THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,951) Chris Clark — “I Want to Go Back There Again”
Berry Gordy, Jr., wrote and produced this sumptuous ’67 A-side “which unjustly fail[ed] to chart” — reaching #114 — but “remains one of his favorite compositions and displays convincing vulnerability, yet another dimension of [Chris Clark’s] underrated vocal flexibility.” (https://classic.motown.com/artist/chris-clark/) “Of the few white acts on Berry Gordy’s Motown label, Chris Clark — with platinum blonde hair, pale skin and a kind of Marilyn Monroe appeal — was undoubtedly the whitest.” (Graham Reid, https://www.elsewhere.co.nz/fromthevaults/5042/chris-clark-i-want-to-go-back-there-again-1967/) Ha, ha, ha!
Bruce Eder writes of Clark:
The Los Angeles-born Clark was discovered by Motown California talent representative Hal Davis . . . who arranged an audition for her with Berry Gordy in Detroit. Gordy hated the songs on her demo but loved her voice, and she was signed to Motown at age 18. Clark was wise beyond her years, especially in the ways of music, having spent a big part of her youth around jazz musicians. Her voice was suited to the harder, bluesier side of R&B, and Gordy gave her one of the raunchier singles ever to come out of the label, “Do Right Baby, Do Right,” as her debut. The two started writing songs together . . . and she ended up just as involved on the creative side of the business as the performing side, assisting and advising Gordy in his work on behalf of several artists’ careers. Additionally, the two were involved personally for years. Her own biggest hit, released in 1966 on the Motown subsidiary VIP label, was “Love’s Gone Bad[]” . . . which reached number 41 on the R&B chart and went to number 105 in the pop listings. That led to her first LP, Soul Sounds, released in 1967; as much a compilation of singles as a real album . . . . Although she never made a deep or lasting impression in America — where her race and sound, as well as her interracial romance with Gordy touched on some very raw and sensitive issues — Clark was embraced in England, where audiences dubbed her “the White Negress” and meant it as a compliment. She was responsible for a string of good singles that weren’t hits, among them “I Want to Go Back There Again” . . . . In 1969, Gordy decided to put Clark’s abilities to use behind the scenes by making her vice president in charge of the record label’s new film division. It was in this capacity that she grabbed a little chunk of the glory from the one major hit spawned by Motown’s jump into movies . . . as she co-authored the screenplay for Lady Sings the Blues and snagged an Academy Award nomination. Clark also had a talent for photography, which she used on behalf of numerous Motown artists, and became an executive at the company. She was in charge of the company’s creative affairs from 1981 until 1989 . . . .
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chris-clark-mn0000439291#biography
Clark recalled that:
Getting my singles played on radio was difficult[. ]Once [DJs] found out I was white they thought Motown had tried to trick them. . . . [T]here was a bit of a backlash. They thought that something had been put over them. The photos weren’t on the single.
https://www.elsewhere.co.nz/fromthevaults/5042/chris-clark-i-want-to-go-back-there-again-1967/
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