Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

If someone told me back in 2019 when Achille Lauro arrived to Sanremo with his Rolls Royce that 1,5 years later I'll be expecting and excited about his album I would have laughed that off as a good joke. Yet here I am, listening to 1990 that is filled with covers or rather reworked versions of 1990's hits with guest stars like Alexia, Annalisa and Eiffel 65 liking it a lot. Truth to be said I kinda liked Rolls Royce but didn't quite dare to say it to even to myself aloud. Come Sanremo 2020 and Me ne frego and his fabulous outfits night after night, after the 1990 single, 16 Marzo and this summer's Bam bam twist . I'm a fan. Against all odds.  This album will be for the youngsters a similar discovery box as Janet Jackson's Janet album was with all its countless Motown samples. 

copyright  www.davechoate.com We just celebrated Motown legend Diana Ross's 75th birthday but today and tomorrow marks both the birthday and death of another Motown legend: Marvin Gaye.  He would have been 80 on April 2, 2019. Instead he was shot dead by his own father on eve of his 45th birthday on April 1, 1984. Songs have been dedicated to his memory by Diana Ross and Commodores among others, and likes of Madonna feat. Massive Attack and Cyndi Lauper have covered his songs. Let's remember him with some of his major hits and my personal favorites:

My very first musical crush was Diana Ross. My very first LP I owned was also a Diana Ross album. Once I discovered her I have followed, listened and bought her music ever since going also back to her The Supremes songs - my favorite group ever - and found also Motown, a company I have felt so passionate for and the Motown sound never bores me, I could listen to it anyday, anywhere. If I hear their music in shops or bars it always lifts me. And Diana Ross was and is the Queen of Motown and a living legend. And she's 75 today. Happy birthday my one and only, true Diva! Too many songs to choose from but below are some of my favorites from the past six decades...

End of the road. End of Motown. Boyz II Men was the last huge Motown act. End of the road was their first of their five #1's. With it their broke the decades old record by Elvis Presley as the most consegurive weeks at #1: 13. They would break it themselves with I 'll make love to you (14) and One sweet day (with Mariah Carey) that stayed on top for 16 weeks.  The usual conflicts with contracts and label's decisions made the group leave Motown and see their fame and success disappear. However they later recorded a cover album of Motown classics..... End of the road indeed. This is a good point to end this series of Motown hits. (Some specials might follow later though.... ;-p) I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed relistening the good old Motown sound, and dig deeper into song's hostory and chart action!

Erykah Badu is one of the most interesting and succesful new Motown artists in the past 20 years. Bag lady off her first Motown album Mama's gun in 2000 provided her biggest chart success, US #6. It's second of her three top-20 hits in the US. Her latest album so far came out in 2010, and she has been featured in various solo singles, as well as featured artist and she's touring the world all the time.  

Take me higher is Diana's so far last chart hit (#1 in Billboard Dance charts, #32 UK) in 1995, 35 years after the very first The Supremes release. She was also back to Motown after 8 years with RCA in 1981-87. It was also her 5th US Dance chart topper, off from her album of the same name. Since then she has released only two studio albums...

By 1990's Motown was coming to an end as we know it and Shanice and her I love your smile is one of the last big hits it provided, US #2 as well UK #2. The curiosity is the mix included laughter by Janet Jackson - keep it in the Motown family! Shanice has been also acting and doing musicals, and keeps recording even if her latest chart appearance is in 2009.   The song has been covered by R'n'G , Tiffany Evans, Kaori Kobayashi and Ukrainian Julia Voice. It has been sampled or mentioned in Talib Kwell's Eardrum album and Zimbabwean Roki's Zuva neZuva

Johnny Gill signed to Motown for his solo career and scored an US#3 (#1 in r'n'b) hit  with Rub you the right way in 1990. Johnny started in New Edition and has then moved from singer to acting and today he's again in a group Heads of State aka BGT with fellow New Edition members Bobby Brown and Ralph Tresvant besides his solo projects.   

Part-time lover is Stevie Wonder's 9th (out of 10 so far) US #1 in 1985 following the success of I just called to say I love you earlier. The song hit the #1 spot in four different Billboard charts simultaneusly - a first ever!  In UK it reached #3 and charted all over the globe. Luther Vandross, Stevie's ex-wife Syreeta Wright and Earth, Wind & Fire's Philip Bailay are providing the backup vocals.    Puerto Rican Bobby Valentin brought the song to Latin charts the year after. 

Say you, say me is Lionel Ritchie's 5th (and last so far) solo US #1 single in 1986. It also won both Oscar and Golden Globe as the best original song from a movie (White nights), but it wasn't included on the movie's soundtrack album because Motown didn't want the lead single off his album to be on another label. Fair enough. In 2012 Lionel re-recorded the song with Danish Rasmus Seebach (Tommy's son) for his duets album, and it went to #3 in Denmark.

After Lionel Ritchie left Commodores in 1982 the group's members kept changing, and even if the band is still active, Grammy winning Nightshift in 1985 is their last major hit (US #3, UK #3). The song was written and dedicated to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson who died the year before. What's going on by Gaye is mentioned in the song, as are Wilson's (Love keeps me lifting) Higher and higher as well as Baby work out.In 2010 they released a new version dedicated to Michael Jackson and his 1,2,3 and I'll be there as well as Rock with you are mentioned, along with many late singers.   Winston Groovy has recorded the song and dedicated to Bob Marley. Fantasia sampled the song into her Lose to win

DeBarge family from Detroit was to become the new Jackson family and released albums for Motown in early 1980's. However, Rhythm of the night in 1985 was their only Top-5 hit, #3, and is more remembered as the song that kickstarted Diane Warren's career and she has became one of the most succesful songwriters ever. The song was  co-produced by Giorgio Moroder.  Soon after song's success El and Bunny signed solo deals with Motown, while the group was dropped after it was evident most of the members were on drugs, except El who had a zero tolerance. A few years alter it was finished altogether when Bobby and Chico were arrested for drug trafficking.... Meanwhile the liaison with Jackson family came reality when Janet married secretly James DeBarge in 1984. The marriage was annulled the year after though. The song charted also well in Europe (UK #4).   Covers include the one by Valeria for Moulin Rouge soundtrack, 911 , and in Spanish by Sophy

After the success with Ashford & Simpson produced and penned The Boss Diana wanted to make a new album with the Chic members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, after seeing them in concert with her daughters. They had seen three drag queens perform as Diana in a night club and it was getting clear Diana was about to leave Motown so they came up with I'm coming out. The song became a #5 hit in US and #13 in UK in 1980, but it's true power would reveal itself only in the years to come. Since 1980 Diana has basicly opened every concert of her with it in one form or another. And most of all the song has become a real LGBT anthem, underlining the coming out theme and significance. The song has been covered and sampled by many and used in films and advertising and in various campaign but it remains a true Diana Ross signature song.  And how could we forget the iconic NYC Central Park concert in the storm?

Rick James releases Superfreak in 1981 and it features backing vocals by The Temptations (Melvin is his uncle) and it became a #1 in the Dance charts while stopping at #16 in Top-100. It got nominated for a Grammy and became Rick's signature song. Rick passed away in 2004. Today the song is maybe better known us MC Hammers U can't touch this. .....   MC Hammer sampled it heavily in 1990's U can't touch this (US #8, UK #3), and it has been sampled to countless songs ever since: Jay Z, Gucci Mane , GZA/Genius, Disiz La Peste and Banda Uó for example. It's been covered in various genres by Beatfreaks (UK #7), Big Daddy, Mordred

Stevie Wonder scores his second #1 (out of 10 so far) with Superstition, his first single off the highly succesful Talking book album that he wrote, mostly played and produced himself. Up and coming guitarist Jeff Beck was included in the recording of the song, and Wonder mostly improvised it all in the studio while writing and paying the song. Originally he was to give it to Beck's new band to release first but it was delayed and Gordy predicted a smash hit so he pushed Wonder's version out first as the lead single.    The song has been covered live by many, and featured in films like The Thing. 

The Temptations would take this song to #1 and win three Grammys in 1973 with it, but it was originally recorded by another Motown group: The Undisputed Truth in 1971. Their  original version only went to #63, and pretty much forgotten these days as the Temps made it theirs so well.  Anyways, this is a real weird single track as even the single mix almost 7 minutes long, and the album one over 12 minutes! It also has four different lead vocalists and the instruments keep changing and variating.  It would also be The Temptations fourth #1 and also the last. In UK this went to #14.    Countless cover versions have been recorded and performed throughout the decades, including Bill "Wolf" Wolfer with backing vocals by Michael Jackson, Issac Hayes with Soul II Soul's Charlotte Kelly,   Seal , Was (Not Was) , George Michael , Craig David and many others. Run-D.M-C sampled it to their Papa Crazy as did Montenegrin Eurovision star Knez in Autom...

Not even the queen of pop has avoided recording a Motown classic. Marvin Gaye releases I want you in April 1976 and scored a #15 US hit as well as #1 in Billboard Hot r'n'b/Hip hop charts, and widened his success even to a new disco era public.  Massive Attack was asked to participate in the Marvin Gaye tribute album in 1995 and was ment to record this with Chaka Khan. Various legal problems between labels led to Madonna, an origina Detroit girl just like Motown, to do it instead. They however never met but Madonna was so pleased with the finished product she included it in her own compilation album as well and released it even as a  promotional single and video. Legality problems between Motown and Madonna's label prevented the commercial release she would have wanted as the lead single off the album.... The song is co-written by Arthur T-Boy Ross, Diana's brother. Diana recorded her version of the song in her 2007 album.... Pet Shop Boys used the lyric...

In height of her career Diana Ross released The Boss album and single in 1979. Ashford & Simpson worked their magic and Diana delivered some of the most amazing vocals ever. The single made it to #1 in Billboard Hot Dance Club Party and #12 in R'n'B but only #19 in Hot-100. Howver it's one of her signature songs, at least for this blogger. Love it more than I can say.  David Morales remixed this in 1993 and  Almighty in 2009 among others.   In 1997 The Braxtons took the song back to #1 in Dance charts and #31 in the UK.  The song hit the #1 in Dance charts again in 2008 by Kristine W ! The song was covered in her tour also by late Whitney Houston

"I love you. I want you. I need you." Hence three times a lady. This Lionel Richie penned song became the first #1 for the Communards. It also topped the charts in UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia - among others - in 1978.    Nate Harvell took the song to #28 in the country charts the same year, and Conway Twitty to #7 in 1983, Countless other covers have followed later: a1 , The Shadows , Kenny Rogers