| "The Motown Song" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Rod Stewart featuring The Temptations | |
| from the album Vagabond Heart | |
| B-side | "Sweet Soul Music" (live) |
| Released | 1991 |
| Genre | Rock, R&B, Soul, New Jack Swing, Motown |
| Length |
4:00 (album version) 4:17 (single remix) |
| Writer(s) | Larry John McNally |
The Motown Song is a 1991 song by Rod Stewart from his album Vagabond Heart. It features backing vocals by Motown superstars The Temptations and lyrical references to fellow Motown stars The Miracles. It reached #10 in the US charts and #10 in the UK charts. The song was written and originally released by Larry John McNally and included in the film soundtrack "Quicksilver" in 1986.
Stewart would later include several Motown covers on his 2009 album, Soulbook.
The music video was produced by Animation City, an animation company in London, England and directed by Derek Hayes. It followed the success of the recent Madonna video, "Dear Jessie" and Elton John's, "Club at the End of the Street", by the same company. It paid tribute to Motown, and affectionately poked fun, at other chart stars of the time, featuring animated versions of, The Temptations, The Supremes, Vanilla Ice, Sinéad O'Connor, Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Elton John, alongside a live action and animated Rod Stewart, and his dog!
| End of year chart (1991) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[1] | 99 |