The 40 Best Motown Songs That Defined the Era

• Release date: October 30, 1968
• From: In the Groove

It wasn't uncommon for multiple artists at Motown to record their own version of a song that was written (it was sort of like a friendly competition), as such, you will also find versions of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and more of Motown's elite. While the other versions are great, I think we can all agree that Gaye's version is just something special. Sometimes certain songs are just meant for certain artists, and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" was a song meant to be sung by Marvin Gaye. His vocals were incredible, the background vocals are amazing, and the instrumentation is top tier. There's a reason why this song has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame—it's brilliant.

• Release date: October 1969
• From: Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5

What else is there to really say here? A gem of a track infused with melodic harmonies, a catchy chorus, the incredible voice of baby Michael Jackson, the talent of his brothers with their crisp clean vocals, the guitar lick, the piano—it's hard to believe The Jacksons were as young as they were when this came out, and "I Want You Back" was the perfect track to give the world a preview on what was to come—and boy was there a lot more in store.

• Release date: August 21, 1961
• From: Please Mr. Postman

An upbeat cheerful track that instantly gets stuck in your head for the remainder of the day after you listen to it, "Please Mr. Postman" was released in August 1961 by The Marvelettes, and is noted as being the first Motown song to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. In addition to the song's lasting legacy, "Please Mr. Postman" has also been covered by the likes of The Beatles in 1963, and The Carpenters in 1975.

• Release date: January 14, 1971
• From: Sky's the Limit

The 1970s era of Motown was smooth, funktified, and electric, and one of the songs that helped usher in the decade was "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" by The Temptations. By the early 70s, The Temptations were no strangers to success, so it was only a matter of continuing to build upon their legacy. Released at the top of 1971 and considered to be one of the greatest R&B tracks of all time (not just within the era it was released), this was the song your grandparents slow danced to on their dates at the club.

• Release date: July 1970
• From: Make It Happen

We're only five deep, and I'm already fretting about what songs I'm going to be leaving out of this list—guess that's what happens when you have so much great music that you have to select from. "The Tears of a Clown," by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles is yet another incredible track in Motown's catalog, and an example of reworking something to make it work. First recorded in 1967, the song itself didn't receive a lot of attention at the time of its release. However, the single was re-released in the United Kingdom three years later where it became a hit. Due to the success of the song over in the UK, Motown made the decision to re-release "The Tears of a Clown" in the United States as well, which was a smart move because it shot to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

• Release date: September 17, 1964
• From: Where Did Our Love Go

With certain artists like The Supremes (and this goes for all of the artists we mentioned above as well), because their individual catalogs are loaded with legendary hit after legendary hit, it's going to be impossible to include all of their tracks on this list because then they will in end up dominating a good portion of it and we're trying to have an equal balance on here. That said, "Baby Love" is universally agreed upon as being a favorite when comes to songs by The Supremes. Sometimes the words dreamy, airy, and cloud-like are used to describe tracks that literally float into your subconscious, and "Baby Love" is one of them. In case you're wondering "Baby Love" was a global number one hit by the way.

• Release date: July 1973
• From: Innervisions

That 1970's run from Stevie Wonder was insane to say the least, and talent isn't even the word to describe this artistic genius. It's literally impossible to narrow down what Stevie Wonder's best songs are, but "Higher Ground," is my personal number one. The guitar lick in the beginning instantly locks you in, the bass and snare gives the song that instant funk, and then you get that incredible voice from Mr. Wonder. Also, if you listen to the lyrics, "Higher Ground" is a song about reincarnation, inspired heavily by a car accident that almost killed him and left him in a coma for a few days.

• Release date: April 1965
• From: Four Tops Second Album

*Sugar pie honey bun* (insert meme of Shaq singing), it's hard not instantly fall in love with "Can't Help Myself" by the Four Tops as its extremely catchy and puts you in a great mood. "Can't Help Myself" is one of those songs you play on the highway on very sunny warm day to get the vibes right, and we can assure you—the vibes are immaculate.

• Release date: July 31, 1964
• From: Dance Party

Fun Fact: Marvin Gaye is credited as one of the writers on "Dancing in the Street," which isn't a surprise because this track does have a "Marvin Gaye" feel to if you are familiar with his mid-60s music. Released in July 1964, "Dancing in the Street" was the perfect track to close out the summer in—you know an era where people actually went outside, kids played outside, the sprinklers were on during the summer, and everybody had to be in before the street lights came on. Unfortunately, fun isn't being had like this anymore.

• Release date: December 21, 1964
• From: The Temptations Sing Smokey

If you are feeling dreary on a cloudy day, if you need the month of may during those cool and cold winter months, if you need something that's going to put a little pep in your step and make you laugh and smile—we heard "My Girl" by The Temptations is the cure all to wipe away all of your problems (temporarily at least). Truly a great song.

• Release date: March 13, 1964
• From: Mary Wells Sings My Guy

Another fun fact: "My Guy" was written and produced by both Smokey Robinson. Not only is "My Guy" a great listen, the subject matter is quite funny when you really take in the lyrics. In the song, a woman (Mary) is rejecting a guys advances because despite the fact that this guy is so attractive, she's still in love with her not nearly as attractive boyfriend. You tell em Mary! You have to really listen to the lyrics of some of these old school joints—it will give you a kick.

• Release date: March 22, 1977
• From: Songs in the Key of Life

Not that you absolutely needed to know this, but Songs in the Key of Life is my favorite Stevie Wonder album. It's also the favorite of a lot of other music heads. Wherever you have the record in your favorite Stevie Wonder albums list, you can't mention Songs in the Key of Life and absolutely not shoutout "Sir Duke." Wonder himself wrote this, and it's just a track that flows through your entire body—it's just something about the instrumentation and Wonder's voice coming together in the way that it does. "Sir Duke" notched the artist another number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

• Release date: March 16, 1976
• From: Diana Ross

"Love Hangover" is a musical journey, and I strongly encourage everybody to listen to all 7:43 of it (and not any shortened version you happen to find out there). You need that smooth R&B sensual intro at the beginning (which goes on for about three minutes), and then you need that transition to Disco and Funk where Ross isn't really doing more than throwing in her classic ad-libs, but doesn't need to because the music itself does enough. With "Love Hangover" you get a slow jam and an uptempo groove all in one, and I can only imagine what it was like to actually hear this at a disco when it was a new single. I know people partied hard—and I'm very jealous that I didn't get to experience it.

• Release date: June 30, 1992
• From: Cooleyhighharmony

Making a big jump into the 1990s here, but a fun one because a lot of people don't know that Boyz II Men were Motown artists. It's hard not to ignore the impact of "End of the Road" as it one of the biggest songs of 1992/1993—the definition of a global hit. Everybody loved "End of the Road" regardless of race, age, background, etc.,—it was a literally a song that you couldn't escape. Now let's crunch the numbers. "End of the Road" spent a record breaking 13 weeks at number one on the US on the Billboard Hot 100. That, our friends, is a massive hit.

• Release date: February 6, 1983
• From: Mary Jane Girls

If you haven't already gotten the chance to dive into the discography of Mary Jane Girls, I encourage you to do so because they have some really fun catch tunes—"All Night Long" being one of them. The "You got me shook up, shook down, shook out on your lovin'" is definitely one of the most fun elements of this track, and we have to say LL Cool J used that sample beautifully in "Around the Way Girl."

• Release date: August 26, 1977
• From: Commodores

*She's a brick...HOUSE* (insert meme of Shaq singing again). It's hard to not find yourself dancing to The Commodores' "Brick House," and this is a song that proves that you can very much appreciate the physical attributes of a person you're attracted to without getting disrespectful or vulgar. Just saying here—that's becoming a little bit of a lost art.

• Release date: April 20, 1967
• From: United

"Ain’t No Mountain High Enough" is another example of a Motown song that was recorded by more than one person, but it's interesting because this version and Diana Ross' version sound absolutely nothing alike. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell don't get enough credit for their musical chemistry, and I think they paved the way for artists like Shalamar (who had one female singer and two male singers) to come around in the 1980s. Check out "Heaven Must Have Sent You From Above," while you're at it.

• Release date: June 11, 1970
• From: 2nd Time Around

Alright, so now we're in the year 1970. We're still a few years away from officially entering the Disco era, but music is gradually beginning to become more funky. The Spinners have been consistent chart toppers for the last few years, and they entered the summer of '70 with "It's a Shame," which was co-written by Stevie Wonder and Syreeta Wright. All we have to say is...those drums...

• Release date: 1970
• From: ABC

Let's sing it all together. "ABC it's easy as 123, as simple as Do Re Mi." The song that knocked The Beatles' "Let It Be" off the number one of the Billboard Hot 100, "ABC" earned The Jackson 5 a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" in 1971.

• Release date: August 31, 1983
• From: Can't Slow Down

Well our friends the time has come to "raise the roof, have some fun, and...Party, Karamu, Fiesta, forever." While "All Night Long" didn't come out in the 1960s/70s era of Motown, it's one of the defining songs of the 1980s (some consider the record to be his greatest solo hit). The song hit number one on three different Billboard charts (pop, R&B and adult contemporary), as has been heavily referenced in popular musical culture in the forty or so years since its release.

• Release date: June 17, 1964
• From: Where Did Our Love Go

Some believe "Where Did Our Love Go" and "Baby Love," are songs that sound exactly alike. While I can definitely hear the similarities between the two, I think "Where Did Our Love Go" has its own personality and style so to speak. Produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland, "Where Did Our Love Go" is actually viewed by many as being one of the greatest records ever released by a girl group, and was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2016.

• Release date: May 21, 1971
• From: What's Going On

Truly one of the most brilliant tunes ever created. "What's Going On" sounds so smooth that sometimes you start singing/dancing and miss the general message of what Gaye is trying to say, which is—we've got a lot of problems going on in this f*cked up world, and there seems to be nothing being done about it. While we've had the likes of Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole creating socially conscious tunes in the last decade, I do wish there were more songs with powerful messages dominating the mainstream again. We desperately need much more of that because the world is even more f*cked up than what it was in 1971. That's real talk right there.

• Release date: May 9, 1972
• From: Law of the Land

“Papa Was a Rolling Stone” is another song where the extended version needs to be listened to (once again no shortened versions) because you absolutely need that intro—it’s one of the best parts of the song, which again is incredible. Pay attention to the lyrics here, they are telling a really deep story—one that almost makes you feel bad for bopping along. Also, shoutout to Migos for doing this sample justice with their 2021 single "Avalanche." More current artist need to start paying homage to the oldies.

• Release date: August 28, 1970
• From: Third Album

If "I’ll Be There" doesn’t make you shed a tear or two, then you aren’t a real gangster. The relaxing nature of the song combined with young Michael’s precious and perfect vocals alongside amazing harmonies and riffs will have you both swaying along and reminiscing about your life. Fun Fact: "I’ll Be There" made The Jackson 5 the first group to have their first four consecutive singles reach number one on the charts.

• Release date: August 1959
• From: N/A

Another Fun Fact: Berry Gordon often left the writing and producing to his very skilled Motown team, but he jumped in with the co-writing for Barrett Strong’s hit tune “Money (That’s What I Want).” We see you BG! Great song as well that kicked off the first year of Motown Records nicely.

• Release date: June 10, 1970
• From: War & Peace

We thank Edwin Starr for creating “War” for two reasons. One— it’s an incredible track with a hard hitting powerful message that still resonates with today’s current climate. Two, without this song, we don’t get the epic singing and dancing moment between Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in Rush Hour. Lives were changed with that one, creating a cinematic moment that will forever withstand the rest of time.

• Release date: February 16, 1967
• From: Reach Out

You want to talk about a song with a messy story? “Bernadette” by the Four Tops is messy with capital M. This song right here captures the story of an almost paranoid man who thinks everybody is out to steal his girl. They just might be, but this man is making the situation much worse than what it needs to be—and it does not appear he achieves peace in the end. Oh well.

• Release date: August 1973
• From: Eddie Kendricks

No matter how many obstacles life throws at you, you just have to keep on truckin’. At least that’s what. Eddie Kendricks, former member of The Temptations, told us in 1973 when he dropped his classic single “Keep on Truckin'.” Don’t worry Eddie, we’ll always keep dusting ourselves off and trying again—in other words we will indeed "keep truckin'."

• Release date: May 13, 1970
• From: ABC

It’s always interesting seeing how the live performances of The Jackson’s earlier hits evolved (my favorite for this one is the Motown 25 version). Another immediate Billboard number one from the group, once again the early delivery of vocals, harmonies, and instrumentation stand out here.

• Release date: June 18, 1980
• From: Diana

If you are ever in need of some new words to add to your dictionary (or how to use them), just listen to “Upside Down.” Kidding (although “respectively I say to thee I’m aware that you’re cheating is a bar”). Nonetheless, “Upside Down” is another classic from Ms. Ross, and of course, a great Motown hit to add to their extensive resume.

• Release date: March 15, 1977
• From: Live at the London Palladium

If “Got to Give It Up” was Marvin Gaye’s best attempt at the Disco genre, it was a hell of an attempt because not only did the song put the world in a groovy chokehold then, but “Got Give It Up” has remained a culturally relevant part of music with various different samples and references since (our favorite is Aaliyah’s take in 1996). Also, just so you know, “Got Give It Up” topped three different Billboard charts, which again shows how successful the song was.

• Release date: September 27, 1960
• From: Who's Lovin' You

Lyricism and metaphors were at its finest with The Miracles’ smash record “Shop Around.” Again, pay close attention to the story being told here because the lyrics give this track an entirely different depth and meanings. There’s such a thing as “skimming” a song (halfway listening to it). Don’t “skim” this one.

• Release date: February 13, 1965
• From: Shotgun

If the horns don’t lock you in on “Shotgun” by Junior Walker and the All Stars, then the catchy hooks and melodies should do the trick. Junior Walker doesn’t get nearly enough credit for his distinctive husky voice, so we’ll give it here. Not very many people have that type of singing voice, so it’s definitely unique. Plus, again, those horns are sensational.

• Release date: January 12, 1966
• From: This Old Heart of Mine

Aww man. The Isley Brothers have truly been one of the music industries greatest gifts. There’s so many to choose from hits-wise when it comes to them, but “This Old Heart of Mine" is definitely an all timer when it comes to classic R&B records. When people say “The Quiet Storm,” this is what they mean.

• Release date: November 1970
• From: If I Were Your Woman

Oh boy. Another old school track that will have you chuckling when you realize what they are talking about. Check this one out. On “If I Were Your Woman,” Gladys Knight seems to be a little upset over a lost love. It’s unclear who did the breaking up here, but what is clear is that Gladys feels her ex did not upgrade—and makes that very clear. Well okay then!

• Release date: 1986
• From: To Be Continued...

Regardless of how old we currently are, everybody could probably use a day where you get up at the crack of dawn, sit outside on the porch, and just chill. And on that day, we shall all collectively play “Lady Soul” as we sit in our rocking chairs for inner peace and healing. Namaste.

• Release date: April, 1976
• From: I Want You

Here goes Marvin Gaye again. You can’t leave off “I Want You.” Mr. Marvin Gaye was slick with it when it came to the sensual (but still classy) nature of his songs. Youngins’, if your parents and grandparents ever complain about your music being too raunchy, all you have to do is remind them that they listened to songs like this in their heyday.

• Release date: February 19, 1974
• From: G.I.T.: Get It Together

Here goes The Jackson 5 again. “Dancing Machine” is one of those songs that had an impact at the time of its release, and continued to influence afterwards. Most notably because Michael popularized the Robot Dance in the breakdown portion of this song, giving a glimpse of the future impact he would have with The Moonwalk and his other signature moves. I will never forgive the cameramen who decided to show everything but his footwork whenever it was time for him to do the robot—because why on Earth would you zoom in and make it a closeup on his—upper body. Why? Answers we won’t get in our lifetime.

• Release date: June 3, 1966
• From: Jimmy Ruffin Sings Top Ten

Warning: Avoid this song if you have recently broken up or are having relationship problems—it just might be the catalyst for a little bit of a crying session. "What Becomes of The Brokenhearted" by Jimmy Ruffin is that song that will do it to you, but sometimes a good cry is very much needed so…yeah…

• Release date: April 30, 1991
• From: Cooleyhighharmony

In 1991, Boyz II Men started singing and we all agreed that they indeed did "sound smooth." Classic New Jack Swing joint made by one of the all time great groups to come out of the 1990s. "Motownphilly" will always be one of those jams—Motown Jams to be exact.