Tops in Pops

Another sign that you are getting old:

I ddidn’t know very many of the acts that showed up last night to collect Grammys. OK, I consider myself a Coldplay fan. And I’m pretty sure that was Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, who snagged several awards for his collaboration with Alison Krauss.

But a lot of the people there were strangers to me.

And I missed my favorite part of the night. They gave a lifetime achievement award to one of my favorite all-time bands, The Four Tops. Lead singer Levi Stubbs passed away earlier this year. Only one member of the legendary Motown group is still alive.

I used to argue with my kids all the time about music. I would tell them that a lot of bands come and go, but the Motown sound is forever.

They’re in college now. Back when they were in high school, they used to roll their eyes when I would tell them of the magic of Motown. I think they’re catching on now. Maybe that’s because some of the bands they once listened to are already long gone – and for the most part forgotten.

But “Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch,” “Same Old Song,” and “Reach Out” will continue to make me turn the volume up on the car radio every time one of them comes on.

Those songs will be with us forever. How many of the acts that were at the Grammys last night can make the same claim?

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