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Motown legend's message for the Pirate Party

It's you or me

The Songs

You've said that I Hear A Symphony is one of your favourites - was there a moment of inspiration for that?

I always figure, corny as it may sound, everybody's got a band walking behind them. As a kid, I always thought music was there, following me. I can pick up sounds. And you see people skipping along when you're a kid - what are they skipping to? It's the inner voice.

And that's basically where the title came from - I just applied it to a one-on-one love thing with a girl. And because it gets so overwhelming this feeling you have for a person, you can't describe it any other way. Every time you see a face this feeling comes over you, you can only define it as a piece of music, a symphony coming at you.

The only thing that made me feel that way was a song. That's a woman as far as I'm concerned. No greater symphony was ever written.

And when you had performance in mind for songs - like The Supremes, the harmonies will have been very distinctive - did that influence the composition?

When they started out with Where Did Our Love Go? they hated the song, they thought it was the worst piece of crap they'd heard, just awful. So when I had to put the background part on that - just a simple melody - that's all I had. After I cut the track and started developing it, getting into the feeling of it, I started thinking about what was I really feeling? I had this background part worked out but it was too much, overproducing. When we finally had the girls in the studio and convinced them to do it - well, sometimes less is more.

They sang it in unison, with Diana as the counterpoint. No harmony, maybe a two-part harmony. The simplicity of that. Diana Ross' attitude about not liking the song - her surly attitude - that's what made the song happen.

So much of this music is a big part of British culture now…

I had a song that they used to close the club with in the North, Why Can't We Be Lovers?

Band of Gold is a big favourite. It was a big crossover too from Northern Soul. It still gives me the shivers. Was that autobiographical?

No, just something me and Brian Holland were working on. We sat side-by-side on the piano and worked out the feeling of it. Those songs kinda write themselves. Once you get a spark, and the energy gets you. It takes you where it wants to go. And we'd stay pushing it along.

It's very economical writing - it's like a movie in a few lines.

Many Movies is what we used to call our songs - they had a beginning a middle and an end. Many Musicals.

Lamont Dozier, thanks. ®

Andrew Orlowski debates with Pirate Party chairman and founder Rick Falkvinge at In The City on Manchester on Sunday, KO 12pm.

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