Recorded - September 17, 19 and 20, 1968
Released - September 30, 1968
#1 for weeks of November 30 and December 7, 1968.
When I did my overview of 1968, I realized all too late that I forgot to mention what Motown Records was up to. Holland-Dozier-Holland, one of Motown's major songwriting teams, parted ways with the label the previous year. This naturally meant that all of the singers they wrote for had to rely on new songwriters. Even the singing groups who kept their same production teams changed their sound big time. Late in '68, The Temptations released "Cloud Nine", which not only showcased all of the group on lead vocals, but also a growing genre called "Psychedelic Soul". Another song of this genre was The Supremes' "Love Child".
Actually, the trio were no longer just "The Supremes", Diana Ross and The Supremes was what they were referred to now. It didn't help that the other two Supremes had been featured less and less. In fact, Florence Ballard was fired in '67, and replaced by Cindy Birdsong. To top it all off, the only Supreme who sang on "Love Child" was Diana. Backing vocals were given to The Andantes, a group of singers that sang backup on a number of Motown hits. So much for a democracy.
"Love Child" was written by a whopping five songwriters: A collective who called themselves "The Clan". I already have a bias against singers who don't write their own material. However, I usually let it slide for Motown, purely because the material was mostly golden. Regardless, the themes of "Love Child" were quite mature compared to something like "Baby Love". Diana Ross sings about not wanting to take it to the next step with her boyfriend, to avoid becoming a teen mother. This was a theme that was downright daring to sing about, even in '68.
The "Psychedelic Soul" sound I referred to earlier is essentially funk music with a more poppy production. There is also quite a variety of instruments in "Love Child". The most prominent of these is a string part that soars up high in the sky. There is also some rather funky guitars, which get your attention right away as they're placed right in the beginning of the song.
Do I think this song deserved to be a #1 hit? Well, I do commend the writers for coming up with such a daring topic. Yet, I can't shake the fact that this song was corporately written, by five faceless songwriters. Thus, none of the emotion expressed in the vocals is genuine. It may be 1968, and it may be a good sounding song. Yet to me it foreshadows modern times, when endless numbers of songwriters work on a pop song that the singer has no input on.
Final Verdict - Despite how I feel about the song's pure pop nature, I do like the music, lyrics, and vocals. Motown may have changed their sound, but we still have a long way to go until Disco essentially shredded any remaining fragments of older R&B. I'd say it deserved to be a hit, but perhaps not as high as #1.
Last Up For 1968 - "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye.
Until Next Time, I'm Dr. Rock and I'm a rock child -
No comments:
Post a Comment