As promised, here is Professor CC’s choice of the two best soul songs ever. This was a hard one, as my list of favorites is long, and of course many will disagree with these choices (you may list your TWO favorirtes—no more—in the comments). Both of these were written, at least in part, by Smokey Robinson (a musical genius), both were recorded on the Motown label, and both are ballads about lost love.
The first one is almost a no-brainer. “Ooo Baby Baby” has been covered many times, and is a perennial favorite of anyone with taste. It is of course by the immortal (well, Smokey’s still alive) Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, released on the Motown label in 1965. It was written by Robinson and Pete Moore, and the instrumentals are by the Funk Brothers. Note the instantly recognizable beginning: a Funk Brothers speciality.
There’s not much to say except that this is the quintessential Motown ballad, and it’s a crime that it reached only #4 on the Billboard R&B charts and #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. This is definitely a number one hit. Here’s a lip-synched version, the best I could find:
The second is a lesser-known but still famous hit, first recorded by the Temptations. “Since I Lost My Baby” was released in June, 1965, six months after “Ooo Baby Baby”. It was co-written by Smokey Robinson and Warren Moore, and the lead singer is David Ruffin, whose brother died last week. (David Ruffin died in 1991 at the age of only 50.) It was about as popular as the first song, reaching #4 on the R&B charts and #17 on the Hot 100 chart. When I was a part-time DJ at my college radio station, I’d play this as often as possible (my sign-off song was the Temptations’ “I’m Losing You.”
“Since I Lost my Baby” is a simple song, contrasting the singer’s pain with the good things he sees around him. The line “There’s plenty of work and the bosses are paying” always gets me.
If you want to see alternative versions of these, there’s a famous “Ooo Baby Baby” by Linda Ronstadt and a wonderful medley of “Sara Smile” and this song by Darryl Hall and Smokey Robinson, performed on the underappreciated “Live from Darryl’s House” show. Darryl appears to surprise Smokey by doing the Motown song (the surprise starts at 4:29), and Robinson at first appears reluctant to sing. His song requires a falsetto that he thought he no longer had (he did fine).
YouTube also has a five-minute mini-documentary, interviewing Hall, Ruffin and others about “Since I Lost My Baby” and other Temptation hits; it’s well worth a listen.
Great choices.
The Temps video reminds me of Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing, by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, a real favourite, and, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, by Jimmy Ruffin, sadly just lost.
No argument from me. In a century that includes Lennon-McCartney, Rogers/Hart/Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Dianne Warren……there is no doubt to me that Smokey Robinson is THE songwriter of the 20th century. To borrow a phrase from Prof. Coyne, I will brook no dissent on this matter.
If I had to contribute a song to the list, I’d suggest Sam and Dave’s When Something is Wrong with my Baby. It was through The Blues Brothers that I first really discovered the wealth of Blues and R&B and Soul music from an earlier generation. (I’m a ’66 model year Canadian), and When Something is Wrong was the first song I really liked based on the emotional content of the lyrics.
No dissent? Ok, but in this genre, you have to give mad props to Holland-Dozier-Holland.
On another note, I recall when The Blues Brothers had a hit with an unimaginative, direct-copy remake of Soul Man (complete with the great backing band). I thought it was a nice comedic aside, but a musical abomination. If, however, they brought people to the greater panoply of blues and R&B, it was probably a good thing!
Tears of a Clown . . . ’nuff said.
Look, I love me some Smokey; Smokey was the beating, thriving heart of Motown. Smokey was far and away the best musician in Berry Gordy’s stable (with the arguable exceptions of Marvin and Stevie — both of whom eventually had to get out from under Berry to spread their musical wings and fly). Smokey is a genius pop songwriter and singer, specializing in light soul, cross-over music.
What Smokey ain’t is bona fide R&B musician. Problem there is Smokey is all Rhythm, no Blues. Take what’s got to be the saddest lyrics Smokey ever penned, “Tears of a Clown.” Now there’s a song, on the face of it, that ought to be sorrowful enough to make Ry Cooder’s glass eye cry. But take a listen. Now knock off the finger snapping, and wipe the smile off your face. Can’t do it, can you? ‘Cause Smokey took his great blues ballad and set it to a piece of throw-away carny music that “Little Stevie” Wonder had lying around and didn’t know what to do with.
Bottom line is Smokey is altogether too fey for straight-ahead, blood-and-guts rhythm-and-blues. (Lest there be some mistake, this’s got nothing at all to do with Smokey’s sexuality, or perceived sexuality (about which, despite my best efforts, I’ve heard rumors). I don’t know Smokey’s orientation, and frankly I don’t give a good goddamn — unless somebody’s giving Smokey grief about it, in which case, we all got grief, gay and straight alike. After all, “if one of us is in chains, none of us are [sic] free” — why don’t they write lyrics like that in Mr. Robinson’s neighborhood? By way of comparison, Little Richard, whatever his deal is, is in NO WAY too fey for R&B. Heck, next to Smokey, Jackie Wilson comes off heavy as Malcolm X.)
You ever write for Rolling Stone, Ken? 🙂
I’m really enjoying your posts.
Thanks, Diane.
No, never wrote for Rolling Stone, though I did come of age reading it, back in its heyday — before Jann Wenner moved the magazine from San Francisco to New York and started putting staples in its spine.
The critic I found most influential, however, was the late, great freelancer Lester Bangs. Even when his opinions were all wet (which was often), you had to respect the depth of the guy’s passions and prejudices and the quality of his prose.
Super choices.Must’ve been tempting to include ‘Bernadette’, which is a stone-cold classic. My two songs are ‘Call Me’ by Aretha and ‘Where Are We Going’ by Marvin Gaye.’Call Me’ was written by Aretha and produced by the great Arif Mardin, with the Muscle Shoals rhythm section providing the music. Her singing is peerless and I just love the backing vocals. I can even forgive the dreaded ‘truckers gear change’ about three minutes in. The Marvin Gaye tune is one of those long lost songs that only saw the light of day after his tragic death. It’s from 1972 and features the Mizell brothers. Almost childlike tune with a neat trumpet solo and that chick-a-wah guitar sound. In truth there are so many other sings by Marvin I could’ve chosen. What a voice.
I’m not too familiar with either of these songs (at least, I don’t think I am) so I’ll check ’em out.
My two favourites include one on Prof. Coyne’s list; Try a Little Tenderness by Otis and the other is Papa was a Rolling Stone by the Temptations.
Ian, my reflex action was to nominate ‘Tenderness’ but you got there first. Definitely the best soul performance ever and it’s not even a soul song. It’s a twenties tin pan alley creation. A little googling reveals it was penned by 2 englishman and an american. The american, Harry M Woods was (I think) responsible for the melody. He’s been described as a mean and dangerous alcoholic. Sublime piece of art.
Love Smokey Robinson! While I’m having a hard time coming up with the two best should songs ever, I’d have to throw Smokey’s “Tracks of My Tears” in the mix.
Another side of Smokey Robinson:
http://youtu.be/j9zPRVKQvIM
sorry: two best “soul” songs, not “should”
Terrific songs! I shall add my two (you’re a cruel taskmaster limiting it to just two):
1. I Loves you Porgy, performed by Nina Simone
2. God’s Away on Business, Tom Waits
I’m not sure whether the latter counts as Soul but it’s about as heartfelt as they come.
Those a re really terrific choices.
I’d have to go with,
1) The House That Jack Built – Aretha Franklin
2) Daddy Could Swear (I Declare) –
Gladys Knight and the Pips
Some enterprising young contrapuntist needs to write, “Oooh, Since I Lost My Baby, Baby.” If nothing else, that’d make for a great assignment in a Form and Analysis class….
b&
Detroit’s Motown is classic Black American Pop and is deeply soulful, but the prize has to go to richer veins of American soul. Places like Memphis and Muscle Shoals. Or labels like early Atlantic, Stax, Hi or American… my southern soul bias!
I would nominate Dark End of The Street by James Carr or I Believe To My Soul by Ray Charles with it’s huge dark spaces between the notes, dark lyric, crack band and Brother Ray delivering the goods in his Atlantic Records prime.
I’d second that James Carr selection. How he remains so under the radar is beyond me. I’d direct any Otis fans to James Carr stat.
I’ll call your James Carr and raise you a Solomon Burke.
No respect for Respect? Either Otis’s original or the hit version that (as he good-naturedly told the crowd down in Monterey) that “little girl” stole from him?
As a long time soul music fanatic, I agree that since there are so many great songs, it’s truly impossible to pick two that clearly stand out from the rest. There are probably 50 pairs of songs I could be talked into changing my picks to. But since have to, I’ll go with a different song by Smokey, “I Second That Emotion” along with “My Girl” by the Temptations. Pretty tough to leave out the Four Tops, Sam and Dave, Wilson Pickett, Ben E King, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight and the Pips, etc… The list goes on. One night 30 or 40 years ago I was watching Richard Pryor’s variety show (yes, even he had one) and he introduced “And the Pips”. The Pips came on and did “Midnight Train to Georgia” leaving out the lead vocal and only singing their part. It was absolutely great. They did a couple more songs as well if my memory is correct.
Nice post. I could read about soul music all day. Maybe I’ll go buy a book.
My pick (especially since we’re talkin’ ballads) for the sleeper soul song of the century is “Que Sera, Sera” — this ultra-cool cover by the always-hip Sly & the Family Stone. If Sly’s vocals on the chorus (trading licks with sister Rose’s gospel-tinged verse work) ain’t the stone-coldest R&B singing this side of Ray Charles, I’ll kiss your ass.
“Whatever will be, will be” — that lyric says it all. I pop it on the turntable (oh yeah, I said it, turntable) as the perfect accompaniment whenever Jerry puts up a post (pace the free-will compatibilists) on determinism.
Doris Day’s groovin’ in her grave!
I heard on the radio, while she was still kickin’, that DD dug Sly’s cover. If you’ve listened to his, you’ll see that it wasn’t because her version and Sly’s had anything in common.
I couldn’t believe that cover!
I always did think the chorus was plaintive but wow, wringing so much soul out of it… And all the new chords giving it a totally different feel.
Also, good for Doris. 🙂
My two favorites (whether they’re objectively “best” is debatable but I don’t care):
Rainy Night in Georgia, composed by Tony Joe White, also sung by David Ruffin and Brook Benton (who sang it better imho) and was an odd-couple duet between Conway Twitty and Sam Moore (Of Sam & Dave Fame) link
A Change is Gonna Come, by Sam Cooke and brought to a high level of soul by Al Green. I think the first time I heard it was by Aretha Franklin.
Hard to argue with most of the songs mentioned, but they seem very weighted toward the “sweet” interpretation of Soul. There’s much to be said for the “rough” interpretation of Soul, so I’m suggesting In the Midnight Hour by Wilson Pickett and balancing that out with For Your Precious Love by Jerry Butler, I believe as part of the Impressions. And you “can’t forget the Motor City”–Aretha’s not the only astonishing female soul singer, so don’t neglect Martha and the Vandella’s Dancin’ in the Street. And the “unfaithful” version of soul is a great subgenre in itself, e.g. Steal Away by Clarence Carter and Baby Let Me Change My Mind by Tyrone Davis. Conclusion: trying to select only two is a fool’s errand.
Therein lies the difference, I think, between R&B and soul. Soul, as conceived in the Motown mold, is R&B with some of the grit rinsed off. (Rumor has it that Berry Gordy kept a pressure washer out back of the Hitsville USA house on West Grand for just such purposes. BG would have leached all the soul out of soul music in his quest for cross-over hits, if it hadn’t have been for the Funk Brothers keeping it real in the studio downstairs. This is why the Four Tops, who were grittier (and, let’s face it, blacker) than the Temptations, or the Supremes, or Smokey, never got the same kind of backing from their label. It’s also why, when Berry decamped for LA to produce crappy movies, the Funk Brothers — and pretty much everyone else whose last name wasn’t Jackson — got left high-and-dry in the Motor City.)
By contrast, some of the Wilson Pickett and Sam & Dave albums released by Stax/Volt in its heyday had to come packaged in special, grit-resistant sleeves.
Don’t get me wrong; I love Motown. Motown brought me to soul music. But it was Memphis that made an abiding soulman out of me.
R.C.’s rendition of “Georgia on My Mind” and “People Get Ready” by Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions- genius, ya’ll.
Speaking of Darryl Hall, a friend told me of the time he saw him on stage with the Temptations, even doing their dance steps. It was like watching a kid at Christmas.
I like both of the songs — and I’ve heard of both before ( good news for me :). ). The first song has beautiful unforgettable melody. The second song, oh, I like the singer’s soft male voice, a kind of voice I hear in a lot of soft rocks, which I used to listen a lot. 🙂
Music, like nature, resists the lines we like to draw. Even though I’m a Michigan native, I’d agree with other posters above that most of Motown is the soulful side of pop (Or is it the poppy side of soul?). But then some bands, like Sly’s for example, slip into the funk neighborhood. The Soul Stirrers and Swan Silvertones are decidedly soulful while also being gospel. And where do you include the O’Jays, Staples Singers, and War? (But, hot damn! You all are talking about some solid tunes!)
But, if forced to name two, could you go wrong with these?
“Here I Am”—Al Green
“This Time I’m Gone For Good”—Bobby “Blue” Bland
Righteous!
Imma take as my two best soul songs ever a couple of up-tempo R&B classics: “I Can’t Turn You Loose” and “Knock on Wood.” Both have been released in too many versions to count. But I’ll dip into a little R&B arcana — esoulterica? — to choose mine.
While it’s tough to beat Otis’s original “I Can’t Turn You Lose,” I’ve always been partial to the Chambers Brothers’ cover, released as the “B” side to their foray into psychedelic soul, “Time Has Come Today.”
For “Knock on Wood” I’ll take a track off the LP Toots in Memphis, wherein Toots Hibbert (of “Toots and the Maytals” fame) made the pilgrimage to the soul seedbed and took on the Stax/Volt catalogue, with the backing of the great Sly-&-Robbie rock-steady rhythm section and some of the session guys from Booker T & the MGs (which was to Stax/Volt what the Funk Brothers were to Motown; “house band” doesn’t do either justice) as well as some sharp break playing from The Memphis Horns. Of all the tracks on the album, Toots stays closest to its R&B roots on Knock on Wood” — but I’ll be damned if he doesn’t manage to reggae-ify it a little bit, too. (Hearing Toots sing “It’s like TON-dah; it’s like lightnin'” never gets old.)
Love the Linda Ronstadt cover. Also nominating Sam Cooke as a great song writer.
“Sittin’ On The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding deserves an honourable mention. Recorded shortly before his death in 1967.