"Jimmy Mack" is a
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
/
soul
The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
song that in 1967 became a hit single by
Martha and the Vandellas
Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1973 as Martha Reeves & the Vandellas) were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1957. The group achieved fame in the 1960s as a major act for Motown Records. Formed by friends Annett ...
for
Motown
Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
's Gordy imprint. Written and produced by Motown's main creative team,
Holland–Dozier–Holland
Holland–Dozier–Holland, often abbreviated as H-D-H, was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the ...
, "Jimmy Mack" was the final Top 10 pop hit for the Vandellas in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, peaking at No.10 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1967 and at No.1 on the
''Billboard'' R&B Singles chart. ''Billboard'' named the song No.82 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.
History
The song, with a lead vocal by the Vandellas' lead singer
Martha Reeves
Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is an American R&B and pop singer. She is best known for being the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas, which scored several major Hot 100 hits such as " Nowhere to Run", "Heat ...
in the 1967 version, is sung from the point of view of a woman who longs for the return of boyfriend "Jimmy Mack". The woman is being courted by another suitor, who she says "talks just as sweet as" her long-gone Jimmy, and she hopes for Jimmy to return before she falls for the other man.
The inspiration for the song came from a 1964 music industry awards dinner, which
Lamont Dozier
Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit. He co-wrote and produced 14 US '' Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK.
Career
Dozier was a ...
attended. At the ceremony the mother of songwriter
Ronnie Mack accepted an award for her son, who had recently died, for his composition "
He's So Fine
"He's So Fine" is a song written by Ronnie Mack. It was recorded by the Chiffons who topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for four weeks in the spring of 1963. One of the most instantly recognizable golden oldies with its ''doo-lang doo-lang do ...
". Under pressure to come up with a hit for Reeves and the Vandellas, Dozier and the team penned this song in part as a tribute to Mack the writer.
"Jimmy Mack" was originally recorded in 1964 when
Annette Beard
Annette Beard, also known as Annette Helton or Annette Sterling, (born July 4, 1943) is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul music, soul singer. Beard is best known for her work with Motown and as an original member of the singing group Ma ...
was still a part of the group. The song was shelved because the Motown Quality Control team felt the recording was not suitable for release because it sounded too much like a
Supremes
The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...
song. Like
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
The Miracles (later known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1955. They were the first successful recording act for Motown Records and are considered one of the most ...
' later hit, "
The Tears of a Clown
"The Tears of a Clown" is a song written by Hank Cosby, Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder and originally recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Tamla Records label subsidiary of Motown, first appearing on the 1967 album '' Make It ...
", "Jimmy Mack" was pulled from the vault two years later and released as a single in early 1967. By that time, the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
had become a highly debated issue among the American public. Thus, Reeves' sentiment that her "Jimmy Mack" return took on a different meaning for many listeners, particularly those stationed overseas.
"Jimmy Mack" was a success, peaking at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the second and final Vandellas single to top the Billboard R&B chart. "Jimmy Mack" was also a hit in Britain, reaching No.21. The song had been included on the Vandellas' LP ''
Watchout!
''Watchout!'' is the fourth studio album and fifth album overall by Martha and the Vandellas, released on the Gordy (Motown) label in 1966. The album included the top 10 hit singles, "I'm Ready for Love" and " Jimmy Mack" and the ballad single, ...
'', issued a month before the single release. For nearly forty years, "Jimmy Mack" was presented in either
monaural
Monaural sound or monophonic sound (often shortened to mono) is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or ''stereo'', which uses two separate audio channels to reproduce so ...
sound or in a mix culled from an alternate take. A true stereo mix of the original single master was not done until 2005, for The Motown Box, then appearing in 2006 on the compilation ''Martha & the Vandellas: Gold''.
Personnel
*Lead vocals by
Martha Reeves
Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is an American R&B and pop singer. She is best known for being the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas, which scored several major Hot 100 hits such as " Nowhere to Run", "Heat ...
*Background vocals by
Rosalind Ashford
Rosalind "Roz" Ashford-Holmes (born September 2, 1943) is an American soprano R&B and Soul music, soul singer, known for her work as an original member of the Motown singing group Martha and the Vandellas.
Early years
Born Rosalind Ashford on ...
and
Annette Beard
Annette Beard, also known as Annette Helton or Annette Sterling, (born July 4, 1943) is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul music, soul singer. Beard is best known for her work with Motown and as an original member of the singing group Ma ...
on album version;
Betty Kelly on 45 version
*Additional (harmony) background vocals by
The Andantes
The Andantes were an American female session group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by M ...
: Marlene Barrow, Jackie Hicks and Louvain Demps
*Instrumentation by
The Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972.
Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...
Sheena Easton version (1986)
The Scottish singer
Sheena Easton
Sheena Shirley Easton (; born 27 April 1959) is a Scottish singer and actress who achieved recognition in an episode of the reality television series ''The Big Time (TV series), The Big Time: Pop Singer'', which recorded her attempts to gain a ...
recorded "Jimmy Mack" for her 1985 album ''
Do You Do You may refer to:
* ''Do You'' (album), an album by Sheena Easton
* "Do You..." (Miguel song), a song by Miguel
* " Do You (Bro'Sis song), a song by Bro'Sis
* "Do You" (Ne-Yo song), a song by Ne-Yo
* "Do You", a song by Jay Sean from '' All o ...
''. It was released as a single in early 1986 and reached number 65 on the
US Singles Chart in February 1986.
References
See also
*
R&B number-one hits of 1967 (USA)
In 1967, ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' published a weekly record chart, chart ranking the top-performing singles in the United States in rhythm and blues (R&B) and related African American-oriented music genres; the chart has undergone va ...
List of cover versions of "Jimmy Mack"at SecondHandSongs.com
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1967 songs
1967 singles
Martha and the Vandellas songs
Songs written by Holland–Dozier–Holland
Song recordings produced by Lamont Dozier
Song recordings produced by Brian Holland
Gordy Records singles