Introduction
“Motown Special” is a medley performed by The Osmonds, featured on their 1970 album “Osmonds.” This track showcases the group’s admiration for Motown’s influential sound by blending several classic hits into a cohesive performance. The medley includes renditions of “My World Is Empty Without You,” “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” and “I Can’t Get Next to You,” songs originally popularized by Motown artists.
The inclusion of “Motown Special” on the “Osmonds” album reflects the group’s early musical influences and their versatility in performing across genres. At the time, The Osmonds were transitioning from their image as a barbershop quartet to a more contemporary pop and R&B sound. This shift was evident in their collaboration with producer Rick Hall at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where they adopted a style reminiscent of The Jackson 5. Their hit single “One Bad Apple,” also from the same album, exemplifies this influence.
The “Motown Special” medley not only pays homage to the original Motown recordings but also highlights The Osmonds’ ability to reinterpret these classics with their unique vocal harmonies and energetic performance style. By incorporating such a medley into their repertoire, The Osmonds bridged the gap between their traditional roots and the evolving musical landscape of the early 1970s, appealing to a broader audience and solidifying their place in pop music history.
Video
Lyrics: Motown Special
Right now, right now, right now
Right now, right now, right now
Motown Special coming into town tonight
That old Motown Special coming into town tonight
We’re gonna rock
We’re gonna roll
We’re gonna make everybody feel alright!
My world is empty without you, babe
My world is empty without you, babe
And as I go my way along
I find it hard for me to carry on
I need your strength
I need your tender touch
I need the love I hear of it so much
I need love now more than before
I can’t hardly carry on anymore
I’m gonna make you love me
Ooh, yes, I will, yes, I will
I’m gonna make you love me
Ooh, yes, I will
You know I will
I can turn the gray sky bluer
I can make it rain whenever
I want it to
Oh I can build a castle from a single grain of sand
I can make a ship sail, huh, on dry land
But my life incomplete and I’m so blue
Cause I can’t get next to you
Next to you
I just can’t get next to you
Next to you
I can fly like a bird in the sky
Hey, I can buy anything that money can’t buy
Oh, I can turn a river into a raging fire
I can live forever if I so desire
I do all, oh, all of these things I can do
But I can’t get next to you
No matter what I do
Next to you
Chick-a-boom, chick-a-boom
Next to you
Chick-a-boom-boom-boom
Next to you
Chick-a-boom, chick-a-boom
Next to you
Chick-a-boom-boom-boom
And I, oh I, I can’t get next to you
Girl, you’re blowing my mind cause
I can’t get next to you
Can’t you see these tears I’m crying
I can’t get next to you
Girl, it’s you that I need
I gotta get next to you
Can’t you see these tears I’m crying
I can’t get next to you
Gotta get
Gotta get
Gotta get
Gotta get
Gotta get
Gotta get next to you