Operator (Motown song)

Last updated
"Operator"
Single by Mary Wells
from the album Vintage Stock
A-side "Two Lovers"
Released1963
Recorded1962
Genre Soul/pop
Length2:46
Label Motown
M 1035
Songwriter(s) Smokey Robinson
Producer(s) Smokey Robinson
"Operator"
Single by Brenda Holloway
B-side "I'll Be Available"
Released1965
Recorded1964
Genre Soul
Length3:08
Label Tamla
T 54115
Songwriter(s) Smokey Robinson
Producer(s) Smokey Robinson
Brenda Holloway singles chronology
"When I'm Gone"
(1964)
"Operator"
(1965)
"You Can Cry On My Shoulder"
(1965)

"Operator" is a Motown song recorded by vocalists Mary Wells and Brenda Holloway. The Wells version was the b-side to her top ten hit, "Two Lovers" [1] while Holloway's version was issued as a single in 1965. [2]

Contents

Overview

Song information

In the song, written by Smokey Robinson of The Miracles, the narrator expresses her desire for the phone operator to connect her with her boyfriend, who is supposedly on the other end of the line. However, to her dismay, the operator encounters difficulty reaching him, resulting in static. Throughout the difficulties, the narrator pleads with the operator to "put him on the line".

Charts

Brenda Holloway version

Brenda Holloway's version of the song, which is produced under a more soulful rendition than Wells' teen pop-styled version from three years before, reached number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 36 on the R&B singles chart. [3] [4]

Chart (1967)Peak
position
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [5] 14
UK R&B ( Record Mirror ) [6] 17
US Billboard Hot 100 [7] 78
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [8] 36

Credits

Mary Wells version

Brenda Holloway version

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References

  1. The Complete Motown Singles Vol 3: 1963 [CD liner notes]. New York: Hip-O Select/Motown/Universal Records.
  2. The Complete Motown Singles Vol 5: 1965 [CD liner notes]. New York: Hip-O Select/Motown/Universal Records.
  3. Operator at AllMusic
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 289.
  5. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5619." RPM . Library and Archives Canada.
  6. "BRITAIN'S TOP R&B SINGLES" (PDF). Record Mirror . July 17, 1965. p. 15. Retrieved January 28, 2022 via worldradiohistory.com.
  7. "Brenda Holloway Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  8. "Brenda Holloway Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.