What were the top selling Motown singles of all time? The list will surprise you; here are the top 3…
“Baby Love” by the Supremes sold the third most units/singles in all of Motown. The legendary Funk Brothers played all the instruments.
“I’ll Be There” by the late Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 proved to be a commercial success – twice, becoming the second highest grossing Motown single of all-time upon its release in 1970. Motown CEO Berry Gordy took a chance with the song as the Jackson 5 had high success with upbeat songs prior to the release of this ballad. Berry co-wrote the song; Mariah Carey had a big hit with it in 1992 as a late addition to her MTV Unplugged special.
“I Heard it Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye is the top Motown – highest grossing song of all time, but there is an interesting back story. The song was originally written by Barrett Strong (“Money, That’s What I Want”) and offered to Smokey Robinson who passed. Berry finally gave it to Marvin who knocked it out of the park.
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