Dancing in the Street

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Written by: Marvin Gaye, Ivy Hunter, William "Mickey" Stevenson
Produced by: Stevenson
Released: Sept. '64 on Gordy
Charts: 14 weeks
Top spot: No. 2

Stevenson, who gave Martha Reeves her first job, as his secretary, approached the group with this song after it was turned down by Motown labelmate (and future Mrs. Stevenson) Kim Weston. The trio agreed to record it as a demo with its songwriters singing background. "When Martha got into the song," Stevenson said, "that was the end of the conversation!" Against a backbeat that cracks like a gunshot, Reeves reinvents the world as a giant block party.

Appears on: The Ultimate Collection (Motown)

Next: The Weight

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