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"Jimmy Mack"
"Jimmy Mack"
Single by Martha and the Vandellas
from the album Watchout!
B-side	Third Finger, Left Hand
Released	February 3, 1967
Recorded	March 2, 1964
Studio	Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A)
Genre	R&B; pop;
Length	2:53
Label	Gordy; G 7058
Songwriter(s)	Holland–Dozier–Holland
Producer(s)	Brian Holland ; Lamont Dozier
Martha and the Vandellas singles chronology

"Jimmy Mack" is a pop/soul song that in 1967 became a hit single by Martha and the Vandellas for Motown's Gordy imprint. Written and produced by Motown's main creative team, Holland–Dozier–Holland, "Jimmy Mack" was the final Top 10 pop hit for the Vandellas in the United States, peaking at No.10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967 and at No.1 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart.^[3] Billboard named the song No.82 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.^[4]

History

The song, with a lead vocal by the Vandellas' lead singer Martha Reeves in the 1967 version, is sung from the point of view of a woman who longs for the return of boyfriend "Jimmy Mack". The woman is being courted by another suitor, who she says "talks just as sweet as" her long-gone Jimmy, and she hopes for Jimmy to return before she falls for the other man.

The inspiration for the song came from a 1964 music industry awards dinner, which Lamont Dozier attended. At the ceremony the mother of songwriter Ronnie Mack accepted an award for her son, who had recently died, for his composition "He's So Fine". Under pressure to come up with a hit for Reeves and the Vandellas, Dozier and the team penned this song in part as a tribute to Mack the writer.^[5]^{[unreliable source?]}

"Jimmy Mack" was originally recorded in 1964 when Annette Beard was still a part of the group. The song was shelved because the Motown Quality Control team felt the recording was not suitable for release because it sounded too much like a Supremes song. Like Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' later hit, "The Tears of a Clown", "Jimmy Mack" was pulled from the vault two years later and released as a single in early 1967. By that time, the Vietnam War had become a highly debated issue among the American public. Thus, Reeves' sentiment that her "Jimmy Mack" return took on a different meaning for many listeners, particularly those stationed overseas.^{[citation needed]}

"Jimmy Mack" was a success, peaking at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the second and final Vandellas single to top the Billboard R&B chart. "Jimmy Mack" was also a hit in Britain, reaching No.21. The song had been included on the Vandellas' LP Watchout!, issued a month before the single release. For nearly forty years, "Jimmy Mack" was presented in either monaural sound or in a mix culled from an alternate take. A true stereo mix of the original single master was not done until 2005, for The Motown Box, then appearing in 2006 on the compilation Martha & the Vandellas: Gold.

Personnel

Lead vocals by Martha Reeves
Background vocals by Rosalind Ashford and Annette Beard on album version; Betty Kelly on 45 version
Additional (harmony) background vocals by The Andantes: Marlene Barrow, Jackie Hicks and Louvain Demps
Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers

Sheena Easton version (1986)

The Scottish singer Sheena Easton recorded "Jimmy Mack" for her 1985 album Do You. It was released as a single in early 1986 and reached number 65 on the US Singles Chart in February 1986.

References

^ "Third Finger, Left Hand". AllMusic.
^ ^a ^b Ruhlmann, William (January 1, 1997). "Laura Nyro". In Bogdanov, Vladimir; Erlewine, Michael; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas; Unterberger, Richie; Woodstra, Chris (eds.). AllMusic Guide to Rock. San Francisco: Miller Freeman, Inc. pp. 665–666.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 378.
^ "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
^ "Jimmy Mack by Martha & the Vandellas | Songfacts". SongFacts.com. Retrieved 2016-10-01.