\"If you've seen the Showtime special, Hitsville: The Making Of Motown, you only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg. For certain, it would have required a multiple-episode special to showcase most if not all of the talent that passed through Motown's Detroit studios; and that would be just the 60's... Time to dig a bit deeper into the groups and hits that made (and continue to make) Motown so famous.
Kim Weston- A Thrill A Moment.
Majestic waves crashing against mighty stone crags. Fireworks brilliantly exploding and illuminating the night sky. Violins swirling, trumpets that herald a joyous love.
\"Thrill A Moment\" sounds like all of those things. The excitement is built in from that fantastic intro of bongos setting the pace, strings and a harp hinting at the masterpiece about to hit your ears.
In fact, the whole song hits not only your ears, but hits your squarely in the chest. I'm guessing it is Funk Brother Robert White who is responsible for that disntinctive guitar line that runs throughout the song (think of his now-classic guitar line on The Temptations' \"My Girl.\") The Funk Brothers prove once again, they had no equal when it came to creating seriously dangerous music, and the Andantes are on hand to complete the perfect sonic landscape.
Our Lady Kim was one of the writers listed on this song, along with William Stevenson and Motown Maverick Ivy Jo Hunter. The lyrics are as grand and illustrative as fine literature- the thrill of love is in the little things lovers do; the moments spent here and there, holding hands, making plans. A look, the pleasures of what's happening now and the promise of things to come.
This is one of the things I think I've always loved about this song. It isn't the usual Moon/June lyrics. It relates love not as a fairy tale, but as finding thrills in the everyday things you do when you're dating. And that can be a true revelation.
There are moments in \"Thrill A Moment\" where Kim's vocals absolutely take complete command. When she hits her stride on a passage from about 1:05 to 1:25 and again at 2:00 to 2:25 I always get the same reaction- I feel that rush you get when you're on a roller coaster and you hit that first dramatic plunge down. It's enough to pull the breath out of your lungs! The way Kim can hold and stretch a note- perhaps the biggest thrill of \"Thrill A Moment!\"
