Martha and the Vandellas were already established stars in the US by the time “Dancing in the Street” was released, with two albums and six Motown singles behind them, including the top ten hits “(Love is Like a) Heatwave” and “Quicksand.” “Dancing in the Street” would take their fame to the next level, reaching an international audience.

“Dancing in the Street” was not only Martha and the Vandellas’ biggest hit, but also one of the songs most identified with the classic Motown period. However, on first hearing Marvin Gaye’s demo of the song, Martha Reeves wasn’t impressed. In an interview with connect.in.com in February of this year, she noted:

“Dancing in the Street” soon developed a dual personality. Some people, Martha Reeves included, interpreted it as a party song, while others viewed the lyrics as a rallying call for increased militancy on the issue of civil rights. With racial tensions high in this period, some radio stations actually banned the song. It’s easy to see why lyrics such as “Calling out around the world. Are you ready for a brand new beat?” could be politicized in the context of the time, but it’s doubtful that the songwriters intended this.

Martha and the Vandellas – “Dancing in the Street”

Martha Reeves is still touring today and “Dancing in the Street” remains one of the most anticipated songs in her set. In an interview with National Public Radio (NPR) in February of this year, she said of the song:

Authorship

“Dancing in the Street” was written by William “Mickey” Stevenson, Marvin Gaye and Ivy Jo Hunter – not to be confused with either Ivory Joe Hunter or Motown pianist Joe Hunter.

It was Stevenson who had discovered Martha Reeves singing in a Detroit nightclub three years before and invited her to audition for Motown. After a period doing secretarial and A&R work for the label, along with backing vocals for artists such as Gaye, Martha and the Vandellas were signed to the label in 1962.

Recording date/location

“Dancing in the Street” was recorded on June 19, 1964 at Hitsville USA (Studio A), which is located at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan.

Musicians

Martha and the Vandellas were:

• Martha Reeves – lead vocals
• Rosalind Ashford – backing vocals
• Betty Kelly – backing vocals.

Instrumentation was provided by the legendary Motown house band, The Funk Brothers, with Marvin Gaye sitting in on drums:

• Robert White – guitar
• Eddie “Chank” Willis – guitar
• Joe Messina – guitar
• James Jamerson – bass guitar
• Jack Ashford – percussion
• Henry Cosby – saxophone
• Thomas “Beans” Bowles – saxophone
• Russell Conway – trumpet
• Herbie Williams – trumpet
• Paul Riser – trombone
• George Bohannon – trombone
• Marvin Gaye – drums
• Ivy Jo Hunter – percussion.

Ivy Jo’s contribution was to support the drum part by banging a crowbar or tire iron against the floor.

Chart performance

“Dancing in the Street” peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 11, 1964, sandwiched between Manfred Mann’s “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” at number one and Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” at number three.

The single hit number 21 on the UK Singles Chart in 1964 and then number four when re-released in 1969.

Covers

Mick Jagger and David Bowie – “Dancing in the Street”

Mick Jagger and David Bowie had a number one hit in the UK with their cover of “Dancing in the Street” in 1985. The charity single was recorded to benefit the victims of the Ethiopian drought. Both singers had fun with it.

Everly Brothers – “Dancing in the Street”

The Everly Brothers’ trademark harmonies are used to good effect on their 1965 cover of the song, which appeared on their album “Rock ‘N’ Soul.” This is much more Nashville than Detroit and never quite catches fire in the same way as the original, but it’s enjoyable and well performed.

Van Halen – “Dancing in the Street”

Van Halen included a slickly produced rock cover of “Dancing in the Street” on their 1982 album “”Diver Down,” with a good vocal from David Lee Roth and impressive contributions from Eddie Van Halen on both synthesizer and guitar. The original backing vocals were so well conceived that it was a wise choice to mimic them here.

This was also released on single, peaking at number 38 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

There will be a new Song of the Week on July 11.

Martha and the Vandellas’ “Dancing in the Street” is available on the 2008 reissue of the album “Dance Party,” as well as numerous Martha and the Vandellas’ compilations and Motown hits collections.

Title
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas – Dance Party (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas – Definitive Collection (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now

“Thank You Mr Churchill” is Frampton’s fourteenth studio album and the first since “Fingerprints” from 2006.

The Funk Brothers is the nickname of the session musicians who played on most of Motown’s recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972, including classics such as “My Girl,” “Baby Love,” “Tears of a Clown,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Their story is well told in the 2002 documentary “Standing in the Shadows of Motown.”

The Funk Brothers appear on the track “Invisible Man.”

“Invisible Man” – Peter Frampton

“Thank You Mr Churchill” reunites Frampton with producer Chris Kimsey, who was the engineer on Frampton’s first solo record, 1972′s “Wind of Change.” The pair hadn’t worked together in 30 years, but were reunited via Facebook.

As well as the Funk Brothers collaboration, “Thank You Mr Churchill” includes collaborations with Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron and, for the first time, Frampton’s son Julian. Frampton says:

You can buy “Thank You Mr Churchill” now from Amazon (US) or via import from Amazon (UK).

Gaye died after his father shot him in the heart during a violent argument at his home in Los Angeles.

Marvin Gaye signed with Motown in 1960 and went on to be the label’s biggest selling solo artist of the decade, with classic hits such as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” and “Ain’t That Peculiar.”

The high quality work continued into the 1970s, with albums like “What’s Going On,” “Let’s Get It On” and “I Want You.”

All told, Marvin Gaye had 18 songs in the US top ten, including three number ones – “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968), “Let’s Get It On” (1973) and “Got To Give It Up” (1977). He also hit the top ten with eight albums. His last top ten album in the US was “Midnight Love” from 1982, which included the Grammy winning song “Sexual Healing.” This was his final album and his first for Columbia. Rolling Stone ranked “Midnight Love” number 37 on its list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 80s.

Despite the success of “Midnight Love,” Gaye had a problematic and sometimes reclusive last year, struggling with drug addiction and reportedly owing the IRS $4 million in back payments. It’s rumoured that a duets album would have been his next project, involving artists such as Jermaine Jackson and Dionne Warwick. Given the quality of his earlier duets with Tammi Terrell and Diana Ross, this could have been a real treat.

Here’s some classic Marvin Gaye performances.

Marvin Gaye – “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)”

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”

Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”

Marvin Gaye – “Let’s Get It On”

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Head over to our Motown video section to watch some of the all time Motown greats perform, including The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye.