Airdate – Nov 27, 2022
Many singer/songwriters will be the first to tell you that their inspirations for songwriting come from personal involvement in various situations.
Supporting this claim was a song penned and produced by the legendary songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland. The song, which was based on an intimate affair experienced by Lamont Dozier, led to the Supremes releasing yet another #1 hit in February 1965 …
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Soon after the Supremes recorded what was to become their fourth #1 hit, they joined other Motown acts for a tour of Europe. Their first gig was a one hour show called the ‘Sound of Motown,’ hosted by Dusty Springfield.
Thanks to Paul Williams of the Temptations, they incorporated some saucy and defiant hand and body gestures in their choreography for the song, which became mainstays in all future onstage performances.
As to how the song came to be, it was spawned via Lamont Dozier cheating on his girlfriend and having a tryst with another woman at a “no-tell motel.”
To Dozier’s dismay he was found out by his girlfriend who made an unannounced appearance at this motel at 2:00 am. As Dozier’s unsanctioned date scrambled out the bathroom window, he tried in vain to calm down his girlfriend by spinning a story about working late and grabbing a motel room as he was tired.
This yarn failed to appease his girlfriend. Realizing that things were going to get violent, Dozier blurted out, “Stop! In The Name Of Love,” this week’s Tom Locke moment in time.
YouTube video of this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPBkiBbO4_4
Epilogue: Lamont Dozier passed away at the age of 81 on August 8, 2022
This “Moments In Time” story is yet another example of a “golden oldie” or forgotten favorite that earned its place in the evolution of Rock & Roll.
