This classic song is yet another Lamont Dozier composition with the Holland brothers this time with Ron Dunbar. However, the credit on the label is to Edythe Wayne and Ron Dunbar. At the time the trio were in dispute with Motown (and had just set up their own record label Invictus) so required a pseudonym.
Hearing this always takes me back to the League Cup semi-final of 1970 when Dumbarton played Celtic at Hampden (twice.) At the first game – or the replay, I forget which – this came over the tannoy.
Freda Payne: Band of Gold
(There’s a clip of Payne singing this on a US TV show here but it’s followed by an extensive advert.)
Another to add to this week’s list. Lamont Dozier, one third of that superb Motown hit writing trio Holland-Dozier-Holland has also died. It is fair to say that it was their song-writing abilities along with the prowess of the Funk Brothers that made Motown.
The Holland-Dozier-Holland Wikipedia page has a list of their songs. These are only the US hits that made the top ten there.
Many at the time considered the following to be a love song. It is in fact codedly political.
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas: Nowhere to Run
I’ll be posting more Lamont Dozier songs in the future.
Lamont Herbert Dozier: June 16/61941 – August 8/8/2022. So it goes.