Contestant: Adam Lambert
Song: "The Tracks of My Tears" (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles)
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The Miracles' most covered song, this 1965 smash is also one of Smokey's finest vocal performances, and the first of many Miracles songs to feature the theme of being happy on the outside yet sad on the inside. A breakup is the cause, naturally.
Contestant: Allison Iraheta
Song: "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" (The Temptations)
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The most celebrated foray into what the Temps' producer, Norman Whitfield, called "Psychedelic Soul," this epic 1972 cut -- one of the first to deal with single-parent homes -- also featured one of the longest intros of any single in rock history. (The album version, believe it or not, is even longer.)
Contestant: Anoop Desai
Song: "Ooo Baby Baby" (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles)
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Many of Smokey's songs dealt with the pain of love, but this 1965 song -- not a huge pop hit at the time, but today considered a sweet soul standard and the group's signature song -- reached new heights: a pledge of devotion delivered as a plea for forgiveness.
Contestant: Danny Gokey
Song: "Get Ready" (The Temptations)
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Later made more famous in a cover version by token Motown rock act Rare Earth, the Temps' 1966 original was nearly identical, this was the last song written and produced for the group by Smokey Robinson. After this song stalled on the charts, Norman Whitfield took over with his "Ain't Too Proud To Beg," bringing the Temps back on top.
Contestant: Kris Allen
Song: "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" (Marvin
Gaye)
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An easygoing song that fit Marvin's style better than the uptempo dance numbers he'd been cutting for Motown, 1964's "How Sweet It Is" -- likely a play on comedian Jackie Gleason's signature phrase -- became Gaye's biggest-selling single to date.
Contestant: Lil Rounds
Song: "Heatwave" (Martha and the Vandellas)
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By far the sassiest girl-group number to ever come out of Motown's stable of artists, "Heatwave" this 1963 smash helped solidify the label's standing on the charts while it introduced what was later to be called the "Motown Sound." It also garnered the label its first Grammy nomination. This is the song's fourth appearance on Idol!
Contestant: Matt Giraud
Song: "Let's Get It On" (Marvin Gaye)
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A seductive ballad that only seems to get more popular as time goes on, Gaye's hit was the centerpiece of his 1973 album of the same name, one which did for sex what What's Going On did for social commentary; that is, make it simultaneously ethereal and street-smart all at once.
Contestant: Megan Joy
Song: "For Once In My Life" (Stevie Wonder)
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Although he didn't write this one himself, this 1968 hit was a pivotal one for Stevie Wonder, a moment where he found his vocal identity and stopped being "just" another Motown player. Recorded by the Temps and other Motown artists before Stevie ever had a crack at it, it was initially rejected as a single for being too "uptempo."
Contestant: Scott MacIntyre
Song: "You Can't Hurry Love" (The Supremes)
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Sort of a distaff version of the Miracles' "Shop Around," at least in attitude, "You Can't Hurry Love" is one of the Supremes' keynote tracks, which means it's one of the greatest girl-group classics. The 1966 hit also features one of rock's most enduring basslines, courtesy of the master, James Jamerson.
Contestant: Michael Sarver
Song: "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" (The Temptations)
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Norman Whitfield's first big hit as songwriter/producer for Motown led the label in a second, earthier, more gospel-oriented direction, and Whitfield got the necessary grit and fire out of lead singer David Ruffin by forcing him to sing notes just a little higher than he was used to. The rest, as they say, is history.
