(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please refer down below)
The Four Tops - "Reach Out I'll Be There"
Hit Number 1: October 15, 1966
Stay at Number 1: 2 Weeks
Motown's peak was crashing down. After a two-year run of brilliance and success, music was starting to shift drastically. Like we've seen, garage rock and psychedelia was creeping in, and that was something Motown couldn't offer. They cranked out a countless amount of soul hits, with their main artists being primarily the Supremes and the Four Tops, and for a while, that's all they really needed. They had a great set-up going with their main songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holland writing all the songs, and one of these two bands would record it, and it would become a hit. Several times, they were chart-toppers. But that couldn't last forever. 1966 was a turning point for music, but also for the Motown label. Hard times would come upon them, but they gave America one last soulfully symphonic song in the form of the Four Tops' "Reach Out I'll Be There".
Perhaps the most notable thing about this song is lead singer Levi Stubbs' powerful voice, almost like he's shouting and singing at the same time. This could have been an experiment by Eddie Holland, part of Holland-Dozier-Holland. In a 2014 interview, Four Tops' member Duke Fakir said that Holland realized when Stubbs hit the top of his vocal range, it sounded like someone hurting. He made him sing like that on the song, and he would even reach a little bit further, and sing even higher. Fakir said that when Stubbs would do that, it would sound like there were "tears in his voice". Honestly, that is the best thing about this song, among many other things.
"Reach Out I'll Be There" is a grand symphony of a song, one that drips with emotion and persuasion. Along with Stubbs' masterful vocals, the other Tops singers carry a melody of their own, and backup Stubbs, while also having their own separate spotlight. The beginning drum pattern sounds like a horse galloping, and the chorus is like the sun shining through the clouds. The line "Just look over your shoulder!", was apparently a line Stubbs threw in on a whim, but even that fits into the puzzle perfectly. We all know there's a countless amount of love songs, but "Reach Out I'll Be There" is a great love song, while also making it crystal clear that the narrator is someone you can depend on, and someone who could also be described as a great friend. The performance on it is amazing.
This is not the last time we will hear from the Motown label, and far from it. But their greatest era was coming to a close, and from here on out, it'll seem like a label that was lost, and tried way too many things, with none of them quite working the same. The psychedelic era pretty much ruined Motown temporarily. But if you were going to have one song be the exclamation point on your greatest era, it'll be hard to top a song like "Reach Out I'll Be There".
GRADE: 9/10
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