The soul of Motown

Motown music held a special appeal for young women in the 1960s and 70s. Maybe something about the blues-influenced lyrics struck a chord with their own experiences, says Teesside’s resident expert, Dr Barry Doyle.

Blasting on to our radios in the early 60s, Motown music combined a distinctive dance beat with lyrics exploring the trials and tribulations of romantic life. The label's impressive names included The Supremes, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops and Marvin Gaye. UK number ones in the 1960s included The Supremes' 'Baby Love', 'The Four Tops' 'Reach Out I'll be There' and Marvin Gaye's 'I Heard it through the Grapevine'.

Teesside's resident expert Dr Barry Doyle, right, reels off his amazing knowledge of Motown gleaned from five years researching the influence and history of the Detroit-based record label.

Did you know, for instance, that a British Motown tour in 1965 featuring Stevie Wonder and The Supremes needed a British white singer - Georgie Fame - to boost audiences? Or that by 1967 Motown acts were more popular in Britain than The Beatles?

Dr Doyle, Assistant Dean for Research in the University's School of Social Sciences & Law, is a long-time Motown fan. His first Motown record was The Jackson 5's 'Doctor My Eyes' at the age of 11. Over 30 years later Stevie Wonder's 'Uptight' and The Velvelettes' 'Needle in a Haystack' can be found in the selections on Barry's iPod.

He began exploring the Motown phenomenon in 2001, when researching the popularity of Northern Soul music: "I noticed a common link in the record collections of women in their 40s. Usually there was a David Cassidy record and a Motown chartbusters album. Why did women of this age like this sort of music? I started my research from this basis."

His investigations drew together music and popular culture, and the social life of women in the 20th century. Dr Doyle says: "In the 1960s and early 1970s, the era of Motown's first stage of popularity, there was a growth in opportunities and salaries for young women. This meant that for the first time in the post-war era, young women had more money to keep for themselves."

He has several theories as to why the Motown sound was more appealing to females. He said: "You could describe Motown lyrics in the second half of the 60s as a litany of distress, the majority were all about loss. Motown founder Berry Gordy described the lyrical content of the label as, 'romantic but realistic'. And this linked with women's experiences. The lyrics were influenced by blues music, suggesting the idea that romance is dangerous."

The combination of the lyrics with a gospel-influenced dance form makes Motown a joyous form of music even if it doesn't have a joyous lyric. And this chimed with the domestic life experienced by many young women in the second half of the 1960s. "They faced a contrast between their own romantic aims, of wanting to fall in love, against the more earthy view of older relatives that romance and sex were unimportant, that relationships have to be worked at. Motown's music fits very much into that image of the world, and women seemed to identify with this."

During the 1970s, some Motown acts explored social issues in their material, most notably Marvin Gaye's 1971 album 'What's Going On', which included songs about the Vietnam War and homelessness. Although this album was critically acclaimed, it was less successful commercially and Motown's commercial success started to decline through the 70s as the label faced competition from different musical forms.

Dr Doyle said: "As the 70s progressed, Motown artists demanded more independence and the label became more of a Conservative corporation. What Motown fans may not realise, however, is that the label enjoyed most of its UK number ones in the early 1980s. These hits included work by artists Lionel Ritchie, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson. Fans may not rate 'I Just Called to Say I Love You' against 'Uptight' but they were big hits in their day."

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