- I Was Made To Love Her – Bass Riff James Jamerson 0:41
- I Was Made To Love Her – Extended Version Stevie Wonder 5:30
Many years ago there was a raging debate about who conceived and played the unique bass guitar riff that iis scattered through the song “I Was Made To Love Her”.
At that time a very famous bass player who was known as one of the geniuses behind the group of studio musicians on the west coast called The Wreaking Crew…Ms. Carol Kaye. Carol apparently had laid claim to the riff and that she played bass on the song. Well, that started some hullabaloo because that was NOT the case.
One of the great minds and musical talents behind many, many Motown hits was a gentleman named James Jamerson. – the tormented genius whose earthquake-heavy bass lines fueled the Motown hit machine through the ’60s and early ’70s
Hank Cosby who co-wrote, produced “I Was Made To Love Her”, and who, in his own words, “was there every step of the way from the writing of the song to the day the 45’s were shipped”, vehemently denied any participation by Carol Kaye on this recording. Cosby added, “Fifty percent of the song was James Jamerson’s bass line. No one played like that but Jamerson.”
One thing I’ve come to appreciate about James Jamerson is that he seemed to HATE a void in the bass line…rests and/or long held notes were not his style…if there was some note that he felt would add to the song, he’d add it. As you listen to the recording of the riff and get familiar with it, the Extended version of the song is a great treat because it starts out with the instrumental version of the song and Jamerson’s bassline is showcased in conjunction with the rest of the music. Finally the final version with Stevie’s vocals is played giving one another opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the song as a whole.