Song Of The Day 4/4/2013: Tammi Terrell - "All I Do Is Think About You"

Tammi Terrell (1945-1970) was Marvin Gaye's most notable duet partner, and probably Motown Records' most tragic story. Gaye & Terrell had seven Top 40 hits in their days, including four Top 10-ers. She never hit the Top 40 on her own, and passed away from brain cancer at the unconscionably young age of 24. One of my favorite Motown studio albums and most prized Mp3 finds is her only solo album, Irresistible from 1969, which you can hear in its entirety in tracks 15 through 25 on the Spotify link below. (This is my first Spotify embed, by the way. A grateful nation snickers.)

Stevie Wonder was one of the writers on "All I Do Is Think About You," and up until very recently I thought his version on his 1980 album Hotter Than July was the original. Then somehow I stumbled on Tammi's version, which was recorded in 1966. It was also recorded by another of my favorite unsung Motown artists, Brenda Holloway, around the same time. My pop savant status took a hit, but the song's terrific.

(Yeah, I'm probably going to abuse the privilege now that I've figured out how to do it.)