Former Motown producers wrote the song “Band of Gold” in 1970 for the Invictus label. Written under the pseudonym “Edythe Wayne” due to a lawsuit with Motown, “Band of Gold” was originally offered to American singer Freda Payne, but she was unconvinced. Payne, almost 30 at the time, felt the lyrical content was much more suited to a younger woman or even a teenager.
After a lot of persuasion, Payne recorded the song. Singing backup on the song were session singers Pamela Vincent, Joyce Vincent Wilson, Telma Hopkins, and Payne’s sister and future member of The Supremes, Scherrie Payne. The Funk Brothers provided instrumentals as the band on the track.
Upon release in February of the same year, the song was an instant sensation. The song was certified Gold by the RIAA, a first for Payne, and hit number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, the song hit number one and spent six weeks there.
“Band of Gold” has been up for interpretation to a certain extent lyrically. The song depicts a recently married woman who sings about how her husband is not able to love her and leaves on their wedding night, making her no more than a “band of gold.” Why the husband is unable to love her has been subject to some controversy over the years, with some attributing it to his sexuality or impotence. Certain lyrics ended up being cut in the final version.
Multiple other artists created versions of “Band of Gold” after Payne’s version. Belinda Carlisle and Bonnie Tyler both recorded and released versions in 1986, but neither was particularly commercially successful. In 2005, singer Anna Nalick recorded a version that would later end up on the Desperate Housewives soundtrack.
In 2004, Rolling Stoneincluded Payne’s version of “Band of Gold” on their list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
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