Our Throwback Thursday theme for February 2014 is “Soul Classics of the 60’s.” We start our new installment with vocal quartet The Four Tops.
The Four Tops was a very successful group responsible for many hits. Although it would be nice to talk about all their hits, we are going to focus on their Motown era. One of their most popular songs was “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch),” released in 1965.
Written by Motown production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, “I Can’t Help Myself” was lifted off the group’s sophomore effort appropriately titled “Second Album.” On the track, the Detroit based group sing about the love they have for their love interests.
Needless to say, “I Can’t Help Myself” was a hit. The song, which featured live instrumentation from The Funk Brothers, peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Black Singles Chart (now called Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs) and No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Singles Chart (now called Billboard Hot 100).
Watch The Four Tops’ live performance of “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” below.
Fun Fact: The Supremes, The Four Tops’ labelmates, recorded their version of the song shortly after it was released. The ladies included it on their No. 1 album “The Supremes A’ Go-Go,” which was released in 1966.
