Jimmy Mack
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Jimmy Mack" | ||
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| Single by Martha & the Vandellas | ||
| from the album Watchout! | ||
| B-side(s) | "Third Finger, Left Hand" | |
| Released | February 3, 1967 | |
| Format | 7" single | |
| Recorded | Hitsville USA (Studio A); 1964 | |
| Genre | Soul | |
| Length | 2:53 | |
| Label | Gordy G 7058 |
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| Writer(s) | Holland-Dozier-Holland | |
| Producer(s) | Brian Holland Lamont Dozier |
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| Chart positions | ||
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| Martha & the Vandellas singles chronology | ||
| "I'm Ready For Love" (1966) |
"Jimmy Mack" (1967) |
"Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone" (1967) |
"Jimmy Mack" is a 1967 (see 1967 in music) pop/soul single recorded by Martha and the Vandellas for Motown Records' Gordy imprint. Written and produced by Motown's main creative team, Holland-Dozier-Holland, "Jimmy Mack" was the final Top 10 hit for the Vandellas in the United States, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967 and at number-one on the Billboard R&B Singles chart.
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[edit] History
The song, with lead vocal by Vandellas lead singer Martha Reeves, is narrated by a woman who longs for her boyfriend, named "Jimmy Mack", to return to her. The narrator is being courted by another suitor, whom she notes "talks just as sweet as" her long-gone Jimmy, and hopes for him to return before her resistance is worn down.
"Jimmy Mack" was originally recorded in 1964, but was shelved because the Motown Quality Control team felt the recording sounded too much like a Supremes song, and wanted to keep the sounds of the Supremes and Vandellas distinct from one another. Like Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' later hit, "The Tears of a Clown", "Jimmy Mack" was pulled from the vault two years later and released as a single in early 1967. By that time, the Vietnam War had become a highly debated issue among the American public, particularly with the disproportionate number of African-American young men sent to fight over seas, in contrast to white men of the same age. Thus, Reeves' sentiment that her "Jimmy Mack" return took on a different meaning for many listeners, particularly those stationed overseas. [1]
Upon its release, "Jimmy Mack" was a success, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the second and final Vandellas single to top the Billboard R&B chart. The song had been included on the Vandellas LP Watchout!, issued a month before the single release. For nearly forty years, "Jimmy Mack" was presented in either monaural sound or in a mix culled from an alternate take. A true stereo mix of the original single master was not done until 2006, for the compilation Martha & the Vandellas: Gold.
Sheena Easton's cover version of "Jimmy Mack" reached #65 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986.
[edit] Credits
- Lead vocals by Martha Reeves
- Background vocals by Rosalind Ashford and Betty Kelley
- Additional (harmony) background vocals by The Andantes: Marlene Barrow, Jackie Hicks and Louvain Demps
- Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
[edit] Sample
- "Jimmy Mack" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- from the album Watchout!
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Mariscal, Jorge (Mar. 22, 2003). "Johnny Mack, When Are You Coming Back?" . Counter Punch. Retrieved from http://www.counterpunch.org/mariscal03222003.html on July 30, 2006.
