Geddy Lee, the Rush frontman renowned for pushing bass guitar to the forefront of rock rather than treating it as a background instrument, has revealed the eclectic mix of influences that shaped his playing, with Motown emerging as a genre he has never been able to shake. While his early tastes ran through Roy Orbison, British blues acts like Cream and Jack Bruce, and prog-adjacent bands such as Yes and Genesis, it was the craftsmanship of Motown's house musicians that left a lasting impression on him, despite the genre sitting outside his usual style.

Lee singled out songs such as Stevie Wonder's "Uptight" and Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On" for their basslines, and praised the label's writers for melodies that "you couldn't get out of your head", citing "My Girl" as an example. He credited Motown bassists, notably James Jamerson, who famously played most of his parts with a single finger, with proving that bass could be as memorable and integral to a song as its melody, rather than merely a supporting root-note instrument.