62 plays
june 18
Martha and the Vandellas - Dancin’ in the Streets
Today’s track is curated by Karen Wickre / @kvox
I’ve always loved songs with more than one layer of meaning as this iconic 1964 Motown track does. Marvin Gaye co-wrote it with Mickey Stevenson, who had in mind the image of black kids in Detroit cooling off of hot days in water sprays from open hydrants. Released July 21, 1964, it became the huge summer hit. The opening 6-note trumpet flourish was a call to action, and the insistent beat that followed made you want to get out there (even white girls like me). That’s how Motown mogul Berry Gordy wanted it, and Martha & co. viewed it as a party song. But summers in the mid-60s in America were not all about dance parties - civil rights actions were very much in the news, and “racial unrest” was the polite way to describe it. The tune’s insistent beat (it’s impossible to stay still) led some black activists to use it as a call to demonstrate: getting out in the streets took on a rather different meaning in cities like Detroit, Newark, and my hometown, Washington DC. The power of rock is that you can hear it both ways, and Dancin’ still has that double edge for me.
