The Supremacy of the Supremes
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I wrote about the Supremes recently [Why The Supremes Deserve To Be Held In The Same Regard As The Beatles] and while the headline -- which I did not write, but didn't disagree with -- is click-bait-y, I still fundamentally agree with every word in the piece. I know why women's voices are not valued as highly as men's are. I know why the Beatles became the platonic ideal of Serious Musicianship. I am just going to be like the entitled goose who is always honking to try to offer alternate theories.
When I was writing about Diana Ross for WOMEN WHO ROCK, her essay was the one that I struggled the most with in terms of distilling her career into a 1,500 word essay. (Aretha's was the essay that I was the most terrified of, which is a whole different thing.)
I recently found this notepad entry on my phone that I must have written on the train or out somewhere -- it's the kind of thing I often need to do, write it all out onto the page so I can then take a 30,000 foot view to help me decide where to start and what point I'm trying to make, or sometimes it's a mental version of cleaning off my desk to help me focus.
So this is kind of a notebook dump, but I still thought it was interesting. Based on the date, it was the day before I had to get revisions back to my editor, which makes all the sense in the world. I also can never remember dates and without the reference in front of me I would literally place albums in the wrong years, which is likely another reason this exists.
DIANA
- Gordy would just keep TRYING. “ The Supremes Sing Country Western & Pop,”
- “Where did our love go,” the song no one at Motown wanted - H-D-H figuring out how to write for Diana’s voice. on the tour for $600 a week
- their songs were HDH at their ultimate - figured out the formula - as much of a hit shop as the brill building
- five #1 singles in a row. “the most successful american performers of the 1960’s”? Where / baby love / stop (choreography) / come see about me / back in my arms
- she was not originally the lead singer
- Supremes: 12 #1 hits, last one was “someday we’ll be together,” oct 1969
- Solo career: Ashford & Simpson - 4 top 40 hits, inc “Ain’t no mountain high enough” in July 1970
- ACTING: Lady Sings The Blues (1972), soundtrack went to #1 - she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar
- Touch Me In The Morning (june 1973)
- Diana & Marvin duet album (1973)
- Mahogany / Oct 1975 / “Do You Know Where You’re Going To” - she also designed some of the costumes (she studied fashion in high school) - Smokey giving her money to go to cosmetology school
- Love Hangover - solo record, march 1976 - #1
- The Wiz! Oct 1978.
- The Boss May 1979
- Diana (May 1980) - Upside Down (#1) “I’m Coming Out” (top 10, nile rogers) ALSO in 1980, title theme from “It’s My Turn”
- “Endless Love” with Lionel Richie, June 1981 - LAST MOTOWN ALBUM
- RCA. cover of “Why do fools fall in love” - million seller
- the rest of the 80s were not productive for her
- returned to Motown in 1989
- 1993: pop standards - motown releases retrospective in 1993 & she published her autobiography in 1994.
- 2000: “the Supremes” but it was only Diana with two backup singers who had never actually been in the supremes
- 2007: BET gave her a lifetime achievement award
- 2012: Lifetime achievement award from NARAS, because she never won a fucking grammy. TWELVE FUCKING NOMINATIONS She was nominated for Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Upside Down, Touch Me In The Morning, but this some bullshit
- Live in central park!! why was i not there
