Motown was built on hits, not vibes. If the chorus doesn’t grab you by the collar, it’s not finished. by Berry Gordy

Berry, you don’t manage records, you pressure-test them until they confess. And honestly? It worked.

That’s rich coming from the man who made everybody sing the same line 19 times like the studio was a hostage situation.

And yet somehow those 19 takes kept paying rent, Smokey.

I’m just saying, some of us wanted a little air in the song before it got laminated.

Berry heard ‘air’ and scheduled another meeting.

You both say I was strict, but you still came back with records. That’s called good management.