but I hope all is ok with your daughter.sending prayers your way
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The Nixon Administration said:
Oh, don’t worry, she’s fine! Martha was born with some minor hearing problems, long since sorted out or compensated for, she’s nearly 6 now – just needs regular follow up appointments to keep an eye on things. Thank you for the kind words though!
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Masterblaster said:
Thank you for this long awaited return. I love this site, got me through many boring days when I was working, now retired I am looking forward to the new posts. Great to hear that all is well with your family.
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Mark Vining said:
We need your essays about this pivotal year! So glad to see you back. I like When I Had Your Love, a 7 or 8. It never showed up on an album and if you did not have the 45, it came out of nowhere. Textbook Andantes performance, showing their invaluable contribution to the “sound.” Spot on review.
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NN said:
Welcome back. And take it easy, continue in your own pace. Don’t be pressed.
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144man said:
Welcome back, and to 1966 when Motown was at its artistic peak. I am really looking forward to the rest of the reviews for the year.
As far as “When I Had Your Love” is concerned I love this track as much as I dislike the A-side, so it’s a 10/10 from me.
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144man said:
I love that Chinese-styled motif. We live in a global community, and I find the notion that it should not be used racist and offensive. As far as I’m concerned “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, and that trumps the idiotic concept of cultural appropriation every time.
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144man said:
The above post of mine was intended to be placed directly after Ken’s post of January 13.
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John Plant said:
This one is new to me – I was buying albums, not 45s in those days, and so I missed out entirely. I just listened, and loved it. And your review is splendid. Brilliant, and more than worthy of its subject. As for the chinoiserie, I admired its merciless persistence – I suppose it’s intended to invoke Oriental royalty – as in, when I had your love I was the Emperor of China. I’ll be coming back to it – yes, a glorious performance from MG. I think I would have given it an 8; it’s certainly not a better song than ‘Dancing in the Streets’ (or ‘Shake Me, Wake Me, for that matter) – but I’m very happy to discover it.
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nafalmat said:
Personally I love the Chinese style piano riff on this as I also do “Tea House In Chiina Town”. I suppose its use is more relevant on the Four Tops track due to the lyrical content and title. Why it was used on this track is less obvious but it surely adds a great deal of charm to the finished recording. This superb arrangement and Marvin’s impeccable performance make this really quite average song a gem of a flip side. Smokey’s lyrics on this are not his best by any means and lines like “My life was sweeter than peaches and cream” really are quite predictable. But as a finished product, I love it! This was one of those more unusual flip sides from a major Motown artist that never appeared on an album during the 60s.
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Scottie D said:
Oh man, finally! I was wondering if you were coming back. These reviews make me nod my head in agreement…sometimes they piss me off, but I still read each one eagerly. Good to have some new reviews to read.
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Nick Durutta said:
Wow. Every once in awhile I check to see if you’ve returned and…there you were! So glad to have you back. Your passion and regard for Motown comes through so brilliantly–your posts are always a pleasure to read.
I didn’t remember this cut at all, so checked it out while I was reading. You describe it perfectly–but the Chinese riff throughout (as Ken said) really seemed cheesy to me, not worthy of Smokey in the least. Marvin’s vocal, however, and the song itself, are pretty good.
Looking forward to your next post!
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The Nixon Administration said:
Thank you very much 🙂 Should be ready any decade now…!
Sorry for the wait, everyone. The universe conspires to stop me from writing things…
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144man said:
I’m not even sure that the modern concept of “cheesiness” was in existence when this song was written. It certainly wasn’t applied to my jokes until many years after!
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Tony Hartness said:
A little known gem of a tune from the pen of Smokey brought alive by the main man Marvin’s absolutely sublime delivery like no other.. I agree wholeheartedly with your comments apart from 9/10 for me 10/10 but I do have a loving of the lesser known Motown goodies.. A top posting my friend
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