I've only just heard that, sadly, the song's composer Ron Miller died last month aged 74.
Motown's only white 'house' songwriter (pic with Berry Gordy), he also penned 'For Once In My Life' (which became one of the most recorded songs in history) and 'Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday' for Stevie Wonder and wrote the lyrics to Diana Ross's 'Touch Me In The Morning'. In later years he wrote 'I've Never Been To Me' for Motown's white countrypop singer Charlene ('I've been to Nice and the isle of Greece' - ahem) and worked with Celine Dion (!) but we'll forgive him that in the circumstances...
There's a decent obit here.
Stevie Wonder - 'Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday' (1969)
I missed that piece of news too. Love the old Motown stuff - great songs. Must get around to posting some.
ReplyDeleteReminds me how I somehow convinced my southern workmates that every time she came on the radio, Charlene was singing, "I've been to paradise ... but I've never been to Leeds".
ReplyDeleteAh yes....our version ran 'I've been to Clapham South, but I've never been to Cheam'
ReplyDeleteYep, and The Jam sang about eating trifle!
ReplyDeleteI'm still trying to decipher 'Watching The Detectives'.
ReplyDeleteSeem to be rather a spate of these musically related deaths at the mo, ally has mentioned someone else I've never heard of.