Lyrics of Motown Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cloud Nine

After David Ruffin left the group and Dennis Edwards stepped into his rather large shoes, the Temptations went psychedelic. Apparently, Motown was trying to appeal to the "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" crowd. "Cloud Nine", "I Can't Get Next to You" and "Psychedelic Shack" all came out of this era.

It was distinctly different sound--just listen to "My Girl" and "The Way You Do the Things You Do" and then slap "Ball of Confusion" or "Cloud Nine" on the stereo--almost like two different groups. But, as far as I'm concerned, all of it is great!

Answer: Reflections

Another classic from the songwriting team, Holland-Dozier-Holland, "Reflections" was the first single released by Diana Ross and the Supremes (as opposed to just 'The Supremes'). It was also the group's first single without Florence Ballard. Ballard recruited friends Mary Wilson and Diane Earle (Ross' real name) to form a trio and she even sang lead vocals for a number of their early recordings. Ballard's downfall has been well-chronicled and was one of the primary inspirations for "Dreamgirls"--if you have seen the play or the movie, you know that the authors give her fictional counterpart, Effie White, a happier ending than Ballard had in real life. Ejected from the group and replaced by Cindy Birdsong in 1967, Ballard died from cardiac arrest (brought on largely by drug and alcohol abuse) in 1976.

She was 32 years old.

Answer: Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing

Released in 1968, "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" was one of the great duets that Marvin Gaye recorded with Tammi Terrell. "You're All I Need to Get By" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" were also hits for the duo. In 1967, Terrell collapsed on stage while performing with Gaye.

She was diagnosed with a brain tumor and passed away in 1970. As a solo artist Gaye, perhaps the most talented singer in the Motown line-up, recorded what many believe to be the greatest of the Motown singles in 1968--"I Heard It Through the Grapevine." His death--his father shot him to death after a shouting match in 1984--was a great loss.

Answer: Uptight (Everything's Alright)

"Baby, everything is alright. Uptight. Outta sight." I love this song, one of my favorites from the Motown catalog. No artist in the history of Motown, in my opinion anyway, consistently recorded such high quality music as did Stevie Wonder. "I Was Made to Love Her", "My Cherie Amour", "Superstition"--the list goes on and on.

Answer: Bernadette

One thing you can say for the Four Tops--their music had drama. And "Bernadette" may be the best example of that. The drama, in large part, comes from Levi Stubbs, who sings every song as if his life were on the line. There is one great moment in the song when everything stops--the silence lingers dramatically, creating enormous tension, which is then shattered by Stubbs' plaintive cry, "Bernadette!" Holland-Dozier-Holland, the brilliant in-house songwriting team who churned out dozens of hits, must have loved writing songs for the Tops.

After H-D-H left Motown, it is not surprising to note that the Four Tops fortunes declined and they never again found the same synchronicity with any other songwriters.

Answer: I'm Wondering

Stevie Wonder again. "I'm Wondering" was a great early Stevie Wonder tune. I always felt it had the feel of some of the later hits for the Jackson Five. If you listen to the lyrics, the singer was clearly distraught over the state of his love affair.

His girl loved another boy but he moved away and now Stevie is in love with her but is compelled to ask, "How can I make you love me a little more than you loved him?" Musically, however, the song was a joyful celebration; one must assume that Stevie's joy in singing and playing could not be snuffed out, even by an unrequited love. Killer harmonica solo, by the way.

Answer: Tears of a Clown

Bob Dylan once said that Smokey Robinson was "America's greatest living poet" and if you really stop to consider his entire body of work, Bob just might be right. This lyric from "Tears of a Clown" is my favorite bit of Smokey's poetry but there are many other classic examples: "Tracks of My Tears" which tells the same story as this song, contains some of my favorite Smokey lyrics. After being seen with another girl, the singer is still heartsick over the loss of his true love. Then why is he out with another girl? Simple explanation:
"Although she may be cute
She's just a substitute
'Cause you're the permanent one"

Answer: Too Many Fish In The Sea

"Too Many Fish In The Sea" was a great 1965 hit by the Marvelettes. This girl group's first hit--"Please Mr. Postman" became a number one. Despite this success, Berry Gordy put the company's PR resouces behind the Supremes. According to some sources, Gordy preferred the spit and polish image of the Supremes to the rough-edged, earthy Marvelettes.

The girls didn't help their careers much when they turned down a Holland-Dozier-Holland song in 1965. The Supremes recorded it instead and "Baby Love" became a major hit.

Then again, the Supremes never could have pulled off "Too Many Fish in the Sea" as well as the rough-and-tumble Marvelettes.

Answer: Shotgun

"Shotgun" is one of Motown's most flat-out 'fun' songs. First off, the music is great--funky with a soulful saxophone solo. That's fun. Then you have to imagine his girl dressed in high heels while she's out in the backyard digging up potatoes and picking tomatoes. That's kind of fun.

Then there's the misheard lyrics. At one point as the band heads into an instrumental break with Jr. on the saxophone, he calls out, "I'm gonna blow for ya." My wife always thoght that Jr. was saying, "I'm gonna grow funny." She thought that until a couple of years ago when I had to set her straight. I think she preferred it the other way.

Answer: Nowhere to Run

Rock critic Dave Marsh rates "Nobody to Run" by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas as one of the ten greatest songs of the rock and roll era. All of the Vandella's hits are great--"Heat Wave", "Quicksand", "Come and Get These Memories" and, of course, the phenomenal "Dancing in the Street". Martha and the girls, like the Marvelettes before them, were pushed aside by the Motown PR machine in favor of the more polished Supremes and they never achieved the superstardom they truly deserved.