Motown Records is one of the most celebrated labels in music history. In 1959, an aspiring songwriter and record producer named Berry Gordy Jr. borrowed $800 to start his own record label in Detroit. With over 50 Billboard Hot 100 number one singles, the label’s output was staggering. Yet for every song that sat atop the charts, there were others just as brilliant that somehow slipped through the cracks. These are the forgotten Motown gems that should have ruled the world.
1. “The Tracks of My Tears” – Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (1965)
“The Tracks of My Tears” arrived in 1965 on the group’s brilliant record Going to a Go-Go and quickly shot up into the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It’s actually confusing as to why “The Tracks of My Tears” didn’t hit #1; the song is one of the smoothest compositions in pop history. Kicking off with a plangent solo introduction by Marv Tarplin, the Miracles’ guitarist from the beginning of their Motown career, this tune about the false public face of a heartbroken lover builds slowly in power, rising on one of Smokey’s most affecting vocal performances. It is the kind of record that feels timeless in the truest sense.
Possibly the most elegant song ever written by Robinson, it failed to reach No. 1 on the R&B charts, cresting at No. 2, and peaked at No. 6 on the pop list. But it has enjoyed a long life via hit covers by Johnny Rivers and Linda Ronstadt and its moving use in such feature films as “The Big Chill” and “Platoon.” The song proved that true artistry has no expiration date, even when the charts refuse to reflect it at the time of release.
2. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell (1967)
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” is a song written by American singers and songwriters Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla label, a division of Motown. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and became a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes frontwoman Diana Ross. First released in April of 1967, it peaked at only #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on Billboard’s Hot Rhythm and Blues Singles chart. For a song of this magnitude, those numbers feel almost impossible to believe.
British soul singer Dusty Springfield wanted to record the song, but the duo declined, hoping it would give them access to the Detroit-based label. The Gaye and Terrell version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, and is regarded today as one of the most important records ever released by Motown. The song’s enduring cultural power was proven again when in the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy, the original version was used in the epilogue, and was part of Peter Quill’s Awesome Mix Vol. 1 cassette tape.
3. “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” – Jimmy Ruffin (1966)
“What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” is a hit single recorded by Jimmy Ruffin and released on Motown Records’ Soul label in the summer of 1966. It is a ballad, with lead singer Jimmy Ruffin recalling the pain that befalls those who were jilted by romantic partners. The tune was written by William Weatherspoon, Paul Riser, and James Dean. Composers Weatherspoon and Riser and lyricist Dean had originally written “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” with the intention of having the Spinners record it. Jimmy Ruffin, older brother of Temptations lead singer David Ruffin, persuaded Dean to let him do the tune, as its anguished lyric about a man lost in the misery of heartbreak resonated with the singer.
The song reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on the R&B Chart. Ruffin’s lead vocal is augmented by the instrumentation of Motown’s in-house studio band, the Funk Brothers, and the joint backing vocals of Motown session singers the Originals and the Andantes. “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” remains one of the most-revived of Motown’s hits, having been covered by artists including Bruce Springsteen, Paul Young, and Rod Stewart across multiple decades.
4. “I Wish It Would Rain” – The Temptations (1968)
Often overshadowed by every other hit song they made around the same time, the Temptations’ “I Wish It Would Rain” deserves endless flowers. Composed by Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong and Roger Penzabene, this is the moment where David Ruffin becomes the star everyone else thinks he became on “My Girl” or “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” Though it didn’t hit #1 on the Hot 100, “I Wish It Would Rain” peaked at #4 and feels pretty incomparable in the Motown catalog. The track arrived at a moment when Motown was quietly evolving beyond pure pop polish.
Ruffin would be gone from the group by the end of the next year, but his stardom was solidified here, as “I Wish It Would Rain” is, without a doubt, one of the greatest Motown ballads of all time. The song captures raw vulnerability in a way that few pop records of any era have matched. The Temptations were undisputed royalty during the ’60s, and their amazing harmonies produced hit after hit, yet this quiet, devastating ballad remains one of their most overlooked achievements.
5. “Jimmy Mack” – Martha and the Vandellas (1967)
Martha and the Vandellas spun this Holland-Dozier-Holland composition into a solid gold Top-10 hit. “Jimmy Mack” features one of the best group performances ever, as Martha Reeves, Rosalind Ashford and Annette Beard are just firing on all cylinders across the near-three-minute runtime. As was custom in the era, the Funk Brothers provide the instrumental and take it to the stratosphere. The record had everything a number one single needed, from an irresistible groove to a performance that radiates pure confidence.
Inspired by the death of “He’s So Fine” songwriter Ronnie Mack, Lamont Dozier paid tribute to the late doo-wop multi-hyphenate with one of the catchiest Motown songs ever. It was originally recorded in 1964 but shelved for over two years before finally getting an official release. That delay likely cost the song its moment at the top of the charts, as trends had shifted slightly by the time audiences finally heard it. The injustice is real – this was a number one song that never got its proper shot.
6. “Just Look What You’ve Done” – Brenda Holloway (1967)
Brenda Holloway might be one of Motown’s most heartbreaking tales, woefully underappreciated for her incredible vocal abilities and unparalleled presence. Partly as a result of her location in Los Angeles, rather than Motown’s Detroit stomping ground, and her desire to write and record her own work, the awe-inspiring vocalist was largely shunned by Gordy and the label. Geography and creative independence cost her dearly in an era when loyalty to the Hitsville system was everything.
Even captivating singles like “Just Look What You’ve Done” went unjustly underpromoted. By all logic, the track should have been a hit upon its release in 1967. With the songwriting power of both R. Dean Taylor and Frank Wilson behind it, along with the perfection of Holloway’s performance, it could have been an all-time Motown classic. Instead, it reached 69 in the singles chart and was subsequently forgotten about. Despite recording multiple tracks for Motown, V.I.P., and even Motown UK, Clark never scored a major hit on the label, which remains one of the greatest injustices in the history of soul music. Holloway’s voice deserved far more than the margins of Motown’s catalog, and “Just Look What You’ve Done” remains the clearest proof of that lost opportunity.
