Motown has survived 50 years! 50 years! And I have been a fan for 48 of those 50 years. When I hear a Motown song I can sing along; "Stop in the Name of Love", "Dancing in the Streets", "Tracks of your Tears".  And Motown makes me want to dance.  I remember dancing to all the Motown songs in high school and after.  I learned to dance to Motown; the strong beat made it easy to move my feet. To this day, I like nothing better than to dance to an old Motown song.

Detroit is not a sophisticated city like New York or Los Angeles.  It is smack dab in the middle of the midwest.  And I am midwestern too having been brought up in Ohio.  So we claimed Motown as our own. We didn't have to wait for the cross country transport of the Beach Boys with their alien songs of surfing.  No, Motown was right in our backyard and we could relate to its neverending declarations of love and romance without feeling left out of a world of California girls and New York boys .

I know the history of Motown.  I know the genius of Berry Gordy.  I marvel at his control of the startup company.  I have read of the lessons on posture mandated for the stars. I know of the composing teams of Holland- Dozier- Holland and Ashford and Simpson.  I watched Stevie Wonder develop his harmonica playing to become one of the biggest stars in the world.  I was there when Diana Ross left the Supremes to venture out on her own.  I mourned the passing of Marvin Gaye. 

Today I hear Motown on the radio, my Ipod, cds and I'm transported back to the good ol' days instantly.  The days when I adored Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, The Temps, little Stevie Wonder, Martha and the Vandellas, Marvin Gaye.  The list goes on and on.  There were so many great Motown artists and I loved them all!

I am amazed that Motown is still so widely played today.  We had no idea that "Tracks of My Tears" would be on the radio 50 years later.  We would never have guessed that Motown is so mainstream that it is continually  used in advertisements, muzak, golden oldies. Many of the stars are gone, but others are still making music and I applaud them for their longevity.  But it's the old songs that make me smile, shake my booty and and sing at the top of my lungs.


Real Estate Hint - It is important to allow your Realtor at least one day's leadtime before you see houses.  It is not only necessary for the Realtor to arrange her schedule, but appointments with the owners should be made at least one day ahead of time.