Where Did Our Love Go?: The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound

by Nelson George, Quincy Jones (Foreword)

Nelson George's chronicle of Motown Records' rise and fall remains a classic account of an essential American music company and its dynamic founder Berry Gordy Jr. Gordy's uncanny instinct for finding extraordinary talent--from performers and musicians to songwriters and producers—packed the label's roster with a who's who of historic artists and hitmakers. Here is the story of the Supremes and superstar Diana Ross, of the towering solo acts Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, of vocal groups led by the Temptations and Four Tops, of the phenomenal Jackson Five and Michael Jackson, and of singer/songwriter and Motown executive Smokey Robinson. Up front about Gordy's manipulative and complex relationships with his artists, George reveals the inner workings of how Motown conducted its business. He also offers portraits of the Funk Brothers and other musicians who played the unforgettable songs. George's preface shows how Motown influenced a later generation of young artists and music moguls, including R. Kelly, D'Angelo, Sean Combs, and Russell Simmons.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Biography, African American

304 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1986

About the author

Nelson George is an author, filmmaker, television producer, and critic with a long career in analyzing and presenting the diverse elements of African-American culture.

Queen Latifah won the Golden Globe for playing the lead in his directorial debut, the HBO movie 'Life Support'. The critically acclaimed drama looked at the effects of HIV on a troubled black family in his native Brooklyn, New York. He recently co-edited, with Alan Leeds, 'The James Brown Reader (Plume)', a collection of previously published articles about the Godfather of Soul that date as far back the late '50s. Plume published the book in May '08.

He is an executive producer on two returning cable shows: the third season of BET's American Gangster and the fifth airing of VH1's Hip Hop Honors. George is the executive producer of the Chris Rock hosted feature documentary, Good Hair, a look at hair weaves, relaxers and the international black hair economy that's premiering at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.


Nelson George serves as host of Soul Cities, a travel show that debuted in November 2008. on VH1 Soul. Nelson visited Los Angeles, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Memphis, New Orleans and the Bay Area. He eats food, visits historic sites, and hears lots of music. LaBelle, Robin Thicke, Babyface, Rafael Saadiq, Angie Stone and Jazmine Sullivan are among the many artists who talked with Nelson and perform. The second season starts shooting in Spring 2009.

Throughout the '80s and '90s George was an columnist for Billboard magazine and the Village Voice newspaper, work that led him to write a series of award winning black music histories: 'Where Did Our Love Go: The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound'; 'The Death of Rythm & Blues'; and 'Hip Hop America'. He won a Grammy for his contribution to the linear notes package on the James Brown 'Star Time' boxed set. George co-wrote 'Life and Def', the autobiography of his old friend Russell Simmons. He's also had a career writing fiction, including the bestselling 'One Woman Short', and the story, 'It's Never Too Late in New York', which has been in several anthologies of erotica.

As a screenwriter George co-wrote 'Strictly Business', which starred Halle Berry, and 'CB4', a vehicle for Chris Rock. His work with Rock led to his involvement with 'The Chris Rock Show', an Emmy award winning HBO late night series. He was an executive producer of Jim McKay's film, 'Everyday People', which premiered at the Sundance festival, and Todd Williams' Peabody award winning documentary 'The N Word'. In 2009 Viking will publish his memoir, 'City Kid', a look at the connections between childhood in Brooklyn and his adult career in Manhattan, Los Angeles and Detroit.

Reviews

[Kinga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nelson George has a nice style of writing about music. It is very unobtrusive. There are so many non-fiction writers these days that are trying to write non-fiction like a novel. They guess what the people were thinking and make some absurd far fetched assumptions. They describe dialogues and scenes that surely must have only happened in their own imagination and do whole arrays of another annoying things undermining their own credibility. Nelson George doesn’t do any of that. He only goes as far as the facts let him.

He doesn’t try to romanticise Motown story because there really is no need. The story is romantic enough. I learnt a lot of important things from this book. For example, did you know that Marvin Gaye’s father (called nomen omen ‘Gay’ - without the 'e') was a transvestite? And he shot Marvin dead! Also did you know Tammi Terrell didn’t have an affair with Marvin but she had an affair with David Ruffin from the Temptations? And can you blame her? Just look at Ruffin:


Of course Marvin himself was fine as wine and I would definitely let him have it (if he asked) but something about David Ruffin just made him look like that troubled and tormented artist some girls just can’t help but fall for.

Then there was of course Diana Ross and the Supremes. A sad story for Florence which repeated itself with Destiny’s Child (some called it Beyonce and the Destiny’s Child). I will always root for the underdog, so I will be on Florence (as well as LaTavia and LeToya’s) side forever.

I made a playlist on spotify while reading this book and I included all the songs and artists mentioned (not all from Motown). It made a really nice and varied list with lots Motown hits and more obscure tracks, as well some jazz, blues, northern soul, some doo wop and r’n’b, some funk. Here it is, all my European peoples - http://open.spotify.com/user/foxyxxx/... (everybody else, really sorry, I believe you are not allowed to have Spotify) .

Now no Music book review would be complete without a video.
Here is Rockwell. Rockwell is the son of Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown and man that made history (I mean Berry Gordy made history, his son only made this one video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YvAYI...

Also you just need to see this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01-2pN... the way he smiles while singing about atrocities of war - priceless.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I am a true blue Motown Records freak and have been since I was a kid and mowed lawns (hated it!) for money to buy my 45 RPM singles I decided to read this much praised book about the legendary record label. I pretty much gobbled it up like candy. It was an entertaining and easy book to read and really gives the reader a sense of how Motown Records was born and became so successful. It is quite detailed in describing the business dynamics involved as well as the musical journey. Mr. Gordy, its creator and founder, was certainly a visionary and his timing for the type of music Motown put out in its early (and best) years was perfect. Unfortunately, there is a less happy side to the story, involving grossly underpaid and unrecognized musicians ( I was shocked by how little they were paid to play on some of the classic records of all time!) and artists that were neglected, not developed, or relegated to the bottom of the Motown barrel because other artists seemed to be on a hot streak sales-wise. A few genuinely tragic stories are included, especially that of the inimitable Mary Wells (who was key to putting Motown on the map and charts), who one wishes would have put stayed longer with Motown and continued collaborating with Smokey Robinson instead of splitting for a lucrative deal with a label that only provided a few good songs to her (check out the Motownish "Ain't It the Truth") and failed to take her to the next level of her career. Also, of course there was the heartbreaking saga of Supreme "Flo", now tragically immortalized in "Dreamgirls". Some of the book's revelations are truly startling: that Marvin Gaye didn't much want to do "What's Goin' On" and then that Motown didn't think it would be commercial enough and only put it out because "What's Going On" was a smash hit. (The album sold better than any album they'd released previously and is considered a "socially conscious", career-defining classic. Motown Records in its early, Detroit-based phase before it was moved to L.A., was a magical sound created largely by jazz musicians from Detroit. Consider but a few of the following classic pop records that sound as good today as when they were recorded: "Dancing in the Streets", "What's Going On"; "My Guy"; "Reach Out (I'll Be There"; "You've Really Got a Hold on Me"; "The Tracks of My Tears"; "Baby Love"; "My Girl" "Where Did Our Love Go"; "Do You Love Me?"; "Fingertips"; "I Want You Back", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"...and many, many more; even many of the non-hits and B-sides on this label were fabulous. Once the label moved to L.A. they lost some of that original Motown music sound, yet continued enjoying success with The Jackson Five, The Commodores, Lionel Richie, etc. One other interesting point not mentioned in this book is that Motown Records, even fairly early on, was unafraid to tackle issues other labels wouldn't touch. As far back as the late seventies hey put out a song of gay pride called "I Was Born This Way" and even The Miracles recorded a song called "Gay in L.A." Motown was not only a great record label, but a brave, intelligent label. If you love Motown as much as I do, you will probably enjoy this book and its many wonderful photographs included.

[Jack Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

As far as I know, this is the most respected and critically lauded book on Motown. It's great (Motown is great). It's also about a fourth as long as it could be. If you need a compact summary of the label during its rise, peak, and the start of its decline, you got it here, complete with swift, effective profiles of most of the major singers, songwriters, musicians, and behind-the-scenes people. If you want an in-depth look at the music... Well, you'll get a lot of that here, too, but not enough! Why aren't there more long, thoughtful books on Motown? America: Motown is probably the best thing we've EVER DONE. Full stop! It just makes me wanna cry thinking about it! It's just so damn American... It's got it all! Black aspiration and black achievement! A sound that's both soulful and almost deadly efficient! Capitalism! The smartest, more biting lyrics on love ever put to pop paper! And more groovy tunes than really any singles production line can compete with. I've been down with this sound since I was a kid... We all have been, it's everywhere. What's astonishing to me is how fresh most of it still is. How can something be so familiar and still so stirring? (Granted, you have to turn it up. If you hear "Shop Around" quietly in Kroger, it probably won't have the desired effect. But crank "Can't Get Next to You" at the bar and good goddamn.)

So yeah, go to your local bookstore, check out the shelves. You'll see dozens of books on the overwrittenabout phenomenon that changed nothing that is "punk" and very little about Motown, one of the great achievements in 20th century popular culture. (You'll almost certainly NOT find this book; it's out of print (maybe because some of its stories still sting?) and I had to get it from Interlibrary Loan. Good ol' Ohio!) Why is this? This is a great story! The universality of Motown makes its hard to imagine that, back in the day, in was a fledgling indie label, a risky proposition for any businessman in the 1950s, and an almost suicidal one if you were a black businessman. Through good times and bad, Berry Gordy is the complicated, maddening hero of "Where Did Our Love Go." The themes that Nelson George returns to again and again, with an impressive lack of judgment, are the shrewdness of the Gordy family's aspirations; the tragic loyalty of Motown's people to Gordy's vision; the willingness of Motown to cheat its artists; the uniqueness and revolutionary nature (not usually stated explicitly) of the label's accomplishments. This is a book that both situates Motown in its time and place, even as it employs the language ("Rise and Fall") on an epic Shakespeare play. It's a book about business and it's a book about black history. It shows you what it costs (literally and figuratively) to make great art. Anyone who has ever geeked out about, oh, the many versions of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" must seek it out, as should anyone interested in the often beautiful, often horrifying saga of black artists in America.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

hits all the major points despite its 200 page brevity. the last chapter ain't nuthin' gut a heartache though. what a f'n tragedy for most of these people.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very readable, accessible even to someone like me who didn't previously know much about Motown or some of the artists. But readers who are more familiar with the music would get more out of it.

[John Gannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best Motown book.
I like that he finishes the story with Motown moving to L.A., where it became just another record company.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nelson George, one of America's most respected music writers, here presents a detailed yet concise history of Motown, or rather Classic Period Motown (1959-1971). The story of the label is as much the story of it's founder, Berry Gordy, as it is of the superb music created in the 1960s, and as such the first part of the book tells some of the history of the Gordy family, from their roots in the South to their move to Detroit and the deep, driving work ethic that was instilled into each generation - succeed, make money, be nobody's fool.

For a while it seemed that Berry Gordy would buck that trend as he drifts through various professions, even boxing, before settling on songwriting. Coming to realise that the only way to make money was to control every aspect of the business, from styling the artistes to writing, production and record distribution, Gordy's drive saw Motown emerge as the greatest black-owned business of its era. It was this iron control that enabled Motown to produce a long string of hit records that still endure to this day.

George isn't wearing rose tinted glasses though. He details all the ups and down, the harsh treatment of some singers, the ill-feeling created by what some saw as a lack of reward for their efforts. But, at its peak, Motown produced some of the greatest music of any era. The groups and singers who became superstars - Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, The Jackson 5 - crossed over into mainstream entertainment, changing popular music forever.

Where Did Our Love Go? is a great, unsentimental look at one of the pivotal labels in music history, the people behind it and the singers who became famous because of it. Recommended to anyone with a love of music, especially soul music.

[Peter Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was keen to re- live the music of my youth in the UK when it was ultra cool to listen to Black music and Tamla Motown figure strongly in that.This was quite entertaining and informative with perhaps a little too much technical detail for my non musical brain.But the stories of the rise of Motown made it a book worth reading.Sad also to read about Flo Ballard,David Ruffin etc .Surprised also to see how certain singers were not really promoted such as Brenda Holloway who sang the great song "Every bit hurts".

[Ron Coulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the 1960s, Motown released a string of pop masterpieces. By the mid-1970s the label was virtually irrelevant. What happened? Where Did Our Love Go? largely answers this question. Nelson George explores the personalities and inevitable conflicts that arise when money and power are at stake. At the center is the label's founder Berry Gordy. As the preface notes the book has no heroes, no villains - "just ambitious people."

[Jeff Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very straightforward story of the rise and fall of Motown. All the information is there but there isn’t much soul or drama to the book. I enjoyed learning about Berry Gordy and all the Motown artists and musicians but I would have enjoyed a book with a little more flair. It’s readable but not great.

[James G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable. Best though when reaching for higher points, but those are rare. Perhaps if there were more, it'd've pushed the length much further, as the author'd go in more depth, too, on the characters. Right now, the length is just-right.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was fine but I was hoping it would be a bit more in-depth. Enjoyed the early stuff best. Didn't realize Berry Gordy was such an accomplished songwriter pre-Motown.

[William Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This history of Motown Records and its people runs from the founding in 1959 as Tamala Records (becoming Motown in 1960) to 1986. It’s still a record company today, owned by Universal Music. As the first “Black” record company, and one of the first-ever hugely successful Black businesses, it’s unique. Motown hits defined the 60s and on into the 70’s with acts like the Supremes, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gay, the Jackson 5, and many others. The book has a fascinating Discography of Motown releases in the back.

Founder Berry Gordy is treated with equanimity, it seemed to me. He was a complex character, both messianic and petty. His embedded biography near the beginning is one of the most interesting aspects of the book. His story fades after Motown gets going, eclipsed by its stars.

I felt frustrated by the discussions of how Gordy ran the business. The information was factual, but not accounted for. I wanted to know why the salaries and royalties were what they were, for example, not just the fact of them. There are probably other books that analyze Motown from a business standpoint better than this one does.

This book’s strong point is its mini-bios of some of the major stars. I got some insight into Stevie Wonder, for example, learning how he was “adopted” almost as a Motown mascot in the beginning. The book offers good details about Florence Ballard, the Supreme who dropped out or was forced out at the height of the group’s fame. The Marvin Gaye story was also interesting.

The biographies of the personnel are highly abbreviated, though—just sketches. You would have to read full-fledged biographies of these individuals to learn more about them. It seems more biographical work could have been done with the relationship between Gordy and Smokey Robinson and Gordy and Diana Ross.

Another strong takeaway for me was insight into the role of the songwriters, producers and technicians who shepherd a song from idea to chart-topping hit. I could have used a lot more information on that, especially about songwriting and revision strategies.

The main weakness of the book is also its strength. The research that produced page after page of well-documented detail tends to become encyclopedic recitation. Nelson weaves the information into a reasonable narrative, yet it is really a LOT of information. Would it have been a better book by taking just a handful of important themes and teasing them open more organically? Nelson’s chronological approach tends to info-dumping.

There are hundreds of books on Motown Records. I only read this one, and it fulfills my level of curiosity about the history of Motown Records. My wish for more well-rounded stories is not strong enough to make me read more books on the topic (though I did enjoy and recommend the popular documentary of the Funk Brothers: “Standing in the Shadows of Motown.” See it on YouTube and elsewhere). If you only want one easy-reading overview of this topic, this is the book to choose.

[Jim Milway · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up on Motown and I spent much of my business career in strategy. This book has them both. We get insights into the big stars - Smokey, Marvin, Stevie, Diana, Flo & Mary, et al. But we also follow the business success and decline of Motown. Barry Gordy had insights in how to spot black music talent and equally important how to support and package this talent for mass appeal. He figured out the economics of distribution and the importance of consistency in his brand. He knew the benefits of presenting his talent is a good light and instituted a charm school for his Motown stars. He recognized the appeal of the choreography of his groups and had talent on board to coach and train.

One of the key insights I learned in my consulting career is that most successful businesses fade. Most business models are not impervious to changes in the competitive environment and internal elements. Sooner or later, competitors, like Stax, became formidable rivals. Gordy helped many black performers become rich and famous - but to hear from many of his stars, he exploited them financially. To be fair, we don't hear his side of the story. His advantage form having the best talent withered as his stars found more alluring contracts. And the technology so important to the music business got better and better in Los Angeles, not Detroit. Motown faded.

The author was hamstrung by not having any access to the secretive Barry Gordy. It would have been spectacular to have that perspective in the book. But it's pretty good book without it.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 of 2025. 4 out of 5 stars.

Where Did Our Love Go? The Rise of Fall of the Motown Sound chronicled the life of Berry Gordy; his early years in Detroit coming from a big family to running the biggest and important musical institution in music history, Motown.

My overall thoughts: While some of the language in this book is dated, I still enjoyed reading the oral history of how Motown came to be the juggernaut for popular music. Some of the information mentioned in this book I already knew, but I liked how the author highlighted each artist and group and what they contributed to Motown. It feels fever dream ish reading a book about Motown from the eighties through a 2025 lens. This book is good though. The author was honest and didn’t let bias get to him about Berry Gordy. He gave an honest critique. I would recommend this book for people who are music fans or wanting to know the formation of Motown.

[Jonny Brick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from dated descriptions of women (it was 1985!), this is an excellent summary of how Berry Gordy created an empire that, at its height in the mid-1960s, defined popular song, what the author calls 'careless joy'. With this history written (without Motown's involvement, for the better) when he was in his mid-fifties, Gordy's legacy is given a time-capsule appraisal that remains more or less true as he approaches the age of 95. Obituarists will gut and fillet this book.

[Malcolm Balster · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a story that we hear more and more. One man's strive to make money from the talents of others. Berry Gordy Jr saw how pop music could make his fortune and Nelson George tells the story of the rise of Motown and then the decline, in a very readable way. Motown was a place where so much control was in the hands of one man, and the artists themselves were restricted in what they could do, say or even sing. A good read for anyone with an interest in pop music and culture.m

[Jack Attack Reads Da Facts! · Rating 4 out of 5]

this took me SO long but was a great retelling of how Barry Gordy came to power, the language was engaging and I loved learning about the motown sound

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written history of the great record label. If you love the music, this is a good place to get the back story.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relatively short book covering such an intentional label, but it was a good overview.

[Savannah Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nelson George is a little fucked up, but mostly in an endearing, great-uncle kind of way. Like his views aren’t aging well but he’s an interesting dude.

[BarbaraW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good history other than didn’t get into great detail about Diana and Jackson 5. Stevie could’ve been expanded too. Written by a journalist so stuck to minimum surface facts.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well-researched and swiftly paced history of Motown, the label whose music is one of America's great cultural contributions along with jazz and baseball, but also a somewhat perfunctory and lifeless one.

It's probably a book that should have been a hundred pages longer, allowing George to really delve into the stories of the groups, executives, and musicians who made Motown what it was, but Motown's notoriously close-ranked business model prevented George from getting anything other than the company line. As Robert Christgau notes in his introduction, "Motown has always fed the press pap and expected unmitigated subservience in return." The whole book is worth it, however, just for the final chapter alone, which stands as a 12-page eulogy for Motown.

No matter how dictatorial Berry Gordy was or how the artists and musicians who played on these records had contracts more akin to indentured servitude, the music is what speaks the loudest in the end. The songs hold up nearly 50 years on, and that cannot be taken away from anyone documented in these pages, even if the trail left in Motown's wake is filled with betrayals and heartbreak.

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Long chapters that were so disorganized, it was hard to follow where the author was headed to or who he was talking about. It was a lot of dense information packed tightly in very long chapters.

[Mills College Library]

781.64409 G3486 2007