(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 Supremes - "You Can't Hurry Love"
Hit Number 1: September 10, 1966
Stay at Number 1: 2 Weeks
I've got to hand it to the Supremes. This is the era where they start to lose me a little bit, and when they began to dive into more mature topics rather than their cutesy love songs, their musical quality diminished. At least for me, I guess. This was seen in the pretty unexciting "I Hear a Symphony". But then they released "You Can't Hurry Love", an upbeat energy ball of a song about a girl recalling her mother's words to her about love. "You can't hurry love/No you'll just have to wait/She said love don't come easy/It's a game of give and take", is what she remembers her mother telling her. This was when the Supremes started drifting away from what made them great, but was before they forgot what the hell they were doing.
"You Can't Hurry Love" is based upon a gospel song "(You Can't Hurry God) He's Right On Time", instead it's switched around to make a love song, instead about God. It's a high quality piece of song craft, fronted with Diana Ross' signature voice, and that Motown "feel" to it that was starting to drift away from the charts. Motown had peaked during the mid-60s, but their popularity and fame started to drift away in the later part of the decade, thanks to the psychedelic era. The Four Tops would have one more #1 hit (which will be in here VERY soon), but other than that the Supremes would be the only thing that kept Motown running for a few years. Songs like "You Can't Hurry Love" were the ones that kept them afloat, before the Supremes too fell flat on their face. This is not that time.
There really isn't a whole to say about "You Can't Hurry Love', it's just a good song. Of course, I've gotta love Ross' voice, but the upbeat style to it works like a charm. Love certainly doesn't come easy, and for some, it may seem like it'll never come at all. Maybe they should take heed to this girl's mother's advice. This makes the song easy to relate to for a lot of people as well. And of course, I can't write about the song without bringing up Phil Collins' cover version, which made it into the top ten in 1983. (He nailed the cover. It's an 8. He'll also eventually appear in this blog several times) His version almost works as the one us guys can listen to, and relate to. So whether you're in love, or you're still searching, there's no denying the greatness of "You Can't Hurry Love". It's a solid brick wall of a song, and one that won't be forgotten about for a long time. If ever.
GRADE: 8/10
JUST MISSED:
The Beatles' mind-numbing, crazily drunken (and one of the few Ringo Starr sang lead on) "Yellow Submarine" peaked at #2 behind "You Can't Hurry Love". It's a 5.
SONGS REFERENCED:
The Supremes - "I Hear a Symphony"
Phil Collins - "You Can't Hurry Love"
MY INSPIRATION / MORE INFORMATION:
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