"Stop! In the Name of Love" is a 1965 song recorded by

the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...

for the

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team

Holland–Dozier–Holland Holland–Dozier–Holland, often abbreviated as H-D-H, was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the ...

, "Stop! In the Name of Love" held the number 1 position on the ''Billboard'' pop singles chart in the United States from March 27, 1965, through April 3, 1965, and reached the number 2 position on the soul chart. ''Billboard'' named the song number 38 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time. The

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

ranked "Stop! In the Name of Love" at number 56 on ''The Top 100 Digital Motown Chart'', which ranks

releases by their all time UK downloads and streams. In 2001, the 1965 recording of "Stop! In the Name of Love" by

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...

was inducted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

. In 2021, it was listed at No. 254 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

History

The song was written by Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Brian Holland. Dozier said that he got the idea after he got cheated on by his girlfriend. In the heat of the argument, he said, "Baby, please stop. In the name of love- before you break my heart." The Supremes recorded "Stop! In the Name of Love" in January 1965 and released as a single on February 8. The song was included on the Supremes' sixth album, '' More Hits by The Supremes'', and was nominated for the 1966 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Rock & Roll Group Vocal Performance, losing to " Flowers on the Wall" by the Statler Brothers. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' described it as "a rousing, shufflin’ pop-blues romancer about a gal who cautions her boyfriend to go a little bit slower" that should "continue in he Supremesfantastic chart-riding ways." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said "These girls can't be stopped. And so they have another one that is on its way to the top spot. Diana, Florence and Marie have the knack and so does their home base, Motown Records." The Supremes' choreography for this song involved one hand on the hip and the other outstretched in a "stop" gesture. They performed it on an episode of the ABC variety program '' Shindig!'' which aired on Wednesday, February 24, 1965.

Personnel

* Lead vocals by

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

* Backing vocals by

Florence Ballard Florence Glenda Chapman (''née'' Ballard; June 30, 1943 – February 22, 1976) was an American singer and a founding member of the Motown vocal female group the Supremes. She sang on 16 top 40 singles with the group, including ten number- ...

, Mary Wilson and

the Andantes The Andantes were an American female session group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by M ...

: Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow and Louvain Demps * All instruments by

the Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

** Johnny Griffith – organ **James Gittens – piano ** Joe Messina – guitar **

James Jamerson James Lee Jamerson (January 29, 1936 – August 2, 1983) was an American bassist. He was the uncredited bassist on most of the Motown Records hits in the 1960s and early 1970s (Motown did not list session musician credits on their releases un ...

– bass **

Benny Benjamin William "Benny" Benjamin (July 25, 1925 – April 20, 1969), nicknamed Papa Zita, was an American musician, most notable as the primary drummer for the Motown Records studio band The Funk Brothers. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall o ...

– drums ** Jack Ashford –

vibraphone The vibraphone (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using Percussion mallet, mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone ...

** Mike Terry – baritone saxophone

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Notable cover versions

* The Hollies' version in 1983 peaked in the US at number 29 and in Canada at number 31, from the album '' What Goes Around...'' * Scottish singer

Barbara Dickson Barbara Ruth Dickson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish singer and actress whose hits include " I Know Him So Well" (a chart-topping duet with Elaine Paige), " Answer Me" and " January February". Dickson has placed fifteen albums on the UK ...

released her version in 1983 from the album ''Heartbeats'', peaking at number 29 in Belgium.

References

External links

List of cover versions of "Stop! In the Name of Love"
at SecondHandSongs.com * {{Authority control 1965 songs 1965 singles 1983 singles The Supremes songs The Hollies songs Gloria Gaynor songs Barbara Dickson songs Motown singles Atlantic Records singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Songs written by Holland–Dozier–Holland Song recordings produced by Brian Holland Song recordings produced by Lamont Dozier Songs about infidelity The Jackson 5 songs