---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Motown was pop, Atlantic was R&B."
description: "\"Motown was pop, Atlantic was R&B.\" — Wilson Pickett"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/wilson-pickett-12822_atlantic_motown-was-pop-atlantic-was-r-b-1833309_1833309.jpg"
---

#  Motown was pop, Atlantic was R&amp;B.

![“Motown was pop, Atlantic was R&amp;B.” quote by Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/wilson-pickett-12822_atlantic_motown-was-pop-atlantic-was-r-b-1833309_1833309.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/wilson-pickett-12822_atlantic_motown-was-pop-atlantic-was-r-b-1833309_1833309.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/wilson-pickett-12822_atlantic_motown-was-pop-atlantic-was-r-b-1833309_1833309.jpg)

> “Motown was pop, Atlantic was R&amp;B.”

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

It contrasts the musical styles of Motown and Atlantic, highlighting their distinct sounds.

**In simple terms:** Motown is pop; Atlantic is R&amp;B.

Key Takeaway

Recognize genre differences.

Themes

music culture history

Mood

analytical nostalgic

Type

historical comparative

When to use this quote

- music education
- playlist curation
- radio programming
- music history courses

Key Concepts

genre distinction industry rivalry

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you define pop vs R&amp;B?
- What impact did each label have?

A Different Perspective

Overlooks overlap and collaborations between the labels.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Atlantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atlantic/) [Motown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motown/) [Motown Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motown-pop-2292469/) [Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pop/) [Pop Atlantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pop-atlantic-2292468/)

## Related quotes

> [Kelly Clarkson definitely reminds me of Motown. She's pop, but she's also very, very soulful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-porsha-renae/kelly-clarkson-definitely-reminds-me-of-motown-she-s-pop-but-she-s/)

[La'Porsha Renae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-porsha-renae/)

> [My listening changed when I heard music from Stax, Atlantic, Motown because by that age I thought anything that my parents listened to must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-palmer/my-listening-changed-when-i-heard-music-from-stax-atlantic-motown/)

[Robert Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-palmer/)

> [I started with the book 'Boardwalk Empire' and then immersed myself in the history of Atlantic City, World War I, the temperance movement, Prohibition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-winter/i-started-with-the-book-boardwalk-empire-and-then-immersed-myself-in/)

[Terence Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-winter/)

> [I thought wasn't nobody supposed to get gold records except those people on Motown, like Smokey Robinson and Diana Ross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/i-thought-wasn-t-nobody-supposed-to-get-gold-records-except-those/)

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

> ['Atlantic City' is very good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/atlantic-city-is-very-good/)

[Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/)

> [Show Holmes a drop of water and he would deduce the existence of the Atlantic. Show it to me and I would look for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/show-holmes-a-drop-of-water-and-he-would-deduce-the-existence-of-the/)

[Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/)

> [Even as global warming increases the frequency of El Nino and the Atlantic event, their effects are being amplified by the annual loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-shoumatoff/even-as-global-warming-increases-the-frequency-of-el-nino-and-the/)

[Alex Shoumatoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-shoumatoff/)

> [I like work, I like song writing, and I like the history of Atlantic Records. They've sat in the studio with so many artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gourley/i-like-work-i-like-song-writing-and-i-like-the-history-of-atlantic/)

[John Gourley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gourley/)

> [The Atlantic conference in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland is a dramatic moment in World War II history because for the first time, Roosevelt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/the-atlantic-conference-in-the-north-atlantic-off-newfoundland-is-a/)

[Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/)

> [Grounding airplanes to cover your butt would never have let Orville or Wilbur change the world. We would still be spending weeks to cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-bethune/grounding-airplanes-to-cover-your-butt-would-never-have-let-orville/)

[Gordon Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-bethune/)

> [I loved going to the Knicks because we won the Atlantic Division championship. We went from winning 21 games or 19 games to winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-pitino/i-loved-going-to-the-knicks-because-we-won-the-atlantic-division/)

[Rick Pitino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-pitino/)

> [There are people who could watch a hurricane like Sandy blow out of the Atlantic every other day and blame it on anything but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/there-are-people-who-could-watch-a-hurricane-like-sandy-blow-out-of/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [The Atlantic Ocean was something then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-guare/the-atlantic-ocean-was-something-then/)

[John Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-guare/)

> [As late as the summer of 1941, the Atlantic Monthly, then a still respected magazine for literates and edited by White men, published a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/revilo-p-oliver/as-late-as-the-summer-of-1941-the-atlantic-monthly-then-a-still/)

[Revilo P. Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/revilo-p-oliver/)

> [Biarritz is one of the most popular holiday destinations in France and it tops the list for coastal resorts along the French Atlantic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-drinkwater/biarritz-is-one-of-the-most-popular-holiday-destinations-in-france/)

[Carol Drinkwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-drinkwater/)

## More by Wilson Pickett

> [I made two or three albums with money from my own pocket, but I couldn't get them released or played on the radio. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/i-made-two-or-three-albums-with-money-from-my-own-pocket-but-i-couldn/)

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

> [If I'm not getting played on the radio and I'm not making any money, I have nothing to lose by telling the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/if-i-m-not-getting-played-on-the-radio-and-i-m-not-making-any-money-i/)

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

> [There are no Soul singer Wilson Pickett singers in disco.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/there-are-no-soul-singer-wilson-pickett-singers-in-disco/)

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

> [We used to have a lot of fun. We got cheated out of a lot of money, but we seemed to enjoy ourselves anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/we-used-to-have-a-lot-of-fun-we-got-cheated-out-of-a-lot-of-money-but/)

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

> [One of the secretaries at Atlantic Records caught me pinching one of the other secretaries on the butt one morning. She said, 'My, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/one-of-the-secretaries-at-atlantic-records-caught-me-pinching-one-of/)

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

> [Berry Gordy believed in owning the artist for life and controlling everything: the money, the station wagons, everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/berry-gordy-believed-in-owning-the-artist-for-life-and-controlling/)

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

> [I took five hit records to Memphis, and '634-5789' was stolen from me totally. Those songs are worth millions. I've never understood how someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/i-took-five-hit-records-to-memphis-and-634-5789-was-stolen-from-me/)

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

> [Disco music can only take you so far because it's plastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/disco-music-can-only-take-you-so-far-because-it-s-plastic/)

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

> [Put your hands on your hip, let your back bone slip. Do the Watusi, like my little Lucy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/put-your-hands-on-your-hip-let-your-back-bone-slip-do-the-watusi-like/)

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

> [Anytime you've got artists singing songs, doing grooves that they don't want to do, it's terrible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/anytime-you-ve-got-artists-singing-songs-doing-grooves-that-they-don/)

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

> [The baddest woman in my book... my mother. I get scared of her now. She used to hit me with anything, skillets, stove wood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/the-baddest-woman-in-my-book-my-mother-i-get-scared-of-her-now-she/)

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

> [I'd start to sing, and the record would start skipping. You'd be skipping along with it. Those were the days, my friend. We'd look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/i-d-start-to-sing-and-the-record-would-start-skipping-you-d-be/)

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

> [Detroit, my lord, what a place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/detroit-my-lord-what-a-place/)

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

> [Singing like I do is very hard, and as you get older, it's getting harder and harder all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/singing-like-i-do-is-very-hard-and-as-you-get-older-it-s-getting/)

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

> [You can talk about all the great guitarists you want Jimi Hendrix or whoever but as far as I'm concerned, Duane Allman is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/you-can-talk-about-all-the-great-guitarists-you-want-jimi-hendrix-or/)

[Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

[Explore all 53 Wilson Pickett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/)

## More Atlantic quotes

> [Biarritz is one of the most popular holiday destinations in France and it tops the list for coastal resorts along the French Atlantic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-drinkwater/biarritz-is-one-of-the-most-popular-holiday-destinations-in-france/)

[Carol Drinkwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-drinkwater/)

> [As late as the summer of 1941, the Atlantic Monthly, then a still respected magazine for literates and edited by White men, published a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/revilo-p-oliver/as-late-as-the-summer-of-1941-the-atlantic-monthly-then-a-still/)

[Revilo P. Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/revilo-p-oliver/)

> [The Atlantic Ocean was something then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-guare/the-atlantic-ocean-was-something-then/)

[John Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-guare/)

> [There are people who could watch a hurricane like Sandy blow out of the Atlantic every other day and blame it on anything but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/there-are-people-who-could-watch-a-hurricane-like-sandy-blow-out-of/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [I loved going to the Knicks because we won the Atlantic Division championship. We went from winning 21 games or 19 games to winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-pitino/i-loved-going-to-the-knicks-because-we-won-the-atlantic-division/)

[Rick Pitino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-pitino/)

> [Grounding airplanes to cover your butt would never have let Orville or Wilbur change the world. We would still be spending weeks to cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-bethune/grounding-airplanes-to-cover-your-butt-would-never-have-let-orville/)

[Gordon Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-bethune/)

> [The Atlantic conference in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland is a dramatic moment in World War II history because for the first time, Roosevelt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/the-atlantic-conference-in-the-north-atlantic-off-newfoundland-is-a/)

[Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/)

> [I like work, I like song writing, and I like the history of Atlantic Records. They've sat in the studio with so many artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gourley/i-like-work-i-like-song-writing-and-i-like-the-history-of-atlantic/)

[John Gourley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gourley/)

> [Even as global warming increases the frequency of El Nino and the Atlantic event, their effects are being amplified by the annual loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-shoumatoff/even-as-global-warming-increases-the-frequency-of-el-nino-and-the/)

[Alex Shoumatoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-shoumatoff/)

> [Show Holmes a drop of water and he would deduce the existence of the Atlantic. Show it to me and I would look for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/show-holmes-a-drop-of-water-and-he-would-deduce-the-existence-of-the/)

[Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/)

> ['Atlantic City' is very good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/atlantic-city-is-very-good/)

[Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/)

> [That's the best way to cross the Atlantic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-whitten-brown/that-s-the-best-way-to-cross-the-atlantic/)

[Arthur Whitten Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-whitten-brown/)

> [I didn't graduate from college, so I might as well be on Atlantic Records, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sturgill-simpson/i-didn-t-graduate-from-college-so-i-might-as-well-be-on-atlantic/)

[Sturgill Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sturgill-simpson/)

> [“The gap between most people’s capacity to conjure beauty from scratch and to merely recognize it when they see it is the width of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-gap-between-most-people-s-capacity-to-conjure-beauty-from-scratch/)

[Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/)

> [I was very much disappointed in the Atlantic Ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-was-very-much-disappointed-in-the-atlantic-ocean/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

[Browse all 94 Atlantic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atlantic/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Motown was pop, Atlantic was R&B.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wilson Pickett"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/motown-was-pop-atlantic-was-r-b/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Atlantic"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/motown-was-pop-atlantic-was-r-b/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/wilson-pickett-12822_atlantic_motown-was-pop-atlantic-was-r-b-1833309_1833309.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/wilson-pickett-12822_atlantic_motown-was-pop-atlantic-was-r-b-1833309_1833309.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/wilson-pickett-12822_atlantic_motown-was-pop-atlantic-was-r-b-1833309_1833309.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Motown was pop, Atlantic was R&B.” — Wilson Pickett",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Wilson Pickett",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Motown was pop, Atlantic was R&B.",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/motown-was-pop-atlantic-was-r-b/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/motown-was-pop-atlantic-was-r-b/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
