Once again, we are going back to a song that was released well over a half a century ago. On this day in 1961 The Marvelettes released ‘Please, Mr Postman’. The release was the culmination of a about two months work, and that is where the story becomes a significant chapter in music lore.
In April of 1961 a singing group known as The Marvels arranged for an audition with Tamla Records which was owned by Berry Gordy of Motown fame. The Marvels lead singer Georgia Dobbins and a few high school friends who made up the act needed a song to make the audition a success. For that, Dobbins turned to her friend William Garrett who offered a blues song. Dobbins reworked the lyrics and style and The Marvels completed the audition. Soon after, Dobbins left The Marvels and was replaced by Wanda Young. While reorganizing the personnel Gordy went to work with the act. He changed their name to The Marvelettes and he assembled a team of songwriters to modify the lyrics yet again. This time he hired a pair of songwriters named Brian Holland and Robert Bateman (Brianbert). With the help of a friend of theirs; Freddie Gorman, who actually was a Detroit postman, they finalized the lyrics we all know today.
‘Please, Mr. Postman’ tells the story of a young lady who sits at home hoping that the mailman will bring her a letter from her boyfriend. It is a classic early ‘60s delivery that is brought to life by the clever boy/girl lyrical style of the day. The song became a launching pad for Brian Holland who moved on to become one third of the famed Motown lyricists known as Holland-Dozier-Holland. See Ted Tocks Roll With It’ (Roadrunner) and How Sweet it Is. The songwriting credit for ‘Please, Mr. Postman’ has been a bit of a revolving door through the years depending on the presentation. The original recording by The Marvelettes credits Dobbins (she maintained recognition for her contribution), her friend William Garrett, who got the ball rolling with his blues track, and the amalgamation of ‘Brian’ Holland and Ro’bert’ Bateman (Brianbert). Other recordings added Gorman but spelled his name wrong (Garman) and others only credited Brian Holland. Some added Berry Gordy and when the song was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the songwriting credit dropped Dobbins and Garrett. The most official stamp at EMI Music seems to have taken the time to get it right by listing all five contributing writers.
‘Please, Mr. Postman’ is a very important song in music history because it was the first Motown song to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Consider the importance of this accomplishment in a racially divided United States. A female, all African American singing group recording on a fledgling record label owned by an energetic African American man with a vision. It all began with this song. ‘Please, Mr. Postman’ truly delivered.
On a sad note, Marvelettes singer Georgeanna Tillman died of complications stemming from lupus and sickle cell anemia on January 6, 1980. She had lived with these disorders since her childhood and fought valiantly throughout her life to overcome the challenges presented.
On a more upbeat note, it is also an interesting fact that the drummer on this track is the one and only Marvin Gaye who began his career with Motown as a session player. The significance grows from there as it was also covered by The Beatles in 1963 on their With the Beatles album. It had been a concert staple for the act from their early live days at The Cavern Club. In Canada ‘Please, Mr. Postman’ was released as the B-side to Roll Over Beethoven. Here is the video of the band doing ‘Please, Mr. Postman’. Check out Ringo in the background. Having the time of his life.
Speaking of drummers on ‘Please, Mr Postman’, here is Karen Carpenter. In 1975, The Carpenters’ rode ‘Please, Mr. Postman’ to #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts. It was The Carpenters tenth and final Gold single.
Some songs are fascinating because of the writing process or the recording technique but in the case of today’s song, it mostly relates to its cultural significance and how important it was in taking steps to tear down walls and remove cultural barriers. The Marvelletes can never be forgotten, nor can any of the key players who played a role in their prominence.
Ted Tocks Covers 
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Originally posted on August 21, 2019
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