Top 109 Motown songs

Happy birthday, Motown! Fifty-three years ago today, the first single was released on Tamla Records. It was Come to Me by Marv Johnson, a pleasing slice of doo-wop with surprise flute. I love Motown and happily devour it to excess. There is so much of it, after all – so many genius takes on the famous Sound of Young America beat.

Below are my 109 favourite Motown songs, starting with the very best. It is a list I put together over two years ago, following a request from a faraway friend. Perhaps the request didn't specify quite so many tracks, arranged in order; obsession just works that way. Of course two years later, I'm sure I could minutely rearrange it (and again tomorrow), but I shall hold myself back.

A lot of the choices seem obvious (they are classics after all), but hopefully there are enough surprises to lend a personal touch. There is a noticeable lean towards the Four Tops and Stevie Wonder. I don't care, because the list is mine. What is important is that all of these songs fill me with joy. They make me dance and cry. Motown was a hit machine at the poppier end of the soul spectrum, often lacking the grit of Southern soul. But to me, that does not make the music any less valid or powerful. The voices sing, the music snaps, and my feet dance...

1. Reach Out I'll Be There – Four Tops (1966)

2. The Tracks of My Tears – The Miracles (1965)

3. What Becomes of the Brokenhearted – Jimmy Ruffin (1966)

4. Superstition – Stevie Wonder (1972)

5. Every Little Bit Hurts – Brenda Holloway (1964)

6. Dancing in the Street – Martha & The Vandellas (1964)

7. I Want You Back – The Jackson 5 (1969)

8. Where Did Our Love Go – The Supremes (1964)

9. This Old Heart of Mine – The Isley Brothers (1966)

10. I Heard It Through the Grapevine – Marvin Gaye (1968)

11. Get Ready – The Temptations (1966)

12. Go Ahead and Laugh – Kim Weston (1964)

13. I Wish It Would Rain – Gladys Knight & The Pips (1968)

14. Stop! In the Name of Love – The Supremes (1965)

15. Ain't No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (1967)

16. Money (That's What I Want) – Barrett Strong (1959)

17. Didn't You Know (You'd Have to Cry Sometime) – Gladys Knight & The Pips (1969)

18. What's Going On – Marvin Gaye (1971)

19. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me – Diana Ross & The Supremes and The Temptations (1968)

20. Higher Ground – Stevie Wonder (1973)

21. Just a Little Misunderstanding – The Contours (1966)

22. I Was Made to Love Her – Stevie Wonder (1967)

23. I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) – Four Tops (1965)

24. Baby Love – The Supremes (1964)

25. Sir Duke – Stevie Wonder (1976)

26. Please Mr. Postman – The Marvelettes (1961)

27. Baby I Need Your Living – Four Tops (1964)

28. Living for the City – Stevie Wonder (1973)

29. Stoned Love – The Supremes (1970)

30. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) – Marvin Gaye (1971)

31. Uptight (Everything's Alright) – Stevie Wonder (1965)

32. Shotgun – Jr. Walker & The All Stars (1965)

33. A Simple Game – Four Tops (1972)

34. Love Child – Diana Ross & The Supremes (1968)

35. My Girl – The Temptations (1964)

36. I Want to Go Back There Again – Chris Clark (1967)

37. Standing in the Shadows of Love – Four Tops (1966)

38. You Can't Hurry Love – The Supremes (1966)

39. My Cherie Amour – Stevie Wonder (1969)

40. Love Hangover – Diana Ross (1976)

41. Ooo Baby Baby – The Miracles (1965)

42. Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) – Frank Wilson (1965)

43. You're All I Need to Get By – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (1968)

44. Twenty-Five Miles – Edwin Starr (1969)

45. (Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need – The Miracles (1966)

46. Bernadette – Four Tops (1967)

47. As – Stevie Wonder (1976)

48. Super Freak – Rick James (1981)

49. For Once In My Life – Stevie Wonder (1968)

50. You Keep Me Hangin' On – The Supremes (1966)

51. Papa Was a Rollin' Stone – The Temptations (1972)

52. Come and Get These Memories – Martha & The Vandellas (1963)

53. (I'm a) Road Runner – Jr. Walker & The All Stars (1966)

54. Nowhere to Run – Martha & The Vandellas (1965)

55. I'm in a Different World – Four Tops (1968)

56. You've Made Me So Very Happy – Brenda Holloway (1967)

57. Do You Love Me – The Contours (1962)

58. The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game – The Marvelettes (1966)

59. Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worthwhile) – Four Tops (1964)

60. Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) – Marvin Gaye (1971)

61. It's the Same Old Song – Four Tops (1965)

62. Got to Be There – Michael Jackson (1971)

63. Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing – Stevie Wonder (1973)

64. Actions Speak Louder Than Words – Mable John (1961)

65. Helpless – Kim Weston (1966)

66. Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever – Four Tops (1966)

67. I'll Pick a Rose for My Rose – Marv Johnson (1967)

68. My Guy – Mary Wells (1964)

69. Behind a Painted Smile – The Isley Brothers (1968)

70. I Got a Feeling – Four Tops (1967)

71. I'll Be There – The Jackson 5 (1970)

72. Number One in Your Heart – The Monitors (1966)

73. Leaving Here – Eddie Holland (1963)

74. Still Water (Love) – Four Tops (1970)

75. Live Wire – Martha & The Vandellas (1964)

76. I Heard It Through the Grapevine – Gladys Knight & The Pips (1968)

77. Love Having You Around – Stevie Wonder (1972)

78. Can I Get a Witness – Marvin Gaye (1963)

79. Going to a Go-Go – The Miracles (1965)
80. Heaven Must Have Sent You – The Elgins (1966)

81. Too High – Stevie Wonder (1973)

82. No Matter What Sign You Are – Diana Ross & The Supremes (1969)

83. Who's Lovin' You – The Jackson 5 (1969)

84. My Baby Loves Me – Martha & The Vandellas (1966)

85. All Your Love – Brenda Holloway (unknown: unreleased until 2002)

86. The Tears of a Clown – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (1967)

87. Something About You – Four Tops (1965)

88. Take Me in Your Arms and Love Me – Gladys Knight & The Pips (1967)

89. I Wish – Stevie Wonder (1976)

90. Heat Wave – Martha & The Vandellas (1963)
91. It Takes Two – Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston (1966)

92. Brick House – The Commodores (1977)
93. Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over) – Four Tops (1966)

94. Whisper You Love Me Boy – The Supremes (1965)

95. Cloud Nine – The Temptations (1968)

96. Your Precious Love – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (1967)

97. I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel for You – Rita Wright (1968)

98. Who's the Fool – Singin' Sammy Ward (1960)

99. ABC – The Jackson 5 (1970)

100. Chained – Paul Petersen (1966)

101. Keep on Running – Stevie Wonder (1972)
102. Ain't That Peculiar – Marvin Gaye (1965)
103. Don't Leave Me This Way – Thelma Houston (1976)
104. Just My Soul Responding – Smokey Robinson (1973)

105. My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) – David Ruffin (1969)

106. One Day in Your Life – Michael Jackson (1975)

107. Ain't Too Proud to Beg – The Temptations (1966)

108. Shop Around – The Miracles (1960)

109. When I'm Gone – Mary Wells (1964)

The Artist

Charm, compromise and Uggie the dog

The Artist is taking over the world, award ceremony by award ceremony. Written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius, it is a personal project which has enjoyed remarkable success. Most remarkable of all is that this is a silent film, a bold decision which is paying off miraculously. I was curious, of course.

Jean Dujardin plays George Valentin, a star of the silent screen struggling to adjust to the transition to sound. Having been instrumental in the rise of Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), he sees her career soar from bit-part dancer to sound film phenomenon, whilst his grinds to a halt, with only his dog to console him. Altogether, The Artist is a bright-eyed, sparky look back at Hollywood's biggest upheaval, A Star Is Born by way of Singin' in the Rain and Sunset Boulevard. There are cloche hats, top hats, irascible studio bosses and butlers, all wrapped up with newspaper montages and elegant intertitles to charm even the rookie nostalgist.

It works well and the novelty concept of making a silent film to tell this story is clever, furnished with comic asides, a dash of Duke Ellington and a handsomely costumed cast. It is also a stroke of genius in itself that this is not an art house experiment but a break into the mainstream, attracting press coverage and award season glory. Although maybe that's Harvey Weinstein's genius, coupled with that of the dog (oh hi, Asta).

Unfortunately however, Hazanavicius' style doesn't always fit, taking the swing out of The Artist's thing somewhat. In creating a love letter to the late silent era, he gently apes its spirit, but seems to have wavered along the way. The result is a compromise, not reaching back to the 1920s, but rather settling for a generic 'classic' look. Instead of the urgent inventiveness of the best silent movies, The Artist has more in common with the poised studio-era films of the 40s and 50s, just with the sound removed. Chronology takes a bit of a hit too – had Valentin really not seen nor even heard of sound film until 1929, when hit musicals were already being released?

There are certainly times when things click. The silent films-within-the-film are fun (up there with the best of Lockwood and Lamont), and occasionally the old-school box of tricks is opened. At one point, chattering mouths materialize around the screen to taunt Valentin, and there is a rather brilliant surrealist moment when the soundtrack terrorizes him after his first exposure to synchronized sound.

Meanwhile, bursts of spirited Cotton Club jazz punctuate Ludovic Bource's impressive score. But the score, lush and romantic, again suffers mildly from period wanderlust. When a section of Bernard Herrmann's music for Vertigo appears, it sits comfortably in a way it shouldn't. It is a puzzling moment. The music is gorgeous of course, but why is it used here? It makes one wonder if other references, to the likes of The Battleship Potemkin, are little more than a film school checklist.

All of this is maybe beside the point in the midst of an enjoyable ride. It might all be a glossy surface, with a story not quite original or snappy enough to dispel every gripe, but The Artist is fun to watch. The actors, including Dujardin, John Goodman and James Cromwell, help enormously. Most special of all is Bejo. Peppy is a charming and believable creation – her winning smile caps a delicate tragicomic performance, with which Bejo steals the film. The final scene is a hoot, too. We come out smiling. Perhaps The Artist is not a love letter after all, but a winking postcard.

7.5

Margaret

Adolescence and city living, in the ultimate limited release

Margaret is about Lisa (Anna Paquin), a 17-year-old student from a well heeled part of New York, and the people around her. The story is ignited by an accident, when Lisa distracts a bus driver (Mark Ruffalo) who then misses a red light and kills a woman. The bus driver is not punished and Lisa resolves to bring him to justice, pulling in and arguing with an interesting supporting cast, including her mother (J. Smith-Cameron), her geometry teacher (Matt Damon), and the dead woman's best friend (Jeannie Berlin).

Margaret's tiny release comes after it spent years languishing in post-production hell, the subject of various lawsuits. The film is long, and director Kenneth Lonergan was under pressure to produce a two-hour cut. The released version is a compromise at two and a half hours. Unfortunately this compromise can show, although what remains is still a beautiful study of relationships in a large city.

Everybody's talkin' at me.

At the centre of the film is Anna Paquin's performance, which is tremendous. It is an honest examination of the contradictions of late adolescence – the invisible line trod between confidence and vunerability, assurance and naivety. Lisa does the wrong thing more than once, and she is at times easy to dislike, truculent and opinionated. But the fragile remnants of childhood persist in Paquin's portrayal as a dully attractive glow. I was reminded of Mariel Hemingway in Manhattan more than once.

Although Lisa is trying to assert herself in the adult world of New York City, she is not an adult; it is a fact she has to confront repeatedly. She may be the dominant force in her ethics class or with her awkward admirer Darren (John Gallagher Jr., who I would have enjoyed seeing more of), but more often she finds herself dealing with figures of authority, almost powerless. There are teachers, policemen, lawyers, and eventually the machinations of a corporate-led legal system. She sees her reasoning as obvious, but she is shouted down or brushed aside. Perhaps she is overly dramatic; perhaps she is just too young.

Of course, New York is more than a city – it is a sprawling metropolis. Much of the film's drive comes not just from the relationships between the characters, but how they interact with and respond to the urban environment. From the opening shot onwards, we return to images of crowds jostling in the street and look up at skyscrapers reflected in skyscrapers. Spaces referred to outside of New York seem out of reach: Lisa's father's Californian beach house, her teacher's Indiana upbringing, a planned excursion to New Mexico.

Meanwhile, the city is cluttered and busy; at one point Lisa remarks how many people must be living in one block. Lonergan shows us a place where it is difficult to make oneself heard, and where a stage actress's daughter from the Upper West Side is out of her depth visiting a bus driver's family home.

Sequences focusing on city life give the plot the space it needs, and unfortunately it is perhaps this space which has suffered from the editorial knife forced on the film. As the end of the film is reached, the plot begins to rattle along, as loose ends are tied up and different strands of the story are crammed together. Meanwhile some subplots, such as Lisa's mother's romance with an admirer (Jean Reno), become stranded without the extra running time. It mars the film and halts its flow, which is a shame.

But Margaret still works, an emotional urban film with a thread of natural humour. It is a haunting portrait of a teenage girl's difficult, sometimes desperate climb to emotional maturity.

8

Reading in 2011

At the start of 2008, I resolved to remedy my woeful reading habits by reading twelve books in twelve months. I failed – three years in a row. Last year, I actually achieved the goal and celebrations were held throughout my flat. Here are the books I read.

The books (sans Harry Potter)

1. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen

A year after finishing Sense and Sensibility (my first taste of Austen), I went in for the kill. Jane Austen is renowned for her wit, yet I was still surprised by how much she was making me laugh. Not always entirely to my taste, but undeniably elegant, and the social commentary has just the right level of bite. Subsequent viewing of the Joe Wright film and 1995 BBC series completed an enjoyable immersion.

2. American Pastoral – Philip Roth

This is an obliterating book, and I loved reading it. Exploring recent American history with unforgiving emotional force, Roth often rants. But this is also funny and fiercely passionate. The extended finale set piece, a dinner party from hell, is astonishing. I happily remember reading this in a lovely Seattle coffee shop, where I picked up my bookmark.

3. Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston

And in Seattle is where I bought this African American classic, whereupon the shopkeeper sang at me. At first, I was not sure if I could take to the rich style of Hurston's prose. But I was drawn in, mostly by its sharp observation ("She knew because she looked"). The world of this book is sultry; the magnificent hurricane scenes stick with me.

4. My Word Is My Bond – Roger Moore

An anecdotal deluge. Roger Moore is warm and self-effacing, almost to a fault. Little depth is offered, but many of the stories work well. Yes, some of them raise suspicion, and there are definitely some dodgy facts, but pictures of Roger in knitwear and so on make up for all that.

5. Flashman – George MacDonald Fraser

This was a joy, and Harry Paget Flashman is a brilliant hero: funny, rude, caddish, cowardly. Crucially, the whole adventure gets its teeth from the accurate historical detail. Set amid the First Anglo-Afghan War, the characters are real and vivid and the action is exciting. It is magical that the mixture of romp and realism works so well. I intend to become a devotee and work my way through the series.

6. Darkmans – Nicola Barker

A mammoth, sprawling, ridiculous book. Set among the estates and motorways of Ashford, and taking 800-plus pages, the action is minimal; instead we have a patchwork of impish wordplay and irrepressibly dark urges. It is a puzzle with clues wherever you look for them: for instance, the precocious child inhabited by the spirit of Edward IV's jester. The past is literally haunting the present, perhaps the key to the farce. For me, it worked (despite the exhaustion) mainly because of its sense of mischief.

7. The Voice That Thunders – Alan Garner

Seattle bookmark

A collection of essays and lectures. Garner is formidably intelligent, but unfortunately he knows it. The spare writing style is admirable and informed points are made on our place within landscape and history. However, arrogance muddies the depth, and I became ever frustrated by Garner's rigid lack of sympathy. The almost nonsensical passages on mental health also jar. In all, less appealing and thunderous than it ought to be.

8. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone – J. K. Rowling

I was almost completely uninitiated into the Potter universe before taking on this first instalment. I hope to explore further, having been entertained, if never gripped. I hear the other books are also popular.

9. The Maltese Falcon – Dashiell Hammett

Sam Spade steps back off the screen, but he still gleams, snarling and wonderful. The style is exciting, sometimes hilarious; the mean streets of San Francisco are a backdrop for such sentences as "His eyes burned yellowly". I love the John Huston film, and I am so familiar with it, that I was struck by how faithful an adaptation it was. Hammett's book speaks just like Bogart, Greenstreet and Lorre. It is brilliant.

10. The Dain Curse – Dashiell Hammett

I went for the Dashiell Double. This was less engaging than The Maltese Falcon, and much more episodic. Too many characters were piled in by the finale, but there was still plenty of hard-boiled joy at hand.

11. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens

My second Dickens. A wonderful gallery of characters (down to each supporting role) give life to an unexpectedly dark story of redemption through humility. Dickens' genius is to enable us to sympathize with Pip throughout, despite his actions and his pride. Meanwhile, Miss Havisham is a genuinely marvellous creation. Great Christmastime reading.

12. An Artist of the Floating World – Kazuo Ishiguro

Ishiguro is one of my favourite authors, and this is a mini-masterpiece. As with The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, we have a defensive narrator who reveals more than they intend, through their natural, chatty delivery. This time it is an artist who worked in Japan between the wars, and again we are looking back, piecing together a dark past almost without realising. It is elegiac and perfectly paced – a beautiful book.