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This week’s Song of the Week is the Motown classic “Do You Love Me?,” which was the Contours’ biggest hit.

The Contours were introduced to Motown President Berry Gordy Jr. by Jackie Wilson whose cousin Hubert Johnson sang with the group. The group were signed to Motown in 1961 and were almost dropped shortly after when their first record “Whole Lotta Woman” made no impact on the charts. At this point, the Contours had some luck. “Do You Love Me?” was originally intended for the Temptations, but when they couldn’t be located, Gordy asked the Contours to sing it instead.

“Do You Love Me?” opens with a monologue from lead singer Billy Gordon, who then cuts loose with a great raucous vocal, supported by strong three-part harmonies from the rest of the group and great musical backing from the legendary Funk Brothers.

A number of moderate hits on the US R&B charts followed for the Contours but their sound and image wasn’t a neat fit for the Motown label and they received limited attention from either the label or the public. After their final charting single in 1967, “It’s So Hard Being a Loser,” the band survived as a live act, eventually joining the oldies circuit.

Recording date/location

“Do You Love Me?” was recorded in the spring of 1962 at Studio A of the Motown Records’ headquarters in Detroit.

Authorship

The song was written solely by Berry Gordy Jr.

Musicians

The Contours were a vocal group comprising:

• Lead vocals – Billy Gordon and Billy Hoggs
• Background vocals – Hubert Johnson, Billy Hoggs, Joe Billingslea, and Sylvester Potts.

The song also featured the Contours’ studio and live guitarist, Huey Davis, and the legendary Funk Brothers, who were the Motown house band.

Chart performance

“Do You Love Me?” was released on June 29, 1962 and hit number three on Billboard’s Hot 100 and number one on the R&B chart in October.

The song also hit number 11 on the Hot 100 in 1988 after featuring prominently in the hit movie “Dirty Dancing.”

Covers

Brian Poole and the Tremeloes – “Do You Love Me?”

“Do You Love Me?” was a popular song with a number of British Invasion acts. Brian Poole and the Tremeloes recorded the song in 1963 and had a UK number one with it. Their only other UK number one was “Silence is Golden” in 1967.

The Dave Clark Five – “Do You Love Me?”

The Dave Clark Five managed a top 30 UK hit with “Do You Love Me?” in 1963. This was their first hit and was followed by the number one smash “Glad All Over.” Their version of “Do You Love Me?” was also released on single in 1964 in the US and hit number 11.

The Hollies – “Do You Love Me?”

The Hollies included “Do You Love Me?” on their 1964 album “Stay with The Hollies,” which was mainly an album of covers. Their version doesn’t match the intensity of the original and is the weakest of the British covers.

The Sonics – “Do You Love Me?”

American rockers The Sonics recorded a cover of “Do You Love Me?” for their debut album “Here Are the Sonics” in 1965. It’s a great version, with a strong lead vocal from Gerry Roslie. The band stayed close to the Contours’ original arrangement, but omitted the spoken intro.

There will be a new Song of the Week on July 5.