The Styrous® Viewfinder: the Miracles

Showing posts with label the Miracles. Show all posts

July 21, 2024

45 RPMs 83: The Supremes – Buttered Popcorn w/Florence Ballard lead

The Supremes ~ Buttered Popcorn

45 RPM record

On Friday, July 21, 1961, Tamla records released Buttered Popcorn, a song written by Motown executives Berry Gordy and Barney Ales, produced by Gordy, and released as a Tamla label single by the Motown singing group The Supremes.

Buttered Popcorn featured Florence Ballard on lead, rather than Diana Ross, but it is the only song with Ballard as the sole lead by The Supremes.

Buttered Popcorn was considered by Motown's Quality Control department to be the best song to be issued as the Supremes' second Motown single. However, Berry Gordy was determined that Ross should be the group's main lead and wanted the group's cover of The Miracles song, Who's Lovin' You to be the single's A-side. In the end, Gordy and Quality Control compromised; the Ballard-led song would remain the single's A-side, but the single would be promoted as if it was a "double A-side" one.

The Supremes ~ Who's Lovin' You

45 RPM record

photo by Styrous®

Stevie Chick of The Guardian, said that Ballard was 'A bold, big-voiced belter' and described the song as 'A piece of raw, ribald soul lacking the polish that gilded their [The Supremes'] later hits'. Also, 'Ballard growls salaciously on Popcorn that her boyfriend "likes it greasy, and sticky, and salty, and gooey", a knowingly saucy performance that somehow escaped the interference of Motown's infamous Quality Control department.' Bonnie Stiernberg of Paste wrote, 'the innuendo-laced track is not unlike buttered popcorn—salty, fluffy, and oh so good'

Both sides of the single received a lot of airplay on local Detroit stations, but problems arose. The first version of the song was withdrawn because it was considered "too raw", and a smoother take was released. Gordy did little to promote the single's A-side, and, some time later, the label discovered that the song could be conceived to have a scandalous "double meaning", and switch to pushing the B-side alone before ceasing promotion of the single altogether. (link to lyrics below).

Buttered Popcorn was considered by Motown's Quality Control department to be the best song to be issued as the Supremes' second Motown single.

Third Man Records, a new website, has started up and has announced an ongoing partnership with Universal Music to bring Tamla's classic early Motown records back to vinyl (link below).

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A - Buttered Popcorn, written by Barney Ales, Berry Gordy Jr.* - 2:34

Side 2:

B - Who's Loving You, written by William Robinson* - 2:44

Companies, etc.

Pressed By – American Record Pressing Co.

Notes:

Disc Jockey Advance Sample

Supremes* – Buttered Popcorn / Who's Loving You
Label:    Tamla – T-54045
Format:    Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: Jul 21, 1961
Genre:    Funk / Soul, Pop
Style:    Soul

Viewfinder links:

Buttered Popcorn lyrics

Nella Dodds
Berry Gordy

The Miracles

The Supremes

Temptations

Net links:

Classic Motown ~ The Supremes – Buttered Popcorn

Motown Junkies ~ The Supremes – Buttered Popcorn

Third Man Records ~ The Supremes – Buttered Popcorn

YouTube links:

The Supremes w/Florence Ballard ~ Buttered Popcorn

The Supremes ~ Who's Loving You

Styrous® ~ Monday, September 7, 2020

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July 18, 2024

The Miracles articles/mentions

mentions:

The Supremes ~ Buttered Popcorn

The Miracles

photo by Claudette Robinson

Music People

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November 28, 2020

Berry Gordy, Jr. ~ Motown & onward

Berry Gordy, Jr. - 1950's

photographer unknown

Today is the birthday of Berry Gordy III, born on November 28, 1929, and known professionally as Berry Gordy, Jr. He is best known as the founder of Motown records.

As a songwriter, he composed some of my favorite tunes, Lonely Teardrops and Reet Petite both recorded by Jackie Wilson; ABC sung by The Jackson 5, and on and on.

As a record producer, he launched the Miracles and signed acts like the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips and Stevie Wonder. He was known for carefully controlling the public image, dress, manners, and choreography of his acts. He insisted that his stars learn their trade as entertainers with mentors such as Maurice King, who taught them the rudiments of music theory, Cholly Atkins (choreography) and Maxine Powell (deportment).

By the middle of the 1960s, Scott began turning increasingly away from recording and performing to focus on writing and inventing with his remaining years spent solely on electronic composition. One of his innovations was an early programmable polyphonic sequencer and in 1971 tapped Raymond Scott to head the label's electronic music research and development team.

And incredibly, he built up the whole thing with an eight hundred dollar loan. Now, I call that remarkable!

Gordy received the Songwriters Hall of Fame's Pioneer Award on June 13, 2013, he was the first living individual to receive the honor.

In 1988, Gordy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama.

Gordy spoke at the memorial service for Michael Jackson in Los Angeles on July 7, 2009. He suggested that "The King of Pop" was perhaps not the best description for Jackson in light of his achievements, referring to him instead as "the greatest entertainer that ever ."

On Sunday, September 22, 2019, during a celebration to mark Motown label’s 60th anniversary at Orchestra Hall in Detroit, Berry Gordy announced that after 60 decades in the music business he would be retiring (link below).

Big Sean, Hitsville Honors - September 22, 2019