Tonight, having just finished writing a bit of a rant, I found myself in need of some good ol’ Motown! Sometimes it’s the only thing that will calm an agitated mind, y’know? I dug through my 7 pages worth of Motown posts and came up with only two that I haven’t played in the last two years … this was one of the two! So, sit back and listen to the Supremes sing some of that awesome Holland-Dozier-Holland music! Oh, and rawgod — I made a bit of an addition for your listening pleasure.
Holland-Dozier-Holland
As is the case with much Motown music, this one was written by the songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland who deliberately set out to write a rock song for the Supremes. Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland were a big part of the Motown Sound. They not only wrote most of the hits for The Supremes, The Four Tops, and many other acts on the label, but they also produced and arranged the sessions, giving them nearly complete control of the product.
According to Lamont Dozier …
“I’ve often broken up with a girlfriend for a week just to be able to get that real feeling of hurt so that I can write what I write from experience! I should add that I always make sure we patch up again after the week’s over. But I’m constantly working at the piano – that’s my source of release, like a tranquilizer for me.”
This was the Supremes’ eighth US #1 hit. Although it never won a Grammy, this song (along with Where Did Our Love Go, which never won a Grammy either) was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The song charted at #1 in the U.S., #3 in Canada, and #8 in the UK.
Vanilla Fudge recorded a cover version that hit #6 in the US in 1968, and #18 in the UK. I do not care for it … at all! It almost seems like a … well, I won’t say what … I’ll be nice this time. But, I have included it for our friend rawgod, who I remember from last time I played this song in 2019, likes it best.
You Keep Me Hangin’ On
The Supremes
Set me free why don’t cha babe
Get out my life why don’t cha babe
‘Cause you don’t really love me
You just keep me hangin’ on
Set me free why don’t cha babe
Get out my life why don’t cha babe (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
‘Cause you don’t really need me
But you keep me hangin’ on
Why do you keep a comin’ around playing with my heart?
Why don’t cha get out of my life and let me make a brand new start?
Let me get over you the way you gotten over me, yeah, yeah
Set me free why don’t cha babe
Get out my life why don’t cha babe (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
‘Cause you don’t really love me
You just keep me hangin’ on
No, you don’t really need me
You just keep me hangin’ on
You say although we broke up you still just wanna be friends
But how can we still be friends when seeing you only breaks my heart again
(And there ain’t nothing I can do about it)
Whoa, ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa
Whoa, ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, whoa
Whoa, ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, whoa
Whoa, ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa,
Yeah, yeah
Get out, get out of my life
And let me sleep at night
‘Cause you don’t really love me
You just keep me hangin’ on
You say you still care for me but your heart and soul needs to be free
And now that you’ve got your freedom you wanna still hold on to me
You don’t want me for yourself so let me find somebody else
Set me free why don’t cha babe
Get out my life why don’t cha babe (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
‘Cause you don’t really love me
You just keep me hangin’ on
Why don’t cha be a man about it and set me free (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
Now you don’t care a thing about me
You’re just using me, hey, abusing me
Get out, get out of my life
And let me sleep at night (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
‘Cause you don’t really love me
You just keep me hangin’ on (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
Songwriters: Edward Holland Jr. / Lamont Dozier / Brian Holland
You Keep Me Hangin’ On lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Filosofa's Word 
Can’t beat that classic Motown sound. Sorry to say I didn’t bother to play the other version. Some songs are best left alone.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes, I fully agree! Why mess with perfection? Glad you liked the Supremes!
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Well done Jill for choosing another classic and letting us hear two stunning versions; I loved them both.
(Let us not dwell on VF’s version of Eleanor Rigby…).
Goes to prove that a quality song can stand more than one version.
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I’m so glad you enjoyed the music, and really surprised that you liked the Vanilla Fudge version! I think thus far only one other person liked it (besides rawgod, of course). So … have you heard VF’s version of “Eleanor Rigby”? My curiosity is about to get the best of me, but I know I’ll likely need some Tylenol first, and maybe a glass of wine, too!
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I fell for them as soon as I heard’ You Keep Me Hanging On’, the drive, the hard slow determined beat….
And then I heard ‘Eleanor Rigby’ and backed off…..Wrong Song guys, wrong song…. The magic of that song comes from the insistent fast drive, slow it down and you got…..Vanilla Sludge.
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The supremes’ version is world renown, totally classic, but I must say I really enjoyed Vanilla fudge’s interpretation they really rocked the house! Nice picks
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So far, I think you and rawgod are the only ones who liked the Vanilla Fudge version! But, to each his own. Music would be so boring if we all liked the exact same thing!
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Definitely the Supremes on this one! Vanilla Fudge had a mercifully short career massacring other people’s songs. If you think this is bad you should hear what they did to Donovan’s Season of the Witch or the Beatles’ Eleanor Rigby: the intro on their 8+ minute version is longer than the whole Beatles song!
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Oh no … no no no no no … just NO! I am not going in search of any more Vanilla Fudge! I think I have had enough to last me a lifetime! They … wait … they did Eleanor Rigby? OHHHH … I can only imagine how badly they must have butchered that one! One of my favourite Beatles’ tunes, too!
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Wise move! Not the best band there has ever been. It was a relief when they broke up!
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Definitely The Supremes.
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Yep, I agree 100%!
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Great song, Jill. It amazes me that three guys who you would confuse as offensive linemen for a football team given their size, are artful lyric and music writers. HDH capture the essence of so many topics around love, loss and what lingers in-between. Keith
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I fully agree … this one is the Supremes at their very best, and HDH … well, everything they did was brilliant, at least in my book. Did you listen to the Vanilla Fudge version? Just curious what you thought of it!
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Thank you for the sacrifice, Jill. And apologies to KA, Vanilla Fudge are definitely not a remedy for a headache. What they are is a group of classicly trained musicians who needed and wanted to break out from the constraints of their original art form, where every note was precisely chosen. At the time they were a breath of fresh air for me, controlled but expressive, and I still love most of their work today.
I won’t pain you with it, but I particularly love Season of the Witch from their second album.
(And this is as close as I will ever come to liking classical music!)
The Supremes were good, no doubt about it, but anyone could have sung the Dozier-Holland-Dozier productions and made them sound great.
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Ack. Holland-Dozier-Holland! My mind is a mess today!
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Heh heh … it happens to the best of us!
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Hey man, welcome to the club.
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I’m a lifetime member. I made two biggies yesterday, and had to own up to both of them. Some days I should just not get out of bed. This weekend was two of them!
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I share your feelings.
Sometimes hibernation irrespective of the season seems a good option.
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Yes, often!!!
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😴💤🛌…..ah bliss.
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‘Twas no sacrifice at all, rg … I only listened to about 20 seconds of it this time around, just enough to make sure it was going to play! Heh heh … poor Angie … she’ll get over it! And if I know her, she’ll go back and listen to the whole thing tomorrow! You and I agree on some songs, some music, but I think you like yours louder and more brash, whereas I like mine soft, easy on the ears. So no, I doubt I’ll listen to “Season of the Witch”, though admittedly my curiosity is piqued.
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I think I agree with you — The Supremes version is, well, supreme. I should have waited a day or so before watching the one by Vanilla Fudge though. Didn’t make it past the opening bars — just too energetic for my headache to deal with. What on earth did they put in that mint julip? Never again!
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Ooooohhhhh … I can only imagine trying to watch that Vanilla Fudge video with a throbbing headache! Heh heh … glad you enjoyed your mint julep!!!
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One experience I’ll forego in the future. They said there was very little bourbon in it, but I seldom drink alcohol so it must have been pretty high octain!
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Hey, if you had fun, then what’s a little headache the next morning! Just stay away from Vanilla Fudge and other loud, raucous bands for a few hours!
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Wow, a song i know very well! 😉 Thanks, Jill! I hope you enjoy a nice rest of the weekend! Sorry, i had a very busy last week. Let’s hope it’s going on better next week. xx Michael
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I thought you would remember this one!!! Glad you liked it! I hope you caught up on your pillow-hugging this weekend and recovered from your busy week last week! Wishing you a much calmer week ahead! xx
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Reblogged this on https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Thanks, Michael!!!
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