The Motown Song
{{Short description|1991 single by Rod Stewart}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox song
| name = The Motown Song
| cover = Rod Stewart The Motown Song cover.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Rod Stewart featuring the Temptations
| album = Vagabond Heart
| B-side = "Sweet Soul Music" (live)
| released = {{start date|1991|6|3|df=y}}{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1991/MW-1991-06-01.pdf|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=21|date=1 June 1991|access-date=27 August 2021}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length =
- 4:00 (album version)
- 4:17 (single remix)
| label =
| writer = Larry John McNally
| producer = Richard Perry
| chronology = Rod Stewart
| prev_title = Rhythm of My Heart
| prev_year = 1991
| next_title = Broken Arrow
| next_year = 1991
| misc = {{Extra chronology
| artist = The Temptations
| type = single
| prev_title = Soul to Soul
| prev_year = 1990
| title = The Motown Song
| year = 1991
| next_title = The Jones
| next_year = 1991
}}
}}
"The Motown Song" is a song performed by British singer Rod Stewart featuring American vocal group the Temptations. The song is from Stewart's 16th studio album, Vagabond Heart (1991). It was written by Larry John McNally and was originally recorded by McNally for the soundtrack to the film Quicksilver in 1986. McNally recorded a new version in 2015 for the compilation I. C. Independent Celebration, Vol. 1 for the German label Birdstone Records.
Released on 3 June 1991, the single peaked at number 10 on both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, the song was number one on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart on 5 October 1991. It also reached number three on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and number one on the RPM 40AC (Adult Contemporary) chart.
Music video
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2019}}
A music video for the song was produced by Animation City, an animation company in London, England, directed by Derek Hayes. It followed the success of the Madonna video "Dear Jessie", and Elton John's "Club at the End of the Street", by the same company. The video, set in an unnamed city, depicts live-action and animated versions of Stewart gathering neighbors together for a party on the rooftop of an apartment building.
It paid tribute to Motown (featuring animated versions of the Temptations, the Supremes and former Motown artist Michael Jackson). It also featured other stars of the time, including animated versions of rapper Vanilla Ice, and singers Sinéad O'Connor, Madonna and Elton John. Several comical mishaps befall these artists caused by Stewart's dog; Vanilla Ice gets buried under a truckload of ice cubes, O'Connor slips while shaving her head and has to wear bandages over the resulting nicks, Madonna gets her dress ripped off in a car door and shows up for the party in her underwear, and Jackson moonwalks into an open manhole. At the end of the video, the animation is crumpled up as a sheet of paper by the live-action Stewart, who has been drawing the scene in an art studio. He kicks the paper ball into a trash can, picks up his jacket, and leaves with a smile.
Charts
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=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1991) !Peak |
| {{single chart|Australia|26|artist=Rod Stewart with The Temptations|song=The Motown Song|rowheader=true|access-date=13 April 2019}} |
| {{single chart|Austria|22|artist=Rod Stewart with The Temptations|song=The Motown Song|rowheader=true|access-date=13 April 2019}} |
| {{single chart|Flanders|42|artist=Rod Stewart with The Temptations|song=The Motown Song|rowheader=true|access-date=13 April 2019}} |
| {{single chart|Canadatopsingles|1|chartid=1642|rowheader=true|access-date=13 April 2019}} |
| {{single chart|Canadaadultcontemporary|1|chartid=1637|rowheader=true|access-date=13 April 2019}} |
| scope="row"|Denmark (IFPI){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1991/MM-1991-07-27.pdf|title=Top 10 Sales in Europe|magazine=Music & Media|volume=8|issue=30|page=20|date=27 July 1991|access-date=21 March 2018}}
|7 |
|---|
| scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1991/MM-1991-07-09.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=8|issue=27|page=45|date=9 July 1991|access-date=26 September 2020}}
|18 |
| {{single chart|Germany|21|artist=Rod Stewart with The Temptations|song=The Motown Song|songid=18008|rowheader=true|access-date=13 April 2019}} |
| {{single chart|Ireland2|2|song=The Motown Song|rowheader=true|access-date=18 July 2019}} |
| {{single chart|New Zealand|23|artist=Rod Stewart with The Temptations|song=The Motown Song|rowheader=true|access-date=13 April 2019}} |
| {{single chart|Sweden|11|artist=Rod Stewart with The Temptations|song=The Motown Song|rowheader=true|access-date=13 April 2019}} |
| {{single chart|UK|10|date=19910629|rowheader=true|access-date=13 April 2019}} |
| scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rod-stewart-mn0000293896/awards|title=Rod Stewart Awards|publisher=AllMusic|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107023244/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rod-stewart-mn0000293896/awards|archive-date=7 January 2016|access-date=26 September 2020}}
|10 |
| scope="row"|US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)
|3 |
| scope="row"| Zimbabwe (ZIMA)* Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
|1 |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
{{col-end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Rod Stewart songs}}
{{The Temptations singles}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Motown Song, The}}
Category:Animated music videos
Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Category:Song recordings produced by Richard Perry
Category:Songs written for films
Category:The Temptations songs
{{1990s-rock-song-stub}}