Showing posts with label Martha and the Vandellas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martha and the Vandellas. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Girl Groups: Top 100 Songs

Girl Groups:

Top 100 Songs

Girl groups emerged in the early days of rock and roll. They were typically vocal groups with three or more singers and could be viewed as the female version of doo-wop. However, while the term “girl groups” is typically associated with the ‘50s and ‘60s, this list reflects how such music is not restricted to those decades. This list was created by aggregating over 20 lists and then taking all those songs appearing on 2 or more lists and ranking them based on overall DMDB points.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

  1. Martha & the Vandellas “Dancing in the Street” (1964)
  2. The Ronettes “Be My Baby” (1963)
  3. Spice Girls “Wannabe” (1996)
  4. Sister Sledge “We Are Family” (1979)
  5. The Supremes “Baby Love” (1964)
  6. The Supremes “Stop! In the Name of Love” (1965)
  7. The Shirelles “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (1960)
  8. The Supremes “Where Did Our Love Go” (1964)
  9. The Supremes “You Can’t Hurry Love” (1966)
  10. The Andrews Sisters “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’ (1941)

  11. The Marvelettes “Please Mr. Postman” (1961)
  12. TLC “Waterfalls” (1994)
  13. The Emotions “Best of My Love” (1977)
  14. Martha & the Vandellas “Heat Wave” (1963)
  15. The Chordettes “Mr. Sandman” (1954)
  16. TLC “No Scrubs” (1999)
  17. The Bangles “Walk Like an Egyptian” (1986)
  18. The Dixie Cups “Chapel of Love” (1964)
  19. The Chiffons “He’s So Fine” (1963)
  20. Destiny’s Child “Independent Women” (2000)

  21. The Shangri-La’s “Leader of the Pack” (1964)
  22. The Supremes “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (1966)
  23. The Crystals “Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)” (1963)
  24. The Crystals “He’s a Rebel” (1962)
  25. Destiny’s Child “Say My Name” (1999)
  26. Martha & the Vandellas “Nowhere to Run” (1965)
  27. The Shirelles “Soldier Boy” (1962)
  28. The Supremes “Love Child” (1968)
  29. The Supremes “Someday We’ll Be Together” (1969)
  30. The Chiffons “One Fine Day” (1963)

  31. The Pussycat Dolls with Busta Rhymes “Don’t Cha” (2005)
  32. The Bangles “Eternal Flame” (1988)
  33. The Chantels “Maybe” (1958)
  34. LaBelle “Lady Marmalade” (1974)
  35. The Angels “My Boyfriend’s Back” (1963)
  36. The Supremes “Come See About Me” (1964)
  37. The Shangri-La’s “Remember Walking in the Sand” (1964)
  38. The Shirelles “Dedicated to the One I Love” (1959)
  39. The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” (1982)
  40. The Crystals “Then He Kissed Me” (1963)

  41. The Weather Girls “It’s Raining Men” (1982)
  42. The Supremes “I Hear a Symphony” (1965)
  43. The Bobbettes “Mr. Lee” (1957)
  44. Martha & the Reeves “Jimmy Mack” (1967)
  45. The Supremes “Back in My Arms Again” (1965)
  46. The Toys “A Lover’s Concerto” (1965)
  47. The Go-Go’s “Our Lips Are Sealed” (1981)
  48. The Pointer Sisters “I’m So Excited” (1982)
  49. En Vogue “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” (1992)
  50. The Supremes “Reflections” (1967)

  51. The Chordettes “Lollipop” (1958)
  52. The Pointer Sisters “Slow Hand” (1981)
  53. Fifth Harmony with Ty Dolla $ign “Work from Home” (2016)
  54. Wilson Phillips “Hold On” (1990)
  55. The Exciters “Tell Him” (1962)
  56. Sisters with Voices (SWV) “Weak” (1993)
  57. Destiny’s Child “Survivor” (2001)
  58. The Supremes “Love Is Here and Now You’re Gone” (1967)
  59. The Jaynetts “Sally Go ‘Round the Roses” (1963)
  60. The Shirelles “Baby It’s You” (1961)

  61. En Vogue “Hold On” (1990)
  62. Destiny’s Child “Bootylicious” (2001)
  63. Paris Sisters “I Love How You Love Me” (1961)
  64. The Pointer Sisters “Fire” (1978)
  65. The Ad Libs “Boy from New York City” (1965)
  66. The Poni-Tails “Born Too Late” (1958)
  67. All Saints “Never Ever” (1997)
  68. The Essex “Easier Said Than Done” (1963)
  69. Bananarama “Venus” (1986)
  70. The Dixie Cups “Iko Iko” (1965)

  71. Silver Convention “Get Up and Boogie (That’s Right)” (1976)
  72. TLC “Creep” (1994)
  73. Wilson Phillips “Release Me” (1990)
  74. The Ronettes “Baby I Love You” (1963)
  75. The Murmaids “Popsicles and Icicles” (1963)
  76. The Crystals “There’s No Other Like My Baby” (1961)
  77. The Supremes “When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes” (1963)
  78. The Shirelles “Mama Said” (1961)
  79. The Crystals “He’s Sure the Boy I Love” (1962)
  80. Bananarama “Cruel Summer” (1983)

  81. The Ronettes “Do I Love You?” (1964)
  82. The Supremes “Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart” (1966)
  83. Jade “Don’t Walk Away” (1992)
  84. The Supremes “The Happening” (1967)
  85. Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue “Whatta Man” (1993)
  86. TLC “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” (1992)
  87. The Cookies “Chains” (1962)
  88. Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” (1963)
  89. TLC “What About Your Friends” (1992)
  90. The Pointer Sisters “Automatic” (1984)

  91. Spice Girls “Say You’ll Be There” (1997)
  92. The Shirelles “Tonight’s the Night” (1960)
  93. Salt-N-Pepa “Shoop” (1993)
  94. Sugababes “Freak Like Me” (2002)
  95. The Chiffons “Sweet Talkin’ Guy” (1966)
  96. En Vogue “Don’t Let Go (Love)” (1996)
  97. The Crystals “Uptown” (1962)
  98. The Supremes “My World Is Empty without You” (1965)
  99. En Vogue “Free Your Mind” (1992)
  100. The Ronettes “Walking in the Rain” (1964)
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First posted 4/14/2020; last updated 5/11/2021.

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Friday, August 22, 2014

50 years ago: Martha & the Vandellas chart with “Dancing in the Street”

Dancing in the Street

Martha & the Vandellas

Writer(s): William Stevenson/Ivy Hunter/Marvin Gaye (see lyrics here)

Released: July 31, 1964

First Charted: August 22, 1964

Peak: 2 US, 4 CB, 8 GR, 2 HR, 2 RB, 4 UK, 3 CN, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.)

Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.2 UK, 1.21 world (includes US + UK)

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 3.0 radio, 12.89 video, 170.01 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

Martha Reeves was a secretary at Motown who had sung backup on Marvin Gaye’s hits “Stubborn Kind of Fellow” and “Hitch Hike” SS when she got the opportunity of a lifetime – she was given the chance to record a demo. RS500 The song, “Dancing in the Street,” was originally offered to Kim Weston, who would later marry William Stevenson, RS500 one of the writers, but she turned it down. NRR As Stevenson says, though, “When Martha got into the song…that was the end of the conversation!” RS500 She said, it “was Mickey’s greatest gift to me.” SS

Stevenson says the inspiration for the song came from riding through Detroit during the summer with Marvin Gaye, another of the song’s writers. To let the kids cool off, the city would open up the fire hydrants to release the water into the streets. Stevenson says, “They appeared to be dancing in the water.” SF In an amusing twist, Gaye sang backup on the song for the singer who used to sing backup for him. SS

Writer Paul Williams called it “the quintessential hymn of revolution.” PW Indeed, the song came at the peak of the civil rights movement which could lead one to interpret the song as a call to “mobilize for freedom. But even if taken on its own terms as intended by its creators – just a joyous celebration of music and dancing – this is a classic.” SS

Of all the dance songs ever written, none come as close as this one to “conveying not only the physical experience but the emotional tenor of what it means to dance publicly.” MA The song’s “primal rhythms [are]…so simple anyone can groove to it and so infectious everyone does.” AMG As “the quintessential hymn of revolution, riot, and rapture” it makes everyone want to join the party. PW Music historian Steve Sullivan says “no record exemplified the mergence of rhythm & blues’ new golden age like ‘Dancing in the Street.’” SS

Resources:

First posted 8/22/2011; last updated 2/3/2023.

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