Long before the "Hit Factory" of Stock Aitken Waterman, the "star-making" machinations of the likes of Simon Cowell, or even the powerhouse producers such as Tony Visconti, Trevor Horn, the Bee Gees or Nile Rodgers, there existed the phenomenal "dream team" that was Holland-Dozier-Holland - the men who made Motown into a legend.
Pivotal in the trio was the musical talent of Mr Lamont Dozier, whose 75th birthday it is today. With (and without) the Holland brothers, his list of hits is impressive, and includes:
Heat Wave,
Nowhere to Run and
Jimmy Mack for Martha and the Vandellas;
Can I Get a Witness and
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) for Marvin Gaye;
Where Did Our Love Go?,
Stop! in the Name of Love,
You Can't Hurry Love and
You Keep Me Hangin' On for the Supremes;
Baby I Need Your Loving,
I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),
Reach Out I'll Be There,
Bernadette and
It's the Same Old Song for the Four Tops;
There's a Ghost in My House for R. Dean Taylor;
Give Me Just a Little More Time for Chairmen of the Board; and
Going Back to My Roots for Odyssey.
And, to steal a catch-phrase from
Don Black in his Radio 2 Sunday programme,
"He also wrote this..."
Here's that eternal "house fave" here at Dolores Delargo Towers, Miss Alison Moyet (whose birthday it is on Saturday) and
Invisible - a song (typically where Mr Dozier's output is concerned) that we can all sing, word-for-word, to this day. All, together, now!
You've got me so confused and there's words I could use
But I'm afraid to say them.
I feel I've been had and I'm boiling mad
Still I can't live without you.
You don't have the time and you won't spend a dime
Not even to call me.
You don't know I exist and I wouldn't be missed
If I had the nerve to quit you.
Invisible - I feel like I'm invisible.
You treat me like I'm not really there
And you don't really care.
I know this romance, it ain't going nowhere.
Invisible just like my love. You treat me like I'm invisible.
When you get the need to flirt you do your worst
You just don't care how much it hurts.
I can never reach you on the phone
It rings and rings
But I know you're home.
It may be naive but I just want to believe
I'm the only one.
I tell myself lies and give you alibi's
Knowing your promises you'll never keep
Like the merry go round
I'm going up
I'm going down
I'm on a dead end street.
Invisible - I feel like I'm invisible.
You treat me like I'm not really there
and you don't really care.
I know this romance, it ain't going nowhere.
Although I know it's not a lot
Don't want to lose whatever we got.
I keep hanging on knowing I can't win
'Cause it's too hard start over again.
Invisible - I feel like I'm invisible...
Invisible just like my love.
Many happy returns,
Lamont Herbert Dozier (born 16th June 1941)
