Image from the cover illustration by Steven Guarnaccia of Jeeves and the Tie That Binds, 1983
Some of the great Motown songs took a while to find a home. The Holland/Dozier/Holland team turned in their melancholy composition "Put Yourself in My Place" in 1965, and the song was assigned to the Elgins. The Elgins cut a single of the song, but it didn't do as well as the song's flip-side, "Darling Baby", which ended up being a minor hit. The song was recorded three more times in 1966 - the Supremes recorded the song for the b-side of their great "Can't Hurry Love" single, Chris Clark released her version of the song as the b-side to "Love's Gone Bad", and the Isley Brothers recorded the song for their This Old Heart of Mine album. Oddly, the song finally became a hit in 1969 when the Isleys version was rereleased as a single and went to #13 on the UK charts.
My favorite version of the song is Chris Clark's, and it has nothing to do with the fact that she's... um... white. Her version is the only one with a solo vocal, which puts the focus on Clark's soulful interpretation of the lyric and on the fun arrangement with tinkling arpeggios in the intro and swinging horns on the chorus. The backing track is less muddy and more muscular-sounding than the arrangement the Elgins used, which may have been the same exact backing track the Supremes recorded their version over (this was a common practice at Motown). As a result, Clark's version really communicates the sense of hurt that is at the core of the song. If you like this, I recommend tracking down the a-side of the original single, "Love's Gone Bad" - it can be found on the excellent One Kiss Can Lead To Another box set.
"Put Yourself in My Place" by Chris Clark
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