Today’s classic song of the day is one of the biggest hits from Motown’s biggest group. It’s “Stop! In the Name of Love” by the Supremes—at that point in time, Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard. The single, released in February of 1965, rose all the way to #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.
“Stop! In the Name of Love” was one of dozens of hits written by the team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland (AKA Holland-Dozier-Holland, AKA H-D-H). It was produced by Brian and Lamont and the backing tracks were provided by the very talented members of Motown’s Funk Brothers, including Johnny Griffith on organ, James Gittens on piano, Joe Messina on guitar, James Jamerson on bass, Jack Ashford on vibes, and Benny Benjamin on drums. The Andantes provided additional backing vocals.
Lamont Dozier said he got the idea for the song after he was cheated on by his girlfriend. He recalled saying, in the heat of the moment, “Baby, please stop. In the name of love—before you break my heart.”
My granddaughter Hayley, when she was little, was a huge Motown fan—due, no doubt, to me being a big fan, too. She used to sing this one, along with the hand gestures, but didn’t get the words quite right. She used to sing: “Stop! In the name of go!” Which didn’t really make sense, but still. At the time, I tried pointing out to her what the right words were, but she wasn’t having any of it. “Go” was what she thought she heard, so “go” is what she always sang.
And here’s your daily bonus video of the day, the Supremes performing “Stop! In the Name of Love” on a special episode of the Ready Steady Go! television program called The Sound of Motown, hosted by Dusty Springfield and broadcast in the UK the evening of April 28, 1965. Their choreography on this one includes that famous “stop!” motion with their right hands—which my granddaughter Hayley had down perfectly.
