Music Monday: May 12, 2025

Posted in Music Monday by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

Hi, everyone. Welcome to this week’s edition of Music Monday.

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Stevie Wonder was born 75 years ago on May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, MI. Out of all the artists who started their career with Motown Records, he is arguably the most successful & most enduring from that iconic label. He is an undeniable powerhouse in soul, funk & pop. This is from my post from May 16, 2022:

“What is left to say about “The Eighth Wonder Of The World”, Stevie Wonder, who turned 72 last week? The child prodigy born Stevland Hardaway Morris on May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, MI began his career in The Motor City at age 11 as Little Stevie Wonder. His career grew even bigger as an adult in the 1970’s with three Album Of The Year Grammy awards for Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness‘ First Finale (1974) and Songs in the Key of Life (1976). His talent continued to dominate from there and today, with over six decades of musical brilliance under his belt, Wonder continues to show us all how genius is defined.“

Top: Stevie Wonder circa 1963 at age 13. Middle: The artist circa 1972. Bottom: Wonder at the 2025 Met Gala in NYC earlier this month. (Images found online. Original sources unknown.)

The Four Tops first album was released sixty years ago in January 1965. The opening track, “Baby I Need Your Loving”, came out in July 1964 which proved to be their first hit, reaching #11 a month later. That prompted the record label to release the group’s follow up eleven months later in November 1965, aptly titled Four Tops Second Album. It features “It’s The Same Old Song” which peaked at #5 in August 1965 and the group’s first #1 record which hit the top spot nearly 60 years ago on on June 19, 1965 for two consecutive weeks.

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Marvin Gaye released his 10th studio album 55 years ago in January 1970. It consisted of 12 cover songs, with several made famous by other Motown stars like The Temptations (“I Wish It Would Rain” & “Cloud Nine”) and The Marvelettes (“No Time for Tears”) along with a few by other artists including The Beatles (“Yesterday”) and The Young Rascals (“Groovin”). But the title song-originally recorded by The Isley Brothers in 1967-is my absolute favorite track. Gaye’s version is a slower, more soulful take turning the song into a cautionary tale of love’s fickle side. He released it as a single in the summer of 1969 and it peaked at #7 in October of that year.

Marvin Gaye circa 1972. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Another Motown song celebrating a milestone this year is by Freda Payne. Fifty-five years ago she teamed up with the powerhouse writing team of Holland-Dozier-Holland. However, the song was credited to the collective pseudonym “Edythe Wayne” due to the trio’s ongoing dispute with Motown Records. The track peaked at #3 in July 1970, just three months after it premiered in the #93 spot in April 1970. It hit #1 for six weeks (September 19-October 24) that year on the UK charts. It remains an undeniable gem from its decade, and as I wrote on Day 85 of my Lockdown Countdown, “The string interlude arrangement @ 1:37 is one of my all time favorites ever. It just kicked this song to the next level from great to absolutely glorious. I have reveled in the beauty of this song from the first time I heard it, and fall more in love with each listen.“

Freda Payne circa 1970. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Stevie Wonder: “I Was Made To Love Her” (1967, written by Stevie Wonder, Lula Mae Hardaway, Sylvia Moy and Henry Cosby).

Stevie Wonder: “Superstition” (1972, written by Stevie Wonder).

Stevie Wonder: “Living For The City” (1973, written by Stevie Wonder).

The Four Tops: “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” (1965, written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland).

Marvin Gaye: “That’s The Way Love Is” (1969, written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong).

Freda Payne: “Band Of Gold” (1970, written by Ron Dunbar and “Edythe Wayne”, which was the collective pseudonym for Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland).

Stay safe & well.

29Jul2024

Music Monday: July 29, 2024

Posted in Music Monday by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

Hi, everyone. Welcome to this week’s edition of Music Monday.

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Another big loss in music for 2024. Singer Abdul “Duke” Fakir died on July 22 at age 88. He was the last surviving member of The Four Tops, one of Motown’s premier vocal groups. The four original members were together for 44 years without any personnel changes, a feat nearly unheard of in the music industry. On top of their success with Motor City material, the Tops also covered songs from outside of that genre including “If I Were A Carpenter” and “Walk Away Renee”, a cherished favorite of mine. They were also the only Motown group to perform at the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in 1985. It is indeed the end of a beautiful era of music.

Top: Abdul “Duke” Fakir in 2009 at the 51st Grammy Awards ceremony where The Four Tops received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Bottom: The group circa 1968 (L-R): Renaldo “Obie” Benson, Levi Stubbs, Fakir and Lawrence Payton. (Images found online. Original sources unknown.)

Happy birthday to singer/songwriter Pete Yorn who just celebrated his 50th. Born July 27, 1974 in New Jersey, he first rose to fame in 2001 with his incredible debut, musicforthemorningafter. Ten more studio albums followed along with several live ones and EPs. He has also covered a few songs by that other guy from Jersey, Bruce Springsteen: “Dancing In The Dark” and “New York City Serenade”. Yorn’s take on the Albert Hammond 1972 classic, “It Never Rains In California”, was featured in the 2003 movie, “Stuck On You”. Yorn just announced his new record, The Hard Way, will be released next month.

Pete Yorn circa 2022. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

I just rewatched “After Life” for the 900th time since it ended in 2022. The incredibly beautiful series, written & directed by my spirit animal, Ricky Gervais, affected me in a way no other series ever has. That is saying something given the fact that TV has been a lifelong constant of mine. The series was spectacularly real, heartbreaking, funny, brave and unbelievably eloquent. And the music chosen for each episode was absolute perfection.

A song featured in S2 E2 was one I had never heard before and the sheer beauty of it hit me to my core. It was written by one of my favorite songwriters, the American treasure known as Jimmy Webb. His longtime friend & musical collaborator, Glen Campbell, recorded it first for his 1988 album, Light Years. Then he recorded it with Webb the same year for a Canadian TV show but it was not released until 2012 on Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb: In Session. Webb recorded it himself for his 1996 album, Ten Easy Pieces, and it is this version that was featured in the show. I never thought I could love Webb more after the elegance of “Wichita Lineman” but I was wrong.

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

The Four Tops: “7 Rooms Of Gloom” ( 1967, written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland).

Pete Yorn: “Lose You” (2001, written by Pete Yorn).

Jimmy Webb: “If These Walls Could Speak” (1996, written by Jimmy Webb).

Stay safe & well.

27Sep2021

Music Monday: September 27, 2021

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

Hi, everyone. Welcome back to the blog for this week’s Music Monday.

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

September 29 will mark my mother’s 82nd birth anniversary. Both of my parents loved music, but since I spent more time with my mother during my early years while my dad was at work it was her influence that molded how I would listen to music for the rest of my life.

For one thing, I definitely share her high tolerance for repetition. If she liked a song, she would listen to it over and over again until she switched it out for the next 45 in her collection. There were about a dozen singles she was crazy about, and until this day I can still recall every single word of each one, no matter how much times passes in between hearing them. I still consider most of them some my favorites as well. Their hold on me is eternal.

I remember being in the car with her when one of those songs came on the radio. Even though we had arrived home & had that record there, my mother purposely drove around the block a couple of times so we could hear the entire song. Then the deejay announced he wanted to listen to the tune one more time so he played it again. My mother was thrilled & drove us around the block a few more times while we sang along with the track a second time. It is one of my most treasured memories.

My mother, Theresa, December 1968.

Second, she had great taste in music for the most part (we will just ignore her dark period as a fan of The Fifth Dimension. At least I discovered Burt Bacharach & Hal David through them). She loved Elvis Presley, Jackie Wilson & Motown, to name a few. If not for her buying a four album K-Tel compilation set of The Motor City’s greatest hits I cannot even imagine if I would have known who The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Miracles or Stevie Wonder were.

Every year as we got close to Halloween she would pull out her “Monster Mash” single and we would dance around while I tried on my costume to make sure it was perfect for the big day. Then we would put the decorations up to bring a more festive vibe to our home. Only Christmas had more preparation to it with tons of holiday music to match. I ache for those days.

It is always so hard for me to choose one song in her memory because there were just so many she loved. But I am able to narrow the list down with the help of Bruce Springsteen. As a fan of Elvis & Wilson himself, I have been at several of The Boss’s shows where he covered their songs as encores. Each time I could not help but think how perfect it was that my great musical love was singing songs by my mother’s great musical loves. And even though she was not there with me physically, I just knew she was loving those moments as much as I was. Music is very much a part of the circle of life.

“Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be“.

Elvis Presley circa 1959. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Elvis Presley: “Can’t Help Falling In Love” (1961, written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore and George David Weiss).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love with you.

Stay safe & well.

8Jun2021

Let’s Take A Moment Day 449

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

Hi everyone. Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing. But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Time for another Motown break. June 6th marked the 85th birth anniversary for one of the label’s greatest voices, Levi Stubbs. Born in 1936 in Detroit, Michigan, he was endowed with a powerful emotionally charged baritone voice which often times crossed over to the tenor range. It led the way for The Four Tops to become one of the most successful & beloved groups from the Motor City. And helped Stubbs become one of my favorite singers of all time.

“All alone I’m destined to be
With misery my only company
It may come today it might come tomorrow
But it’s for sure I ain’t got nothing but sorrow“.

The Four Tops circa 1965. Top (L_R): Abdul “Duke” Fakir and Lawrence Payton. Bottom (L-R): Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Levi Stubbs. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

The Four Tops: “Standing In The Shadows Of Love” (1967, written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

5May2021

Let’s Take A Moment Day 415

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Time for the first mid-week Motown break for May. Well actually, today’s song was not released on that label but rather on Casablanca Records in 1983. But it is by The Four Tops and as far as I am concerned, they will always be part of the Motor City sound. It was covered by Whitney Houston in 1996 but even she could not live up to the power of one of the greatest singers who ever graced this planet, Levi Stubbs.

It is a love song that if sung by anyone else could have crossed the line into schmaltzy. But in the hands of the esteemed & unbelievably gifted Stubbs, it comes across as a beautiful track. And when he hits the last note and the violins come in again for the last time, it is an absolutely glorious moment. But then again every second spent listening to his spectacular voice feels the same way.

“I will never leave your side
I will never hurt your pride
When all the chips are down
I will always be around“.

Top: Levy Stubbs circa 1965. Bottom: The Four Tops circa 1964. (Images found online. Original sources unknown.)

The Four Tops: “I Believe In You And Me” (1983, written by Sandy Linzer and David Wolfert).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

7Apr2021

Let’s Take A Moment Day 387

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Time for another mid-week Motown break. In July 1964 The Four Tops released today’s song which became their first Top 20 hit. It featured the quartet’s signature sound & harmonies enhanced by the label’s female session singers, The Andantes-Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps. Of course the track also featured the music of The Funk Brothers with a nice assist from The Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Twenty-one years later in July 1985, The Tops performed at Live Aid in Philadelphia, followed by Eric Clapton. In his autobiography he admitted he was nervous to perform after them because they were legends. That is some serious & well deserved respect.

“Some say it’s a sign of weakness
For a man to beg
Then weak I’d rather be
If it means having you to keep”.

The Four Tops circa 1967 (L-R): Renaldo Benson, Levi Stubbs, Abdul “Duke” Fakir and Lawrence Payton. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

The Four Tops: “Baby I Need Your Loving” (1964, written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

13Jan2021

Let’s Take A Moment Day 303

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Time for another mid-week Motown break. This one is extra special because it is the anniversary of the label’s launch. On January 12, 1959 Berry Gordy founded the Tamla Record Company which became Motown Records a year later. Gordy may have let his ego get the best of him at times, and perhaps he fought against his artists growing out of the mold of success he set up and he may have even over-supported some acts while ignoring others. But there is no denying the enormity of what he created by hiring some of the best songwriters, musicians & artists to bring his vision to the reality it became. This groundbreaking genre of soul music was introduced to the world through some of the greatest voices I ever heard & one of my favorite quartets of all time.

“In and out my life
You come and you go
Leaving just your picture behind
And I kissed it a thousand times“.

The Four Tops circa 1964 (L-R): Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Lawrence Payton, Levi Stubbs and Renaldo Benson. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

The Four Tops: “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” (1965, written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

15Oct2020

Let’s Take A Moment Day 213

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

I know we are in a serious situation, but I need a break from the gloom, doom and bullying by way of hoarding. Music has always been my refuge and watching those beautiful Italians singing to each other from their balconies reaffirmed my belief that music is the answer. So until the old normal returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Today in 1958 Jackie Wilson recorded one of his signature songs. It was another tune co-written by future Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr who also co-wrote “Reet Petite”, “To Be Loved” & “We Have Love” for Wilson the year before. The proceeds earned from these songs helped Gordy start Tamla Records in 1959 which became the iconic Motown label in April 1960. The success of today’s tune also helped establish Wilson as one of the premier R&B singers not only the 1950’s & 1960’s but of all time.

He was born Jack Leroy Wilson Jr. in Detroit, Michigan in 1934. He began singing in church when he was a child which led to him joining a gospel group in his teens. He learned to box during a couple of stints in detention for bad behavior and competed in the local boxing circuit before he quit to marry at 17 because he was going to become a father. He joined several groups (including one with his cousin, future Four Tops lead singer Levi Stubbs) until Wilson signed a solo record deal with Decca Records subsidiary label, Brunswick, in 1957. “Reet Petite” was his first release which helped launch his career through its moderate success. Between his four octave tenor range and his dynamic dance moves on stage, Wilson earned the nickname “Mr. Excitement” and enjoyed over a decade of success throughout his career.

Unfortunately the rest of his story is not as happy. Wilson was besieged with problems in his personal life including getting shot by a girlfriend, several arrests and legal issues, financial losses & IRS liens due to an embezzling manager as well as multiple children from in & out of his two marriages. He also lost a son, Jackie Jr in 1970 when the 16 year old was shot to death. That sent Wilson into a depressive state which included drug use. In 1975 he suffered a heart attack onstage which left him in a semi-comatose state. He remained in a nursing home until his death from pneumonia in 1984. Wilson left a legacy on music, fans and the performers he influenced especially Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, and Michael Jackson among many others. My mother was a big fan of his & she and my dad were lucky enough to see Wilson perform around 1960 at the acclaimed Apollo Theatre in Harlem. Swoon.

“Just give me another chance for our romance
Come on and tell me that one day you’ll return
‘Cause, every day that you’ve been gone away
You know my heart does nothing but burn, crying“.

Elvis Presley (L) with Jackie Wilson (R) circa 1959. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Jackie Wilson: “Lonely Teardrops” (As performed on “American Bandstand” in March 1959. Originally released in 1958, written by Berry Gordy Jr, Gwen Gordy & Roquel “Billy” Davis as “Tyran Carlo”).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

6Aug2020

Let’s Take A Moment Day 143

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

The Left Banke was one of those groups that burst onto the scene in the mid-1960’s and left an indelible mark on music despite their brief stay. Best known for two songs, the exquisite “Pretty Ballerina” and today’s pick, the success of same came quickly for the band leading to tension amongst the group members and eventually disbandment. While they were together, they helped coin a new phrase, baroque rock, which critics felt best described their unique sound and string arrangements. Today’s song was also done by the Four Tops which is also wonderful. But the Left Banke’s version, led by the vocals of Steve Martin Caro who sadly died earlier this year at the age of 71, is in my opinion absolutely gorgeous.

“Your name and mine

inside a heart upon a wall
Still finds a way to haunt me

though they’re so small“.

The LEft Bank circa 1965. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

The Left Banke: “Walk Away Renee” (1966, written by Michael Brown, Bob Calilli, and Tony Sansone).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

29Jul2020

Let’s Take A Moment Day 135

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Time for another mid-week Motown break. The Four Tops had tremendous success whether they were singing their own Motown originals or covers like “Walk Away Renee” (first recorded by The Left Banke in 1966), “If I Were A Carpenter” (written & recorded by Tim Hardin in 1967) or “River Deep Mountain High” (originally recorded by Ike & Tina Turner in 1966). The reason they never missed was because Levi Stubbs was as close to perfection as a vocalist could be. He had a smooth polished vocal as opposed to the impassioned raw emotion of his Temptations counterpoint, David Ruffin. I often thought of Stubbs singing to be close in style to Sam Cooke’s while Ruffin’s was more like Otis Redding’s. All four men had incredible iconic voices, just different styles.

Added to Stubbs’ vocals were the harmonious backing sounds by his group members- Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Lawrence Payton-along with the music of The Funk Brothers and the historic magical sound of The Four Tops was complete. All four members stayed together for 44 years, a record unmatched by any other act on the label. To this day they remain one of Motown’s most beloved and renowned groups and one of my great loves from that era.

“All you left is our favorite song
The one we danced to all night long
It used to bring sweet memories
Of a tender love that used to be.”

The Four Tops circa 1965 (L-to-R) Renaldo “Obie” Benson, Levi Stubbs, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, and Lawrence Payton. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

The Four Tops: “It’s The Same Old Song” ( 1965, written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

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Lilacs & Rust

Music & makeovers! I swoon for chippy paint, a gorgeous patina and a fabulous song!!! I love great music (read: Bruce Springsteen & Otis Redding), white lilacs, walking in freshly fallen snow, the Golden Girls, road trips and the fall!!!

Tag Archives: The Four Tops

Music Monday: May 12, 2025

Music Monday: July 29, 2024

Music Monday: September 27, 2021

Let’s Take A Moment Day 449

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

The Four Tops circa 1965. Top (L_R): Abdul “Duke” Fakir and Lawrence Payton. Bottom (L-R): Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Levi Stubbs. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Let’s Take A Moment Day 415

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Top: Levy Stubbs circa 1965. Bottom: The Four Tops circa 1964. (Images found online. Original sources unknown.)

Let’s Take A Moment Day 387

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

The Four Tops circa 1967 (L-R): Renaldo Benson, Levi Stubbs, Abdul “Duke” Fakir and Lawrence Payton. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Let’s Take A Moment Day 303

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

The Four Tops circa 1964 (L-R): Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Lawrence Payton, Levi Stubbs and Renaldo Benson. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Let’s Take A Moment Day 213

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Elvis Presley (L) with Jackie Wilson (R) circa 1959. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Let’s Take A Moment Day 143

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

The LEft Bank circa 1965. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Let’s Take A Moment Day 135

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

The Four Tops circa 1965 (L-to-R) Renaldo “Obie” Benson, Levi Stubbs, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, and Lawrence Payton. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)