Which Motown song was at number one for the longest time?

Boyz II Men’s ‘I’ll Make Love to You’ held the US Billboard Hot 100 number one for 14 weeks in 1994, the longest run for a Motown release. The result challenges the label’s reputation as a force defined by its earlier soul and R&B hits, since its longest chart reign came decades later with a slow ballad.

Motown earned 57 US number ones but only 12 in the UK. In Britain, Lionel Richie’s ‘Hello’ and Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You’ each spent six consecutive weeks at number one in 1984. The article also notes that several celebrated Motown songs, including the Four Tops’ ‘Bernadette’, fell short of the top spot.