I wrote this a few years ago, and its still true.
Singling out the best
October 4th, 2006
Ever since RCA Victor introduced the 45 RPM record in 1949, millions of singles have been released on the format. One stands above them all: Motown M1157.
I've repeated these words dozens of times since I stumbled across a $.59 copy at a hole in the wall record store in Philadelphia - "Close your eyes, I'm about to put on the greatest single of all time."
You have to start with the B-side. Drop the needle and the first thing you hear is a few measures of Rhodes electric piano before Michael Jackson starts in with "When I had you I treated you bad and wrong my dear ..." with a startling passion that belies his age - he was only 11 years old.
The year is 1969, the song is Smokey Robinson's "Who's Lovin' You" and the group is the Jackson Five. In my opinion, it's quite possibly the greatest b-side of all time - and it is certainly the most heart-stopping, jaw-dropping, remarkable performance from a pre-teen that ever has been or will be. It's not hard to see how Michael could burn out the way he did when he was absolutely slaying people before he even reached puberty.
"Who's Lovin' You" is fairly simple slow-burning blues ballad, but production crew The CorporationT (Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards and Alphonzo Mizell) makes the most with its minimal elements. The bass line is the foundation, creating a rock-solid groove with the drums while a guitar bathed in tremolo strums the occasional punctuating chord. Over all this Michael coos and pleads with incredibly mature melisma. He drags out the phrases, "I-I-I-I-I should have never, ever, ever made you cry" and really drives it home with raw emotion
An 11-year-old isn't supposed to have pitch like that, range like that. His "All I can do, all I can do, since you been gone is cry" can't possibly be from personal experience, but he sells it with all his soul.
The ending is the best part, my favorite 30 seconds of music ever. The band keeps crawling along at the same pace while Michael's shouts become more and more frantic. The last note he hits - "who's lovin' you" - is about an octave higher than even Smokey Robinson himself could hit, which is saying a hell of lot. It never fails to give me chills.
And that's the motherfucking B-side.
Before people even have time to gather their composure after the needle lifts, I like to hit hit them with the A-side. It's the most recognizable intro in Motown history. That piano glissando into that strident bass line - Oh. My. God. It's the most sure fire get-them-all-on-the-dance-floor track there is, even now, 27 years later.
"Oh baby all I need is one more chance (Show you that I love you) / Won't you please let me (back in your heart) / Oh darlin' I was blind to let you go (let you go baby) / But now since I see you in his arms (I want you back)."
The structure of the song is a basic I / IV / vi / iii / IV / I / ii / V / I, with a call-and-reponse chorus and an absolutely unforgettable bass line. Once again Michael's vocal performance is immediately arresting. It's easy to forget looking back after all he's been through, but this is a child making his recording debut. It's a momentous moment in pop-music history and beyond that it's a great fucking song.
I've worn out the grooves on my copy and I could still listen to it every day without losing any of the personal awe it inspires. I'm not one of those people that thinks Michael is a freak anyway, but even if he has 50 kids buried in his backyard, that doesn't diminish that he ranks up there with The Beatles, Sam Cooke and Frank Sinatra as titans of 20th century popular music. "I Want You Back" backed with "Who's Lovin You" started all that for Michael, and the combined impact of those two perfect pop creations make Motown M1157 not only the greatest Motown single, the greatest pop single, the greatest soul single, the greatest single from a man who would go on to have the greatest selling album of all time, but simply the greatest single of all time.
