737 Martha and the Vandellas “Dancing in the Street” 1964

Martha Reeves (1941- ): “When I heard Marvin’s [Gaye] version it was sung in a male register. I thought it was a good song, but not really in my key. So they said, ‘OK, Martha, give it your treatment,’ and I came up with the melody. To be honest, I didn’t like the song at first, but when I put myself into it and made it my own, it became the anthem of the decade” (Steve Sullivan, Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, 2013). Listed on the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.

Martha Reeves and the Vandellas “Dancing in the Streets”