(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 to the "Poor Little Fool" post.)
The Marvelettes - "Please Mr. Postman"
Hit Number 1: December 11, 1961
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
"Please Mr. Postman" has been done about a million times. This easily recognizable song about a postman being bugged to death by the narrator about delivering a letter from their lover "so far away" was not just a hit by the Marvelettes, who were the group that originally did the song. "Please Mr. Postman" would later be redone by the Carpenters, and they would also take it to #1 in 1975 (so obviously, it will appear in this blog eventually). The Beatles would have a minor hit with it too. (Their version is an 8) The Marvelettes not only hold the distinction of being the first act to score a hit with this popular song, but they were also the first Motown act to have a #1 hit.
In the Marvelettes version, the most recognizable thing is lead singer Gladys Horton's somewhat raspy, gritty voice. They were accompanied by a group called the Funk Brothers who played the instruments on the track, along with Marvin Gaye (who will also appear in this blog) playing drums on the track. This version of "Please Mr. Postman" is a good song in its own right, but I do prefer the Carpenters' version instead. There are some good things to like about the song: Horton's voice, the sort of cheerfulness the song provides, and capturing that sort of feeling that any teenager would have in those days, when all you could literally do was wait for a letter that your boyfriend or girlfriend wrote to you. (Houses either didn't have phones, or their parents wouldn't let their teenage kids use them for extended periods of time) I think what kind of hurts this version of the song for me, however, is that I know that there is a better version coming up, and that this wasn't the best thing that Motown ever offered. (The Supremes are coming fairly soon) So while there is nothing to dislike about the song, I know that there are better things on the horizon concerning Motown and this song.
GRADE: 6/10
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