tight people of the day: the contours

So, this coming Monday is the 50th birthday of Motown Records. Holla! I will be eating a slice of cake to celebrate Berry Gordy and the empire he built. The sound of Motown has truly changed my life and increased my amounts of happiness on a daily basis. In honor of that coming birthday celebration, I want to feature a classic Motown band today, The Contours.

When I listen to The Contours, and especially their biggest hit "Do You Love Me," I just want to do the Twist all over the place. I start to think I can really dance when I hear this song. I want this played at my wedding as my husband and I run out and high five everyone, right after they announce Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Gosling. Just kidding! But seriously, this song is pure fun. Everyone loves this song. If it doesn't get your toe tapping or just your shoulder slightly moving, I'm afraid you might be dead inside to the joys of life. This song is also really tight because it gets really quiet AND THEN COMES BACK. At parties I'm the asshole that screams, "IT'S NOT OVER YET!" and ruins it for everyone. Sorry about that. This tune also features some super awesome song talking, which makes my world go round and round. Who doesn't love a sweet little talking intro? Also, how much is the lead singer shouting in this song? So tight.

The Contours were one of the very first soul groups signed to Motown. Berry Gordy was a bit skeptical of them at first. But in one of his finer bidness moves, he had them record "Do You Love Me" in 1962 and the rest is history. This song was originally intended for The Temptations! Good thing The Contours got their paws on it. Amazingly, it only went to #2 on the charts. Good thing it went to #1 IN MY HEART.

"Do You Love Me" had a bit of comeback when it was featured in Dirty Dancing in 1988. Crazy for Swayze. It charted again thanks to the movie. Several members of the group are still performing today and playing Contours songs. For the record, I would love you even if you couldn't dance.

The Contours - Do You Love Me