The ranking of the 100 greatest Motown songs of all time according to Far Out Magazine

The Motown saga is one of the most fascinating stories in the history of popular music. Far Out magazine has decided to dedicate an in-depth feature to it, compiling an ambitious ranking titled "The 100 greatest Motown songs of all time". "Ever since it was founded in 1959, in the industrial shadow of Detroit, Michigan, Motown Records has always been much more than just a record label," writes Ben Forrest in the introduction. "In the history of music, especially from the point of view of the pop audience, record labels have never enjoyed the same prestige or power as the artists on their rosters. Motown, however, changed all that. Its enigmatic leader, Berry Gordy, knew the world of R&B and soul inside out, but above all he was a businessman. This meant that, rather than signing artists already established on the pop charts battlefield, Gordy preferred to bet mostly on unknowns, turning them into pop and soul stars within the studios and offices of Hitsville USA. Over the years, an astonishing number of artists destined to become legends passed through Motown's doors, and the label became an essential, irreplaceable home for musicians like Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, right through to some decidedly more unpredictable presences, such as Frankie Valli... Meanwhile, Gordy managed to realize his vision of building a true pop empire: for much of the 1960s and into the 1970s, Motown became an almost constant presence on the American charts. Hundreds of Top 10 hits emerged from the Hitsville studios, launching countless stars but, above all, cementing Motown's reputation as a genuine institution of pop music... Motown operated like Detroit's car-industry assembly lines, churning out an unmatched volume of material during its golden era. That's why it's so difficult to compile a true ranking of every single that passed through the label, but Far Out has never backed down from a challenge. So here are the 100 finest expressions of Motown's output, from its early days heavily influenced by doo-wop through to the neon-tinted pop of the 1980s. Although Motown Records still exists in the 21st century, albeit now mostly in name only, this ranking takes into account exclusively the output produced between the founding of Tamla in 1959 and Berry Gordy's sale of the label in 1988."

So here, then, is Far Out Magazine's ranking of the 100 greatest Motown songs of all time (full feature here).

100. The Satintones – "Motor City"
99. Táta Vega – "Full Speed Ahead"
98. The Swingin' Tigers – "Snake Walk"
97. San Remo Golden Strings – "Festival Time"
96. Chico Leverett – "Solid Sender"
95. High Inergy – "You Can't Turn Me Off (in the Middle of Turning Me On)"
94. The Velvelettes – "He Was Really Saying Something"
93. Nick And The Jaguars – "Ich-I-Bon #1"
92. The Supremes – "Buttered Popcorn"
91. Jr Walker and the All Stars – "Come See About Me"
90. Shorty Long – "Baby Come Home To Me"
89. Earl Van Dyke And The Soul Brothers – "All For You"
88. Chuck Jackson – "Girls, Girls, Girls"
87. The Dalton Boys – "I've Been Cheated"
86. The Spinners – "It's A Shame"
85. Debbie Dean – "Why Am I Lovin' You"
84. Bobby Taylor And The Vancouvers – "I Am Your Man"
83. Patrice Holloway – "The Touch of Venus"
82. Barbara McNair – "I Know Better"
81. Thelma Houston – "Don't Leave Me This Way"
80. Amiri Baraka – "It's Nation Time"
79. Diana Ross and Lionel Richie – "Endless Love"
78. The Marvelettes – "I'll Keep Holding On"
77. Brenda Holloway – "Every Little Bit Hurts"
76. The Monitors – "Share A Little Love With Me (Somebody)"
75. Rick James – "Super Freak"
74. Barbara McNair – "It Happens Every Time"
73. The Undisputed Truth – "Smiling Faces Sometimes"
72. Gladys Knight and the Pips – "If You Ever Get Your Hands On Love"
71. Lionel Richie – "All Night Long (All Night)"
70. Marv Johnson – "Come To Me"
69. JJ Barnes – "Show Me The Way"
68. The Isley Brothers – "Tell Me It's Just A Rumour Baby"
67. Shorty Long – "Here Comes The Judge"
66. Barrett Strong – "Misery"
65. Earl Van Dyke & The Motown Brass – "6 By 6"
64. Kim Weston – "You Hit Me (Where It Hurt)"
63. Rare Earth – "(I Know) I'm Losing You"
62. Diana Ross – "I'm Coming Out"
61. Mary Wells – "What Love Has Joined Together"
60. Eddie Holland – "Jamie"
59. The Miracles – "Mickey's Monkey"
58. The Supremes – "Love Child"
57. Jr Walker and the All Stars – "Shotgun"
56. The Originals – "Suspicion"
55. Jimmy Ruffin – "He Who Picks A Rose"
54. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell – "Give In, You Just Can't Win"
53. The Miracles – "You Really Got A Hold On Me"
52. Elaine Brown – "Until We're Free"
51. Chris Clark – "Love's Gone Bad"
50. Tammi Terrell – "All I Do Is Think About You"
49. Diana Ross – "Upside Down"
48. Gladys Knight and the Pips – "No One Could Love You More"
47. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas – "Dancing In The Street"
46. Marvin Gaye – "Let's Get It On"
45. Kim Weston – "I'm Still Loving You"
44. Diana Ross – "Touch Me in the Morning"
43. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas – "Jimmy Mack"
42. Stevie Wonder – "Boogie On Reggae Woman"
41. The Commodores – "Three Times A Lady"
40. Marvin Gaye – "Can I Get A Witness"
39. The Elgins – "Heaven Must Have Sent You"
38. The Temptations – "Get Ready"
37. The Supremes – "You Keep Me Hangin' On"
36. The Contours – "Do You Love Me"
35. The Commodores – "Easy"
34. The Jackson Five – "I Want You Back"
33. The Temptations – "Ain't Too Proud To Beg"
32. The Velvelettes – "Needle In A Haystack"
31. The Marvelettes – "Please Mr Postman"
30. The Miracles – "Tears of a Clown"
29. Brenda Holloway – "Just Look What You've Done"
28. Edwin Starr – "War"
27. Stevie Wonder – "Uptight (Everything's Alright)"
26. Jimmy Ruffin – "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"
25. The Jackson Five – "ABC"
24. Edwin Starr – "Twenty-Five Miles"
23. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas – "Heat Wave"
22. The Temptations – "My Girl"
21. Stevie Wonder – "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)"
20. R Dean Taylor – "There's A Ghost In My House"
19. The Four Tops – "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)"
18. The Supremes – "Stop! In The Name of Love"
17. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – "The Night"
16. The Temptations – "Cloud Nine"
15. The Isley Brothers – "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)"
14. Stevie Wonder – "Superstition"
13. Frank Wilson – "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)"
12. The Supremes – "Where Did Our Love Go?"
11. Mary Wells – "My Guy"
10. Barrett Strong – "Money (That's What I Want)"
9. The Supremes – "Baby Love"
8. The Four Tops – "Reach Out (I'll Be There)"
7. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell – "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
6. Marvin Gaye – "What's Going On"
5. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas – "Nowhere To Run"
4. The Miracles – "The Tracks of My Tears"
3. The Temptations – "Papa Was A Rolling Stone"
2. Stevie Wonder – "Sir Duke"
1. Marvin Gaye – "I Heard It Through The Grapevine"

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