Where Did Our Love Go?: The Rise & Fall of the Motown Sound [Paperback]

Nelson George (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1987

The behind-the-scenes story of Berry Gordy, builder of the greatest "hits factory" of the '60s. By shrewdly matching singers with his in-house songwriters and producers, Gordy launched the careers of acts such as The Supremes and Stevie Wonder. 32 pages of black-and-white photographs.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

George, an editor at Billboard and author of The Michael Jackson Story, recounts the story of Motown Records, founded by Berry Gordy in Detroit in 1959 and now located in Hollywood. In the end, the author concludes, "Motown became just another record company."
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

George offers a concise history of Berry Gordy's Motown Records, emphasizing Gordy's enterprising and social-climbing bents. He deals with Motown's inception in the late 1950s; the creation of its hit-making machinery that propelled such acts as the Supremes, the Temptations, and Marvin Gaye to stardom; and its decline in the 70s. Though much of this material has been presented in other books, George has conducted interviews which provide insights into the label's history. Best are his sections on Berry Gordy's entrepreneurial background and his discussion of the musicians who backed the Motown stars and helped to create the Motown sound. An interesting book, written in a spritely style, this will give general readers an equitable glimpse of the Motown Empire. David Szatmary, Continuing Education, Univ. of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st Pbk edition (August 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312011091
• ISBN-13: 978-0312011093
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,036,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST Motown book, March 24, 2003

By 

D.V. Lindner "D.V. Lindner" (King George, VA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where Did Our Love Go?: The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound (Hardcover)

One of my smartest purchasing decisions was to pick up this work by Nelson George in June 1986 when it was still in hard cover. I've never let it out of my sight since. Time has proven it the precursor of a deluge: `Dreamgirl,' & `Supreme Faith' by Mary Wilson (1986, 1990), `Temptations' by Otis Williams (1988), `To Be Loved,' by Berry Gordy (1994), `Inside My Life' by Smokey Robinson (1989), `Dancing In The Street' by Martha Reeves (1994), and `Between Each Line of Pain and Glory,' by Gladys Knight (1997), among others. I bought them all and I read them all. By far the worst, was the October 1993 work by Diana Ross, `Secrets of a Sparrow,' which was quickly named the worst non-fiction work of the year by People magazine. I couldn't argue with them.

`Where Did Our Love Go,' on the other hand, proves a truth we discovered in the day of the very music it chronicles: no amount of tepid covers surpasses a towering original. Perhaps because Mr. George was not an insider at Motown in the 60s, his history of the company is so objectively good. I've read it many times in over 16 years, and haven't found a date or factual mistake.

And it is balanced. The wonderful music of those glory days in Detroit is given the respect and affection it deserves, as well as the how-it-came-about details. Mr. George acknowledges as most of us do, that Motown's 60s sound is timeless, and is going to outlive Berry Gordy, the artists whose names appeared on the labels, and we baby-boomers who were weaned on it.

Yes, the who-struck-John stories of disappointment are delineated fairly too: the career declines and /or disappointments of folks like Martha Reeves, Gladys Knight, Chuck Jackson, Marvin Gaye and, especially Florence Ballard. But unlike the recollections of the authors listed above, `Where' is not told by a writer needing to come out smelling blameless or put-upon at the end.

All these years later, `Where Did Our Love Go,' by Nelson George remains the single most essential biography of Motown Records you can own. Buy it anyway you can manage to, even used - just don't ask to borrow mine. Beyond it, there are two companion works you should also seek out for some fair and detailed `inside' looks of Motown in those days: `Divided Soul,' David Ritz' account of Marvin Gaye's life, which appeared first in 1985, and might have been helped in its excellence by the fact that its subject was no longer around to censor it or `advise.' Finally, from 1989, J. Randy Taraborrelli's `Call Her Miss Ross,' could likely be a dozen times more factual and objective than the 1993 work of the former Supreme herself could ever be!

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good however..., April 17, 2005

By 

Music Lover "greatlandini" (Annapolis, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where Did Our Love Go?: The Rise & Fall of the Motown Sound (Paperback)

It has been awhile since I read this book so I have to rely on my memory somewhat of the book's contents. Yes, it is a very interesting book and as a Motown fan, I certainly enjoyed it. Sometimes, though, I wonder about some of Mr. George's comments (and if you are reading this Mr. George I mean no disrespect).

Did he really have to describe the talented Kim Weston as a "dark skined woman with a tendency to put on weight?" Was she really laughed at when she got on stage? To me, Kim Weston was one of Motowns most talented female singers. Couldn't the author have spent a little more space on her vocal talents?

He dismisses the Supremes post-Diana Ross career in a few sentences. Did he ever listen to any of those records? The post-Ross Supremes made some wonderful music which is just now being rediscovered.

He writes off white singer Chris Clark as a "not very gifted singer". From the few songs I have heard, she may not be a virtuoso, but she's not that bad! I know of some rabid Chris Clark fans who would challenge Nelson George on that point.

He spends a lot of time on certain subjects such as Motown's post-70's decline, but seems to spend very little time actually analyzing the music.

A writer, of course, has a right to his opinions and I think, in all fairness, he does a very good job with the book. My biggest complaint is that he seems a little cynical about Motown. I know that not all was happy beneath the wonderful music people heard, but there is still something in his attitude that bothers me a little. Sometimes he seems a little bit mocking in his tone. He wrote a later book about hip hop (a music style I don't care for) and seemed to treat the whole subject with more respect.

I'm probably being a little too analytical about this book.

Anyway, this is still a good book. Put on some Motown music and enjoy.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on motown I've read, March 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Where Did Our Love Go?: The Rise & Fall of the Motown Sound (Paperback)

Although a little short on photos (it was obviously not the authors' intention to be another photo book), this is in many ways the best book for someone really interested in the subject of Motown to own,in that the author pulls no punches. Other books on this record company/hit machine of the 60s & 70s suffered from censorship by the record company's head and his people.

This book does not suffer that hinderance, and it allows us to read what really went on behind the scenes. It was not such a happy family with Berry Gordy Jr. as the paternal head as it is often depicted.

An excellent book, both readable and informative, and well worth getting hold of for all fans of the music who want to know what really went on as the records were made and the tours were run.