Although many songwriters, producers, arrangers, musicians, and performers helped to create the infectious Motown sound, none surpass the legendary songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland (H-D-H). Between 1963 and 1967, the trio — with Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier composing and producing and Eddie Holland writing lyrics — created more than three dozen Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 singles, including 10 No. 1 hits for the Supremes and two for the Four Tops. They also wrote smash hits for the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, the Isley Brothers, and Martha and the Vandellas.
When the Detroit-born artists quit Motown Records in 1968 due to a legal dispute with owner Berry Gordy Jr., many people considered it the end of Motown sound. As Mary Wilson of the Supremes told The Washington Post in 1986, “Holland-Dozier-Holland left, and the sound was gone.”
H-D-H — who went on to found the Hot Wax and Invictus record labels — were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two years later.
This past fall, Brian Holland (84) and Eddie Holland (86) met fans and signed their 2019 book, Come and Get These Memories (Omnibus Press) at the Motown Museum before celebrating the museum’s 40th anniversary at a private event. (Dozier died in 2022 at age 81.)
A day after the book signing, Hour Detroit conducted 30-minute phone interviews with the Holland brothers, speaking from their suites at MGM Grand Detroit. The following are excerpts from the interviews that have been edited and condensed.
Brian Holland (Composer/Producer)
What was your inspiration?
I really don’t know. Maybe it was divine intervention because I could hear the whole music in my head and what instruments I wanted. I taught myself to play piano after watching a lady in church. In school, we went to see the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and I was so impressed by the different horns and strings. It was beautiful. I later used members of the DSO on some songs.
Can you tell me about the songwriting process?
We worked together sometimes, but we usually worked apart. When Lamont and I did a melody, we would go into the studio, choose the instruments, and then tell the musicians how to play the songs. We would then cut the track and give it to Eddie to write the lyrics. He would then work with the vocalists on how to sing the songs.
What was so special about Eddie’s abilities as a lyricist?
Believe it or not, it really hit me years later when I was working out at a health club, got into my car, and heard “I Hear a Symphony” on the radio. I sat there and listened to the lyrics, and I thought “Wow, man.” I was so happy how he kept building and building the lyrics during the song, and I called him. I said, “Edward, you wrote some great lyrics, man.” He said, “You’re finally telling me that?”
Do you have a favorite song?
I’m asked that a lot, but I can’t really answer it. I loved them all because I put so much into them when I was doing it. So how are you really going to choose who is your favorite child? The one that sells the most? Maybe, or one that was less successful? I put love into all of them.
What was it like going into the Motown studio again?
It was amazing to me how small it was. When we were working there, there were like 20 people shoulder to shoulder. They asked me to play on the piano. I don’t like playing songs over and over, so I played a melody for a song I’m working on.
Why was the Motown sound so popular?
At the time, in the ’60s, people needed some joy with all the stuff going on. The songs we wrote were about love, and I think that’s why they cared about it.
Eddie Holland (Lyricist)
How did you learn how to write lyrics?
I realized I was on the wrong side of the business when I saw Brian’s royalty check for co-writing and co-producing “Please Mr. Postman” [Motown’s first No. 1 hit] compared to what little I received for singing “Jamie” [No. 6 on Billboard’s R&B chart; No. 30 on the pop chart]. I also didn’t like touring. I had no concept for writing lyrics, so I took two of Smokey Robinson’s lyrics, wrote them out, and studied them for about three days. It took me almost two years, every day writing lyrics, and I would study them over and over again. I told Brian to take some of my lyrics to Berry Gordy and tell him you wrote them. Berry said to Brian, “You didn’t write this. Janie Bradford [‘Money’] did.” I knew then I could do it. I said to Brian, “You and Lamont are so good at doing melodies but have a hard time doing lyrics, and that’s slowing you down. Let me do the lyrics, and we’ll be able to turn out songs quickly.” That’s how H-D-H started. I wanted to make money.
The lyrics you wrote were often from a woman’s perspective. How did that come about?
It was easy for me because, to be honest with you, I had a lot of attention from females when I was young, and I would listen to them express their feelings. I thought females are the ones who buy the most songs. So I thought I should write toward females. Sometimes girls from out of town would come to Motown and say, “I’m looking for Eddie Holland,” and I said, “What can I do for you?” They said, “I want to talk to you because you understand me.”
Can you elaborate on your writing process?
Brian’s melodies were enchanting and haunting to me. I would write at the office and sometimes at home. You can’t force creativity. It was a fun thing to do, but I had to get into a certain place, an office, a room, and stay there to write. If you moved me, it broke my feeling or inspiration. If I started writing a song at home, I had to complete it in that space. I would work with the vocalists since I was the lyricist.
I understand you had difficulty working with Diana Ross on the Supremes’ “Where Did Our Love Go?” What’s the story there?
I sang the song to her and she said, “I want to sing it like you.” I said, “No, I want you to sing it sensuously,” and she got angry and said, “No, if I can’t sing it like you, then I’m not singing it, and I’m telling Berry [Gordy].” I said, “You can call Berry. There’s the phone. Tell him to take you in the studio, too.” She was shocked that I said that. I respected Berry, but I was never afraid of him. She finally came back to the studio. Brian was the engineer, and she started singing. Her face was expressionless, but her voice was enchanting and sensual, and that’s the feeling we wanted on the song. She said, “Is that what you wanted?” and I said, “Exactly, thank you.” It was one take, and that’s what we used.
Of all the lyrics and songs you have written, do you have a favorite?
That’s a tough one, but one I really like is the Supremes’ “Love Is Here and Now You’re Gone.” I loved the melody and structure. It was so different to me.
What was it like going into the Motown studio again?
When Brian and I walked into it, it brought back so many memories. It’s like reliving your life. I was so inspired by being in that studio again. You can’t replace those kinds of memories. They just come out of you. You can’t control them, and you don’t want to. I still feel goosebumps just thinking about it.
This story originally appeared in the February 2026 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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