Please Mr. Postman
"Please Mr. Postman" is a song written by Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland and Robert Bateman. It is the debut single by the Marvelettes for the Tamla (Motown) label,[3] notable as the first Motown song to reach the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. The single achieved this position in late 1961; it hit number one on the R&B chart as well.[4] "Please Mr. Postman" became a number-one hit again in early 1975 when The Carpenters' cover of the song reached the top position of the Billboard Hot 100. "Please Mr. Postman" has been covered several times, including by the British rock group the Beatles in 1963. The 2017 song "Feel It Still" by Portugal. The Man draws on "Please Mr. Postman"[5][6] and includes a credit for Brian Holland.
For the memoirs by Alan Johnson, see Please, Mister Postman (book)."Please Mr. Postman"
"So Long Baby"
August 21, 1961
April 1961
Hitsville U.S.A., Detroit
2:31
- Georgia Dobbins
- William Garrett
- Brianbert (Brian Holland & Robert Bateman)
Brianbert
Original version[edit]
Background[edit]
In April 1961, the Marvelettes (then known as the Marvels) arranged an audition for Berry Gordy's Tamla label. Marvels original lead singer Georgia Dobbins needed an original song for their audition, and got a blues song from her friend William Garrett, which she then reworked for the group. Dobbins left the group after the audition and was replaced.[7] Gordy renamed the group and hired "Brianbert" – Brian Holland and Robert Bateman's songwriting partnership – to rework the song yet again. Freddie Gorman, himself a Detroit postman and another songwriting partner of Holland (before Holland became part of the Holland–Dozier–Holland team) was also involved in the final reworking.
Composition and recording[edit]
Songwriting credits for "Please Mr. Postman" have been inconsistent.[8] Journalist Ben Fong-Torres credits the song to Holland, Bateman, Gorman, Dobbins and Garrett.[9] The original Tamla 45 single for the Marvelettes' version credits "Dobbins/Garett/Brianbert" as the songwriters, and credits "Brianbert" as producer. The original With the Beatles album cover credited it to just Brian Holland (the 1987 CD release credits it to "Dobbin-Garrett-Garman-Brianbert"). The 1976 Beatles discography book All Together Now credits the songwriting to Holland, Bateman, and Berry Gordy. The 1992 Motown boxed set Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection credits Dobbins, Garrett, Holland, Bateman, and Gorman as the composers. The Songwriters Hall of Fame credits "Please Mr. Postman" to just Holland, Bateman, and Gorman.[10] EMI Music Publishing, the current music publisher of the song, list all five writers in their catalog.
Played in 4/4 time, the song features the common I–vi–IV–V chord progression.[8] The melody is hexatonic, avoiding "blue" notes.[11]
The Marvelettes recording features lead singer Gladys Horton hoping that the postman has brought her a letter from her boyfriend. Holland and Bateman – dubbing themselves "Brianbert" – produced the session.[12] The song's rhythm section is made up of piano, electric bass and drums.[13] The commercial failure of Marvin Gaye's 1961 debut album, The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye, led him to spend time as a studio musician for the remainder of the year.[14] Among these efforts was "Please Mr. Postman", on which he plays the drums.[15] Gaye's backbeat is busy throughout the song, playing his snare on the two and four beats while tapping the ride cymbal each half beat.[13] He uses fills to transition the song through sections. The bass mostly alternates between root and fifth chords. An electric rhythm guitar is buried in the mix, only occasionally audible, while handclaps are prominent.[16] Musicologist Walter Everett suggests that the appearance of reverb on the lead vocal at 2:10 is possibly the result of a vocal overdub being "punched into a mismatched circuit".[17]
Release[edit]
Motown's Tamla label released the song as a single in the US in August 1961, then on the album of the same name in November 1961.[18] The single was a commercial success, becoming Motown's second million-selling record and its first number-one hit.[12] The song was on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 23 weeks, and peaked at number 1 the week of December 11, 1961.[19] Producer Berry Gordy credited Barney Ales' PR effort with the commercial success of the song.[20] The song's hit status left many at Motown expecting the Marvelettes to be the label's biggest act, though they failed to ever match their first effort.[12]
"Please Mr. Postman"
"Please Mr. Postman"
November 8, 1974
September 1974
2:50
A&M 1646
Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland, Robert Bateman
Richard and Karen Carpenter