And I said, gay community? They said, yeah man, it's a smash. She then expresses her regret at her mistake ("And the dream of what love could be, if you were still here with me").Īccording to Ron Dunbar, when interviewed in the documentary Band of Gold – The Invictus Story, he encouraged Payne to learn the lyrics to the song despite her reluctance, Payne saying "this makes no sense to me." Dunbar told her, "you don't have to like it, just sing it!" Dunbar continues, "I dubbed that tune 25, maybe 30 times just to get enough parts of it that we could edit to get the song."ĭunbar continued, "They said this song is a smash in the gay community. After the hurt she had caused, they spend their wedding night in separate rooms. The couple rush into marriage and the relationship crashes on the wedding night, when the woman rejects her groom's advance ("And the night I turned you away”) emotionally wounding him, resulting in him leaving her. She was still living at home ("You took me from the shelter of my mother"), the boy was her first boyfriend ("I had never known or loved any other"), and the relationship was probably unconsummated ("and love me like you tried before"). The couple were young, the girl was either a virgin or sexually inexperienced. Īn earlier studio recorded version of the song includes some lyrics which were cut from the seven-inch single, which reveal the story as somewhat different. Steve Huey's article on deciphers the song as being about the man being impotent – "being unable to perform". Allusions to the husband either being impotent or gay have been suggested as the cause of the breakdown of the relationship. It would appear that the marriage ended in the husband's abandoning his bride, leaving her with no more than the 'band of gold' of the title (and the dreams she invested in it). The song tells a story which is open to a number of interpretations – based on the lyrics in the most commonly heard version of the song, which is the seven-inch single, the story is of a recently married woman whose husband is incapable of loving her (even though he tried), resulting in the couple sleeping in separate rooms on their honeymoon, to her dismay.
The lead guitar on the selection is performed by Ray Parker Jr., who later headed the team Raydio before becoming a solo recording artist in his own right. The distinctive electric sitar part is played by Dennis Coffey. Also singing in the background is Freda Payne's sister and future member of the Supremes, Scherrie Payne, who was also signed to Invictus at the time as a member of the Glass House group. Joyce and Telma would later go on to form the group Tony Orlando & Dawn. Golden World/ Motown session singers Pamela Vincent, Joyce Vincent Wilson, and Telma Hopkins provided the background vocals on the record.
Almost immediately following its release, the Payne record became an instant pop smash, reaching number three in the US and number one on the UK singles chart and remaining there for six weeks in September 1970, giving Payne her first gold record.Īfter Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown in 1967, they were still in contact with Motown's house band, the Funk Brothers and when they started their own recording company, with the intention of self-producing the songs they wrote, they asked the Funk Brothers to play on those songs. Payne reluctantly gave in after much persuasion by Dunbar. When they first offered the song to Freda Payne, she balked at the idea of recording it, finding the material more appropriate for a teenager or very young woman while she was nearly 30 years old. Ron Dunbar was a staff employee and producer for Invictus.
The legendary songwriting team of Holland–Dozier–Holland used the name Edythe Wayne because of a lawsuit in which they were embroiled with Motown. The song has been recorded by numerous artists, notably competing 1986 versions by contrasting pop singers Belinda Carlisle and Bonnie Tyler, and a 2007 version by Kimberley Locke. It was a major hit when first recorded by Freda Payne in 1970 for the Invictus label, owned by H-D-H. "Band of Gold" is a popular song written and composed by former Motown producers Holland–Dozier–Holland (under the pseudonym of Edythe Wayne) and Ron Dunbar.