The Four Tops ~ Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over) 1966 Soul Purrfection Version

Details

Description

Hey it's time for another Motown Monday! Here's a song from one of my favorite Motown groups, The Four Tops. It was not as big a hit as "Baby, I Need Your Lovin'" or "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" but it should have been. The sound is Motown in its golden period, pure, bright and positively cheery with a steady upbeat arrangement that belie the sad lyrics....that was the power of Motown. I was six years old and so glad my mom played AM top 40 radio every morning and I remember the instant I first heard this. It had been ages since I listened to it, and yeah, I just want to sleep now. so wake me when it's over.......

The Four Aims became the Four Tops when recording for Motown, creating sensational music like "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" that was a #1 hit across the board.

This one is proto-disco to me, the vibraphones, the airy strings and that perfectly steady kick drum that I would call go-go arrangement that drives the song. Barbara Streisand did a promo disco cover of the song in 1975 produced by Rupert Holmes (yes he of Pina Colada Song fame) and it was pretty good.