#music, Music Greats! The Four Tops «Reach Out»

(«Tops GFour»/Francisco Bravo Cabrera/All Rights Reserved)

Reach Out I’ll Be There – The Four Tops

One of my favourite songs from all times. It was released by Motown on 18 August 1966, exactly 60 years ago today. «Reach Out I’ll Be There» totally defines the classic Motown era, and arguably the signature song of the Four Tops. Written by the legendary song-writing team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland (Holland-Dozier-Holland), the song combines an urgent soul vocal with a phenomenal arrangement.

The Four Tops were a Detroit vocal group formed in the early 1950s by Levi Stubbs, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Lawrence Payton. They joined Motown in 1963 and quickly became one of the label’s most successful groups, with Stubbs providing their distinctive, powerful lead vocals. Their earlier hits included Baby I Need Your Loving and I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch).

What makes Reach Out I’ll Be There particularly striking is its sense of drama. Rather than the smooth, romantic sound associated with some Motown records, this one begins with a tense, almost ominous feel before bursting into its uplifting chorus. Lamont Dozier described the idea as a “journey of emotions”, deliberately moving between minor and major keys to create that feeling of tension and release.

Levi Stubbs’ was pushed by the composers, Holland-Dozier-Holland, to the top of his vocal range to give the performance a feeling of strain, desperation and emotional hunger. Interestingly, they were influenced by Bob Dylan, particularly the forceful, almost shouted style of his singing on Like a Rolling Stone. Of course Levi sang a million times better than Bob. 😊

The story behind the recording is that the Four Tops themselves initially thought the finished track was too unusual and reportedly asked Motown not to release it as a single. Berry Gordy disagreed—and history proved him right.

The gamble paid off spectacularly. The record reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in October 1966 and also topped the American R&B chart. In Britain it became the Four Tops’ first No. 1, spending three weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart. It was also ranked No. 5 on Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 for 1966, an extraordinary achievement in a year packed with classic records.

An interesting detail is the galloping percussion heard at the beginning. The unusual sound was created by striking the plastic head of a jingle-less tambourine with timpani mallets, while Stubbs improvised the line “Just look over your shoulder” during the session—and the improvised phrase was kept in the final recording.

This song does not get old. It’s reputation has grown with time. In 2022, “Reach Out I’ll Be There” was selected by the U.S. Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry, recognising its cultural, historical and artistic significance.

For me, what makes the record so enduring is that it sounds both immensely powerful and deeply vulnerable. The rhythm drives forward, the arrangement constantly builds tension, and Levi Stubbs sounds as though he is singing directly to someone who is on the verge of giving up. It is classic Motown—but with a darker, more dramatic edge. More than half a century later, Reach Out I’ll Be There still sounds urgent, passionate and completely alive.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 💗

CHEERS