From the collective pens of the legendary Motown songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland comes today’s classic song of the day, “Something About You.” This 1965 single by the Four Tops went to #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on Billboard’s R&B chart.
Holland-Dozier-Holland, also known as H-D-H, was Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Brian’s brother Eddie Holland. They were a major force at Motown Records in the 1960s, writing and producing dozens of hits for the Tops, the Temptations, the Supremes, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and more. After they left Motown in 1968 (over a contract dispute), they formed their own record labels, Hot Wax and Invictus, and had even more hits with Freda Payne, Chairmen of the Board, the Flaming Ember, and others. As songwriters, H-D-H produced 28 top ten hits, which makes them one of if not the most successful songwriting team of that era. The trio was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
The Four Tops, of course, were one of Motown’s top vocal groups, helped along to no small degree by the terrific songs that H-D-H wrote for them. The Tops (Levi Stubbs, Duke Fakir, Obie Benson, and Lawrence Payton) scored ten top twenty hits with H-D-H songs: “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” “It’s the Same Old Song,” “Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s Over),” “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” “Bernadette,” “7 Rooms of Gloom,” “You Keep Running Away,” and today’s classic song of the day, “Something About You.” The combination of the Four Tops singing H-D-H songs was magical.
And here’s a treat for you. Today’s daily bonus video of the day is Levi Stubbs and the Four Tops performing “Something About You” on television back in 1965. They were, simply, the best.
