Supreme Temptations

Thinking about some of my favorite bands over the years, a couple of early Motown groups stand out- the Supremes and the Temptations.

The Supremes helped Motown revolutionize the musical landscape, appealing to both black and white audiences. Berry Gordy intentionally feminized and glamorized the ladies; it was brilliant and they changed the face of music. They had a series of hits, mainly love songs. Like many of my friends I knew every one of those hits by heart. (Roadkill Trivia: I could sing Diana Ross's parts note for note, no matter how high, until I was 20. But overnight I lost about an octave and a half of vocal range. I was devastated but I think a couple of my friends were relieved. They thought it was unnatural.

Embedded in some of the Supremes' love songs we find social insight. I loved "Love Child" long before I realized the depths there; as I understood more I loved it more.

The Temptations had more revolutionary songs. While they had some love songs they also had brilliant social commentary ("Ball of Confusion"), songs about the human condition ("Smiling Faces", "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"), and celebrations of the times ("Psychedelic Shack"). They had some of the first songs to make use of sampling. While their radio hits were longer than some (four to six minutes), some of my favorite works are the longer album versions of the same songs; these stretched to twelve minutes or more. "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" is about as poignant as it gets; there are some excellent covers (such as that of Was (not Was)) but the original is still the best.

When I was 12 or 13 my parents bought a small house next door as an investment property. The former owners left behind thousands of books and records of all sizes and speeds (yes, speeds!). I claimed hundreds of Motown and related 45s as my own. There were dozens of artists represented. I played them all, but I wore out the Supremes and Temptations discs. I pretty much reduced them to prismatic Frisbee, incapable of producing anything like a high fidelity sounds- but by then I knew them so well I didn't need to play them to hear them.

A lot more music has wormed its way into my psyche since. An awful lot of that music- from Janis to Jimi, from Skynyrd to Bootsy, from Beck to NIN- would never have gotten a second listen if I hadn't heard the Supremes and Temptations. They blew all my musical walls down.

And they sound every bit as good today as they did then.

Baby, baby, where did our love go?

Nowhere, babe. It's right here. I love you as much as ever.

Requiem: Like so many artistic stories, there's pain here as well if you look into the lives of the artists. The worst? Jealousy and rejection drove Florence Ballard (a founding member of the Supremes) to heavy drinking and destructive behavior. She was kicked out of the Supremes. She was putting her life back together when she died at the age of 32.

 

AFTERWARD

As a teen I generally preferred the Supremes over the Temptations. Over the years I would still say that, but I came to the realization that I really preferred the Temptations. I see two obvious reasons.

1. The Supremes songs are generally formulaic; most of them sound very similar. The Temptations, as readily recognizable as the Supremes, were far more exploratory musically and stylistically diverse.
2. Most Supremes songs are all "love songs", which are really songs of romance, attraction, desire, or pain. All common feelings, but just that-- feelings. Arguably the Temptations (who did their share of classic love songs) sang about the more important types of love, love that was more than just emotion. "Papa Was a Rolling Stone", "Smiling Faces", "Runaway Child, Running Wild", even "Ball of Confusion" were all love songs in the deeper sense.

Why Did You Fall in Love With Music?

William Robert (Austin's own Will Matthews) asked, "What was the song, band, or singer that made you fall in love with music?"

It was probably my Mom. My earliest musical memories are of her singing me lullabies.

Close your sleepy eyes,
My little Buckaroo.
The light of the western skies
Is shining down on you.
You know it's time for bed,
Another day is through...
So go to sleep,
My little Buckaroo.

Don't you realize,
My little Buckaroo,
'twas from the acorn that
The mighty oak tree grew?
Remember that your dad
Was once a kid like you...
So go to sleep,
My little Buckaroo.

The other early song I remember is this:

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding,
Here comes my wagon, my wagon,
The men in the white coats are after me!
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding,
Here comes my wagon, my wagon,
To take me to the funny factory.

Just like the nuts that fall,
I'm a little cracked that's all.
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding,
Here comes my wagon, my wagon,
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding,
Here comes my wagon!

These are not the official lyrics, but they are what I remember... and since Mom is not here to correct me, they are correct.)

Other than that I just remember growing up with music; it was always an integral part of my life. I can't remember a time without it. Our house and car were usually full of music. Dad played piano, Mom sang, and records or the radio were at least as likely to be on as the TV. Most of us kids ended up in band, chorus, or taking lessons. (I played trombone and guitar.)

Some of my major, musical memories in my early years include:

• Firestone and Goodyear Christmas albums
• A boxed set of western (mostly cowboy) songs such as "Ghost Riders (in the Sky)", "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds", "Streets of Laredo", etc.
• Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire": I first heard this at the age of 7. It was spring or early summer; we were on our way to church. I wanted my parents to turn it off. "We can't listen to a song about Hell on Sunday, going to church!" They laughed so hard dad almost had to pull over.
• Around 4th or 5th grade I got my first 45 (a small record with one song on each side) as a prize at a YMCA fair. It was Jill Corey singing "Let it Be Me" and "Make Like a Bunny, Honey". At that age, I played the rabbity side a lot more.
• Musical sound tracks to movies my parents went to see. I knew every song from movies like My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music. When I finally saw these movies decades later it was like being reunited with childhood best friends.
• The New Christy Minstrels
• Gilbert and Sullivan. 'Nuff said.
• The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. I don't really remember the show but I remember being enthralled.
• Theme songs to shows like The Lucy Show, The Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, and of course Secret Agent. I can still sing, or at least hum or whistle, a crazy number of these. "My heart would be a fireball (a fireball), a fireball (a fireball) every time I look into your starry eyes."
• In the summer of 1966, Mom's sister Betty Chappelle and her family visited for a week. My cousin Steve played the "Secret Agent Man" song (expanded from the TV show theme) from pretty much breakfast time til the news came on (when our parents would forcibly turn off the stereo), playing guitar and singing along. Dad swore he wore out the new diamond needle on the phonograph. This song has been part of m,y life's soundtrack since.
• The Monkees! Between the music and the shows, these guys had a huge impact on my life. My friend Claude Thompson taught me to dance to their songs so I could go to my first sock hop. I fell in love with "Last Train to Clarksville" imagining a dance with Debbie Jones.
• My parents bought a small house by ours (to rent out) that was full of thousands of books and records. I ended up with dozens and dozens of Motown singles and fell in love with the Motown Sound.
• One of my sisters-- probably Kathleen-- gave me a single of Mountain's "Mississippi Queen" ("The Laird" graced the B side). I wore it out.
• Eric Clapton, Alice Cooper (Killer), the Smothers Brothers... I remember listening to albums by these three back to back.

There's a smattering of what I grew up with. I still listen to almost anything besides opera. There are a few genres I can't listen to much of (rap, hip hop, Gnashville country, Coldplay), but if there's music, I'll give it a try.

What songs, artists / bands, or writers / composers influenced you? Why did you fall in love with music?