100 Songs That Have Moved Me | Song #009: "Standing in the Shadows of Love" (1966)

[luxken27]

Title: "Standing in the Shadows of Love"
Artist: Four Tops
Composers: Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland
Producers: Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier
Release Date: November 28, 1966
Peak Chart Position: #2 (R&B)
Album: Reach Out (1967)

Rolling Stone metadata:

Rank: #470

Blurb: Like so many other Motown hits, "Standing" features the popping bass of James Jamerson. He was such a monster player, his fellow musicians called him "Igor"; Marvin Gaye called him a genius. (Source)

Words about the artist:

The Tops could do no wrong in 1967, as a string of follow-ups achieved transatlantic hit status. 'Standing In The Shadows Of Love', 'Bernadette' and 'Seven Rooms Of Gloom' all retained enough of the 'Reach Out...' flavour to ensure popularity, yet each possessed a distinct character of its own. Vocally the most distinctive feature separating the Tops' releases from other uptempo Motown sounds of the day was undoubtedly Stubbs' intense, impassioned lead performance. (Source)

Levi Stubbs’ bold, dramatic readings of Holland-Dozier-Holland’s tailor-made material set a high standard for contemporary soul in the mid-Sixties. It was the songwriting trio’s idea to reshape the Four Tops from a close-harmony group to one with a distinct lead vocalist (Stubbs), while Payton, Benson and Fakir provided harmonies, background vocals, and occasional leads or co-leads. In addition, it was decided to highlight Stubbs’ upper range, where his raspy, anguished vocals most soulfully communicated the passion of Eddie Holland’s lyrics. “Sometimes we cut in keys a little high for him to force him to reach for the notes,” Holland told writer Stu Hackel. (Source)

How this song moves me:

This song makes me want to get up and move. The video I chose to represent it up top is a great example of what I mean ~ I can't listen to this song and not want to sing along, or dance, or at least gesture dramatically. It's in the melody, the harmony, the lyrics, the gruff defensiveness of Levi Stubbs' voice, the smooth James Jamerson bassline. In short, this is music that crawls under my skin and makes me feel alive again.

This isn't my favorite Four Tops song (which is this one), but it shares a lot in common with it. I love the vocals - aggressive and defensive at the same time, as he pleads with his woman to not break his heart. I love the catchiness of the tune, and how imminently singable it is. The structure of the song (and, to some degree, the lyrics) strike me as something of a response to Diana Ross and the Supremes' "Stop! In the Name of Love" - no surprise, considering both tunes were penned by the magical H-D-H team. Its both sides of the coin, two different shades of insecurity, betrayal, and hurt/rejection. As a hopeless romantic, I find these songs intriguing for this potential to evoke such differing emotional responses.

I'm surprised by how much I enjoy the defensive attitude of the lyrics - usually this sort of attitude is one I find tedious and righteous, but (in some circumstances) understandable. It's hard to accept being the "dump-ee", especially when you're blind-sided by it. This is a great way to channel that sort of pre-emptive anger, and is a less creepy way to deal with these sorts of feelings than the Temptations' equally-catchy "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" :P