 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(March 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever | |
|---|---|
 Newspaper ad for the airing of the special on Los Angeles NBC O&OKNBC | |
| Written by | Buz Kohan Ruth Robinson Suzanne de Passe |
| Directed by | Don Mischer |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Suzanne de Passe |
| Producers | Don Mischer Buz Kohan Suzanne Coston |
| Production locations | Pasadena Civic Auditorium,Pasadena, California, USA |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 130 minutes |
| Production company | Motown Pictures |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | May 16, 1983 (1983-05-16) |
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever is a 1983television special, produced bySuzanne de Passe forMotown (founded in January 1959), to commemorate its 25th anniversary. Overall, Motown Records was not just a record label; this being said Motown was a direct impact of Detroit, Michigan history."It's a cultural movement that brought together people from all walks of life through its unique sound and compelling narratives".[1] The program was taped before a live audience at thePasadena Civic Auditorium inPasadena, California on March 25, 1983,[2] and broadcast onNBC on May 16. Among its highlights wereMichael Jackson's performance of "Billie Jean" (which popularized themoonwalk and was also the only non-Motown song performed onMotown 25),Smokey Robinson's reunion withthe Miracles, aTemptations /Four Tops "battle of the bands",Marvin Gaye's inspired speech about black music history and his memorable performance of "What's Going On", aJackson 5 reunion, and an abbreviated reunion ofDiana Ross &the Supremes, who performed their final #1 hit, "Someday We'll Be Together" from 1969. The show was written byBuz Kohan, Ruth Robinson, and de Passe. The broadcast was watched by over 47 million viewers.[3]
Junior Walker performed 30 seconds of his signature hit "Shotgun". It was performed as a solo; the All-Stars, his long-time group, did not participate.
Lionel Richie performed his hit "You Mean More to Me" in a pre-taped segment. Appearing with him was Lynette Butler, identified as a "Sickle Cell Poster Child". Richie did not appear with his former group theCommodores, who appeared without him on a separate live segment of the special, singing "Brick House", which was led, as on the original recording, by Commodore Walter "Clyde" Orange. The other original Commodores,William King, Ron LaPread,Milan Williams, andThomas McClary were present and performed on this segment.
Marvin Gaye, who had left the label a year before to sign withColumbia Records and had a current hit with "Sexual Healing", agreed at the last minute to join the roster of other Motown legends to perform. When he came on, he played the piano and gave the audience a narrative of black music history before he stepped off the piano and sang his classic 1971 hit, "What's Going On", to thunderous applause. Gaye's performance on the show, following his appearances on February 23, 1983, on theGrammys and theNBA All-Star Game, was one of his final national television appearances beforehis murder byhis own father on April 1, 1984.
The 'first lady of Motown'Mary Wells andVandellas frontwomanMartha Reeves were each given a 30-second spot, singing their respective hits, "My Guy" and "Heatwave".[4] Reeves was a large aspect of what came from Motown in the following decades in the 1960s through the 1970s. Reeves performed without other original Vandellas members. Thus, the impact was strongly present throughout the 1960s due to the types of music being produced during this time. This music had a direct impact on the Civil Rights Movement.[citation needed]"Approximately four months after Martin Luther King Jr. appeared at Detroit’s Great March to Freedom, Malcolm X came to the Motor City. On November 10, 1963, the Nation of Islam’s most famous minister delivered his “Message to the Grass Roots” speech at the city’s Northern Negro Grass Roots Leadership Conference".[5]
Michael Jackson, who had recently released his worldwide best-selling albumThriller, was reunited withhis brothers to perform a medley of their hits "I Want You Back", "The Love You Save", "Never Can Say Goodbye", and "I'll Be There".Jermaine was also there, finally performing with his brothers for the first time since leaving the group in 1975, and brotherRandy joined the group for the medley as well (When Jermaine left the Jackson 5 for a solo career, Randy had replaced him). Michael initially turned down the opportunity to perform at the show, believing he had appeared too frequently on television at that time; but at Motown founderBerry Gordy's request, he agreed to perform if he was allotted time for a solo spot, to which Gordy agreed.
Widely hailed as his breakthrough performance as a solo artist, Michael's solo performance followed the Jackson 5 performance. Michael danced while singing to prerecorded vocals of "Billie Jean", which at the time was in the middle of a seven-week run atop theBillboard Hot 100 music charts and was the only non-Motown song performed on the show. This was also the first time he performed what would become his most famous signature move, themoonwalk.[6]
In the years followed, Jackson's concert performances of "Billie Jean" would mirror his appearance at Motown 25, from the opening pose with the fedora, black sequin jacket, and glove, to the moonwalk routine in the song's bridge.[7]
This special marked the long-awaited reunion of Motown VPSmokey Robinson with his original groupthe Miracles:Bobby Rogers,Pete Moore,Claudette Robinson (then wife of Smokey), andMarv Tarplin (who was on stage with them, slightly off-camera to the right, but can be seen in certain shots) for the first time since he left the group 11 years before (in 1972). Original Miracles memberRonnie White did not participate in the reunion for personal reasons (his wife, Earlyn, died that year). As Motown's first group and the label's first million-selling act, they were first on the show, singing four of their greatest hits, "Shop Around", "You've Really Got a Hold on Me", "The Tears of a Clown", and "Going to a Go-Go".
Stevie Wonder, accompanied by his band and his girl groupWonderlove sang several of his greatest hits, including "I Wish", "Uptight (Everything's Alright)", "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours", "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", "My Cherie Amour", "Sir Duke", and also preceded by a vintage clip of Wonder singing his first hit "Fingertips".
Motown 25 was a showcase for the highly anticipated reunion ofthe Supremes:Diana Ross,Mary Wilson and Supremes replacementCindy Birdsong (original memberFlorence Ballard had died in 1976). Four of their greatest hits were to be sung that night in a medley including "Baby Love" and "Stop! In the Name of Love", however in rehearsals it was decided to cut the hits medley and sing only "Someday We'll Be Together".Richard Pryor opened the segment with a fairy-tale story of 'three maidens from the Projects of Brewster' which was then followed with a montage of various Supremes' video clips. Ross then started down the center aisle of the auditorium with her hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".
When Ross finished, she made a brief speech about 'the night that everyone came back' (although some of the surviving artists and musicians had not been invited[citation needed]). After the beginning chords of "Someday We'll Be Together", Birdsong entered from stage left, and Wilson entered from stage right. Shortly after the first verse, Ross introduced Wilson and Birdsong to the audience while Wilson took over the lead vocals during this segment while Ross introduced Motown labelmates such as Smokey Robinson,Stevie Wonder, and others as they quickly filled the stage for an impromptu finale. Although producerSuzanne de Passe had instructed Ross to introduce Gordy after leading the finale (a fact unknown to Mary Wilson), Wilson decided to do the honors by calling Berry down herself. Additionally, earlier in the program, Wilson made a brief tribute to Ballard, and former label matePaul Williams of the Temptations. By the time the reunion aired on May 16, Ross/Wilson altercations were widely reported, including an article and pictures inUs Weekly, and the performance resulted in negative publicity for the group.
The Temptations and theFour Tops competed in a "Battle of the Bands" style event. The only original or "Classic Five" Temptations performing wereMelvin Franklin andOtis Williams, asEddie Kendricks (who left the group in 1971) andDavid Ruffin (who left in 1968 and was replaced byDennis Edwards) had a falling out with the group. Paul Williams (who also left in 1971) had died in 1973, andAl Bryant (who left and was replaced by Ruffin in 1964) had died in 1975. Joining Williams and Franklin were then-TemptationsDennis Edwards,Richard Street, andRon Tyson.
All of the original members of the Four Tops performed:Renaldo "Obie" Benson,Abdul "Duke" Fakir, andLawrence Payton, withLevi Stubbs providing the lead vocals. The two groups performed "Reach Out I'll Be There", "Baby I Need Your Loving", "Get Ready", "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)", "My Girl" "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" and "I Can't Get Next to You", among other numbers. The joint performance was a success, and the Temptations and Four Tops toured together for two years following the special.
This "battle" later returned in the TV specialMotown Returns to theApollo and created a long running tour for the two groups to compete in.
While Motown 25 was billed as "Yesterday, Today, Forever", artists from the golden era of Motown, such asthe Marvelettes,the Vandellas,the Contours,Kim Weston,Brenda Holloway,Marv Johnson,Jimmy Ruffin,Edwin Starr,Gladys Knight & the Pips,Rare Earth,the Isley Brothers, andthe Velvelettes were not included in the special, while newer artists such asDeBarge,High Inergy andJosé Feliciano (who paid homage to Gordy singing "Lonely Teardrops") were. (SingersNick Ashford andValerie Simpson appeared onstage at the end with the other artists, but they did not perform.) Non-Motown artists, such asAdam Ant (who paid homage to the Supremes singing "Where Did Our Love Go" with Diana Ross) andLinda Ronstadt were featured as well. Ronstadt performed "Ooh Baby Baby" and "Tracks of My Tears" with Smokey Robinson. She had hits with both songs and in 1976 her version ofthe Miracles' "Tracks of My Tears" even went to No. 12 on the Billboard Country Singles Chart, a first for a Motown song.
According to the documentaryStanding in the Shadows of Motown,James Jamerson, a key player behind theMotown sound, and member ofthe Funk Brothers who recorded many of the backing tracks to the Motown hits, had to buy aMotown 25 ticket from a scalper and sat at the back of the hall with the general public. In addition, the "Motown Sound", which Motown producer Paul Riser would later credit the Funk Brothers and the musicians at Motown of creating inStanding in the Shadows of Motown, was crudely trivialized during a segment in Motown 25 where executives and employees at Motown, and even Gordy himself, gave all kind of answers to what the Motown Sound was—with no answer giving credit to the musicians.
Additional appearances were made byDick Clark,Howard Hesseman andTim Reid (reprising theirWKRP in Cincinnati roles asdisc jockeys), fast-talkerJohn Moschitta Jr.,T.G. Sheppard (who recorded for Motown's 1970s country label and had two #1 hits on Billboard's country chart),Billy Dee Williams, and theLester Wilson Dancers. Additionally, clips ofRick James and TheMary Jane Girls were featured.
The special was the highest-viewed prime time show in the United States for the week.[8] 9pm to 11pm; Rating: 22.8; Viewers: 33.9 million
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USTop Music Videos (Billboard)[9] | 2 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[10] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Motown 25 was released on DVD through Star Vista Entertainment/Time Life in six-DVD, three-DVD and one-DVD versions on September 30, 2014.[11][12] Prior to this, the special could only be found on VHS, Laserdisc and a rare pre-recorded 8mm tape. The only footage ofMotown 25 on DVD wasMichael Jackson's performance of "Billie Jean" which was officially released on theHIStory on Film, Volume II DVD and the DVD included inThriller 25. There are some differences between the VHS video release and the DVD. On the VHS version, there are a few shots of Berry Gordy seated in the audience that are omitted on the DVD. In addition, some vintage clips that were used on the original broadcast and on the VHS release were replaced, most notably during the Supremes "Stop! In the Name of Love" montage where several different clips of the Supremes singing the word "Stop!" were edited together. The majority of the clips replaced appear to be from a taping of the British showReady, Steady, Go!: The Sounds of Motown, that featured, along with the Supremes, the Temptations, the Miracles,Martha and the Vandellas, and Stevie Wonder.
The original vinyl release of the album, narrated by Lionel Richie and Smokey Robinson, was produced by Jon Badeaux in 1983. The name of that release isThe Motown Story: First 25 Years. That album received a Grammy nomination forBest Historical Recording at the26th Annual Grammy Awards.[13]
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard 200[14] | 114 |
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard 200[14] | 53 |
| USTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] | 11 |
Ruth Adkins Robinson and Suzanne de Passe would continue writing shows together for the next 25 years, including other Motown tributes.
Another similar television special,Motown 45, hosted byLionel Richie andCedric the Entertainer, was held on May 17, 2004. Performers includedBackstreet Boys,the Four Tops,Macy Gray,Nick Lachey, Smokey Robinson, and a re-imagining of The Supremes withKelly Rowland ofDestiny's Child with "former" SupremeCindy Birdsong and "original" SupremeMary Wilson.
A compilation entitled,Motown 50 was released on December 1, 2008, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Motown Records.
On April 21, 2019,Motown 60: AGrammy Celebration, premiered onCBS featuring Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder,Boyz II Men,Tori Kelly,John Legend,Ciara and more.