Mary Wells ~ My Guy 1964 Soul Purrfection Version

I have been thinking about the current state of pop music and how we have come to rely on that music to help us forget about our problems for a few minutes and then get on with what we need to do, humming away when we need to. The radio was always on when I woke up in the mornings, and the songs I choose for Motown Mondays are being reaped from that era....they played right along The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones.

All of their music played for the first time on radio and the first time I heard it and I instantly was imprinted in my psyche. I was four years old when Mary Wells hit #1 in 1964 in my native Detroit. Motown ran that scene, never was there such a musical force that bred the artsy side of Detroit in so irrestible a way that it united people, black and white on such a scale that it helped to break down that wall.

Those years were the most tumltuous, change had to happen but so many were fearful of a progressive future that required constant adapting that they regressed by simply returning to old conservative ways by any means necessary. Essentially you have people who want to keep things the way they are, because they cannot or do not want to change even if it is for the betterment of society as a whole because why fix something that aint broke. This current state of chaos that seems to be sweeping the world needs somewhere to turn away from that and be reminded that there have been good things from the past and there are still many good things to be in the future.

For me, this song inspires happiness, as pure as that feeling is when you are 4. A good many of my cat loving followers are expressing their deepest feelings here on this channel for songs that remind them of good times from the past and reminisce, which is what this channel is all about. I want you to feel good and raise your spirits. Once you give this one a listen, you might feel as light as sunny spring day like I do.
It peaked at #1 the week of May 16, 1964, making her a first in so many ways like the first #1 for Motown Records, she was the first to record for that label, the first to benefit from the production and writing skills of William "Smokey" Robinson, and the first Motown artist to place a Top 10 single with "The One Who Really Loves You".

She was also the first to leave the company and her career never recovered from the change. She got work in the offices of Motown knowing she would eventually record, but could not read or write music. That did not deter Berry Gordy Jr from putting her career together with the best music they had to offer. When "My Guy" was released it was the perfect spring lovefest song that helped to restore a sonic balance after the brutal assassination the nation was reeling from with the death of President John Kennedy. This is when The Beatles and Motown really hit and topped the pop charts, we needed something to turn to and they were there. I have always turned to these classics and remember how it made crazy things a little easier to deal with.