Everybody’s Gotta Pay Some Dues – The Miracles

Every Single Motown 'A-Side': Staying Power?

Episode 5

Episode date - June 27, 2008

How Music Changed
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    This is our fifth show in what promises to seem like a never-ending series of programs dedicated to playing every single Motown A-side from the ‘60s. That’s a LOT of music, folks. Eventually, we expect that it will also mean a lot of hit records, too, but the early years at Motown were comparatively lean. For example, here we are, five shows into our series, covering the Autumn of 1961, and this is the first program to feature a national #1 hit.

    Hits are nice, but the real purpose of this series of shows is to display the full range of Motown’s output, and to convey how difficult it was to consistently hit the charts, even for a label as successful as Motown. It is telling that after the #1 hit, none of the other songs had any impact on the national charts, but that doesn’t make them any less interesting.

    Here’s a list of songs featured in this program;

    The Stretch – The Contours

    Please Mr. Postman – The Marvelettes

    Itsy Bity Pity Love – Debbie Dean

    They Shall Be Mine – Rev. Columbus Mann

    Someone to Call My Own – The Ecuadors

    Love Me – Pete Hartfield

    Everybody’s Gotta Pay Some Dues – The Miracles

    Angel in Blue – Joel Sebastian

    Strange Love – Mary Wells

    The Day Will Come – Freddie Gorman

    Have I the Right – Popcorn & the Mohawks

    Zing Went the Strings of My Heart – The Satintones

    Channel 137 - Every Single Motown 'A-Side'