The Happening ..to #1 on Supremes coatails?

[luke]

I've never hear anyone say they loved this song tho I guess they're probably some. How could it have reached #1 when Ittching. My Workd is Empty, Nothing but Heartaches ...stalled?

[marv2]

It was a great song and great recording. I liked it.

[huntergettingcaptured]

I've never hear anyone say they loved this song tho I guess they're probably some. How could it have reached #1 when Ittching. My Workd is Empty, Nothing but Heartaches ...stalled?

Count me as one who loves the song. I heard the thing when I was 11 and immediately liked it because the music was what got me hooked. The intro is kind of dark- you're not sure just where the song is going, if it's a moody, sad song about a cheating lover, or what. Then it just opens WIDE into this completely upbeat, danceable tune. Even that young, I liked how there just seemed to be every instrument under the sun packed in the grooves. The guitars especially stood out to me. Plus, there were just these "sections" in the songs. It was constantly changing all over the place and Diana, Florence and Mary made it all work perfectly- they tied all those sections together.

BUT, I do wonder as well, what happened with "Nothing But Heartaches" and the others. They are all perfect records, but trying to figure out what record buyers were looking for back then is like trying to catch the wind.

[detmotownguy]

I've never hear anyone say they loved this song tho I guess they're probably some. How could it have reached #1 when Ittching. My Workd is Empty, Nothing but Heartaches ...stalled?

Good question Luke! I love Itching because of the "rock" edge. I wonder if Itching's hard edge alienated the older market? Happening has a feel good attitude to it.

[luke]

I didnt hate it but didn't thrill me like most of their records. Sounded like a throwback to the 40s or 50s a la the Andrews Sisters.

[bradsupremes]

It's not my favorite, but I enjoy it. The intro hooks me. Sounds like something out of a spy movie. I wish the tempo was a bit faster like in the first version on the Supremes Box Set.

I still would love to know if Diana messed up going into the bridge. They sing "It happened to me and it can happen to / Oooo and then it happened" But right as Mary & Flo start singing "Oooo" you hear Diana say "Once." I know in the first version she sings the whole "Once I had a dream to hold..." Did she mess up in the single version or did she sing it and it was edited out?

If anyone has noticed in that awful film The Happening, the version used is different from what has been released.

[Bluebrock]

I always liked it. Not my absolute favourite but a bit different to the usual Supremes tunes so it wad very welcome for me. Never cared much for Itching though. Different strokes I guess.......

[Jimi LaLumia]

I loved The Happening it was SO 1960's in every way..
Itching is my all time fave single and I contend to this day that it was the birth of disco, the entire track was one continuous ass shaking groove

[honest man]

I always liked it. Not my absolute favourite but a bit different to the usual Supremes tunes so it wad very welcome for me. Never cared much for Itching though. Different strokes I guess.......

The same thoughts myself the Happening in my top 5 DRATS Songs Well deserved no 1, Love like itchin' my least fave DRATS TUNE

[Bluebrock]

The same thoughts myself the Happening in my top 5 DRATS Songs Well deserved no 1, Love like itchin' my least fave DRATS TUNE

Great minds think alike honest man!! I don't dislike itching but i just find i like it a little less than most of the others. If we are talking a Supremes song that should have got to no.1 then i look no further than My World is empty without you. What a tune!

[TomatoTom123]

Great minds think alike honest man!! I don't dislike itching but i just find i like it a little less than most of the others. If we are talking a Supremes song that should have got to no.1 then i look no further than My World is empty without you. What a tune!

Ah, now... I LOVE both "The Happening" and "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart" but don't like "My World Is Empty Without You" very much at all!!!

[honest man]

Great minds think alike honest man!! I don't dislike itching but i just find i like it a little less than most of the others. If we are talking a Supremes song that should have got to no.1 then i look no further than My World is empty without you. What a tune!

hmm yes also agree as well as IN AND OUT OF LOVE, a tonic ,Love it cheers.

[marv2]

It's not my favorite, but I enjoy it. The intro hooks me. Sounds like something out of a spy movie. I wish the tempo was a bit faster like in the first version on the Supremes Box Set.

I still would love to know if Diana messed up going into the bridge. They sing "It happened to me and it can happen to / Oooo and then it happened" But right as Mary & Flo start singing "Oooo" you hear Diana say "Once." I know in the first version she sings the whole "Once I had a dream to hold..." Did she mess up in the single version or did she sing it and it was edited out?

If anyone has noticed in that awful film The Happening, the version used is different from what has been released.

Yes. At the end they say "ectera......."

[motony]

sometimes it mattered what other records were hitting at the same time.

[daviddh]

loved it, had a big orchestra sound to me. very pop sounding.
the song was co written by Ron Miller although uncredited for some reason. the story goes he was at the hospital and needed money to get home after his wife gave birth to their daughter. Berry said, write me a song. so he did. the story was based around the baby being born and the song is from her perspective of it.

[luke]

I had no idea people liked the Happening so much. Never really even saw it discussed much.

[Jaap]

I loved The Happening it was SO 1960's in every way..
Itching is my all time fave single and I contend to this day that it was the birth of disco, the entire track was one continuous ass shaking groove

Itching is my all-time favorite Supremes record and probably one of my favorite Motown ones. The most proto-disco Motown tune, however, would be for me Martha & the Vandellas [[and Syreeta's) "I Can't Dance To That Music You're Playing" -- that has the disco sound before "disco" was defined as such.

Probably why The Happening is the odd one out in the Supremes discography [[together with "All I Know About You") is that it was inspired by Frank DeVol's film score.

[luke]

It's probably my favorite too!

[DJMoch]

I also think "The Happening" was a great song, definitely got the energy and spirit. I also speak as someone who loves "Love Is Like An Itching...", it's sad that it barely scraped the top 10. Same with "Nothing But Heartaches". They're great songs, yet didn't do quite as well on the charts...actually, but considering how many #1 songs they had had up till that point, only making #11 [[Heartaches...) and #9 [[Itching...) must have been a tremendous disappointment to everyone concerned, because they were terrific songs. Fickle public, lol.

DJ Moch

[DJMoch]

Probably why The Happening is the odd one out in the Supremes discography [[together with "All I Know About You") is that it was inspired by Frank DeVol's film score.

I really, really like "All I Know About You" and I don't quite know why. It's such a short tune, but it's just really cute. I kinda wish it went on a bit longer than its paltry 2 minutes, though.

[Bluebrock]

I really, really like "All I Know About You" and I don't quite know why. It's such a short tune, but it's just really cute. I kinda wish it went on a bit longer than its paltry 2 minutes, though.

I sense an extended version could be in the offing? How about it DjMoch. That would be a challenge.

[vgalindo]

Luke I also always wondered how this song made it to number 1. Didn't know so many people liked it. I personally never cared for it. My least favorite of the 12 number ones.

[DJMoch]

I sense an extended version could be in the offing? How about it DjMoch. That would be a challenge.

I took on your challenge, and it definitely *was* a challenge. I only have the original recording, so I had to do some creative manipulation [[and -- horrors! -- add extra outside percussion bits) to fill out some of the parts that stripped too much out of it. It can be listened to in my Remixes thread. Definitely not my best work, but it was the best I could do with limited resources.

DJ Moch

[lockhartgary]

I absolutely LOVE "Love is Like an Itching in My Heart". The instrumental arrangement just screams FUNK to my ears.

I like "The Happening". Not my favorite Supremes tune, but I do like it.

[daviddh]

Love Is An Itching In My Heart is my favorite, as well,... along with Reflections, My World Is Empty. overall I liked all the singles for the most part till about 1969.

[BigAl]

Everything about “The Happening” seemed contrived to me. Single releases by The Supremes were timed very predictably and this one appeared much sooner than usual, while “Love is Here and Now You’re Gone” was still charting. I suppose this was done in order for it it coincide with the release of the [[terrible) film for which it was the theme song. Even with The Funk Brothers doing much of the backing, there were all those DeVol touches, like the incessant piccolo, which I hated, and the brass which sounded like something lifted straight out of something by Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass. It was just too bouncy and “cute.” I didn’t care for it then and I still don’t care for it. In its defense, the airplay version was much better than the version which was used in the film, but that’s about the best I can say for it. Obviously, I’m in the minority, considering how well it charted.

[luke]

Well said Al. Contrived is the word I feel too.

[captainjames]

In and Out of Love and The Happening are two songs I never liked and never played by the girls.I did not like them because they were necessarily bad songs but to me it seemed like they had moved away from the Motown sound.

[greg jones]

I love "The Happening." There really should have been an album built around it. There were some ideas in the works, but it seems it fell short because Mr. Gordy knew that a "Supremes Greeatest Hits" was way overdue with 10 #1 singles, 5 top 10 singles and a few Top 40 singles. So with over 20+ singles and most such big hits, the Greatest Hits had to be a 2 record set.

Now, if Motown had gone ahead with the other planned albums around "The Happening," movie songs and other Motown songs, that album would have had much smaller sales to the Greatest Hits. It was only natural that "The Happening," being #1 had to be on the GH. Mr. Gordy even thought about placing "Reflections," which hit #2, but decided to hold that back to kick off the next studio album.

The songs that didn't hit #1, "Nothing But Heartaches," "My World Is Empty Without You," "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart" and "Reflections" should have charted much higher and made it to #1. I believe that Andy Skurow was pretty much spot on when he says that these didn't hit #1 due to more competition of higher quality songs in the charts at those moments. Remember in that era of 1965-1970, pop music was just exploding with great classic groups like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, etc. Of which the Supremes were part of.

My least favourite as the Supremes singles were coming out were "Love Is Here And Now You're Gone" and "In And Out Of Love."

P. S. I Love the movie version played at the end of "The Happening." It is a slight bit slower and it's great how they end it with "ETC." It was also great when they did the song live and really fast. So it is song that does stand up to the test of time.

[bradsupremes]

I love "The Happening." There really should have been an album built around it. There were some ideas in the works, but it seems it fell short because Mr. Gordy knew that a "Supremes Greeatest Hits" was way overdue with 10 #1 singles, 5 top 10 singles and a few Top 40 singles.

I believe were plans to include "The Happening" on the From Broadway To Hollywood album.

[LoveSupreme]

The Supremes theme was one highlight of the 1967 film - the other was a smoking hot Faye Dunaway making her film debut.

[jobucats]

I tried to make sure that I am not merely repeating what anyone has commented about "the Happening" [[and I apologize if I am repeating) regarding Frank DeVol. I seem recall from the single back in the 60s that he was not only listed as the accompanying songwriter along with HDH but also the accompanying songwriter of the B side "All I Know About You." Yes, I did read from another commenter that it probably influenced the rest of the score for the movie. [[I did, by the way, double check via the internet that he is listed as a co-author).

My opinion: I believe Frank Devol was probably the main writer with HDH contributing enough to get credit. I hear very little "HDH" in the song and in its production. After all, to release a non-HDH single after all of the consecutive success of HDH/Supremes would break a streak which, in the minds of diehard fans of both groups, would be unsettling.

Most of us know that that DeVol was a popular TV theme song writer from back in the day. One that comes to my mind immediately is "Family Affair."

I don't particularly care for the song, "The Happening." It was too much out of my comfort level for what I enjoyed as a single release by the Supremes.

[Motown Eddie]

I tried to make sure that I am not merely repeating what anyone has commented about "the Happening" [[and I apologize if I am repeating) regarding Frank DeVol. I seem recall from the single back in the 60s that he was not only listed as the accompanying songwriter along with HDH but also the accompanying songwriter of the B side "All I Know About You." Yes, I did read from another commenter that it probably influenced the rest of the score for the movie. [[I did, by the way, double check via the internet that he is listed as a co-author).

My opinion: I believe Frank Devol was probably the main writer with HDH contributing enough to get credit. I hear very little "HDH" in the song and in its production. After all, to release a non-HDH single after all of the consecutive success of HDH?Supremes would break a streak which, in the minds of diehard fans of both groups, would be unsettling.

Most of us know that that DeVol was a popular TV theme song writer from back in the day. One that comes to my mind immediately is "Family Affair."

I don't particularly care for the song, "The Happening." It was too much out of my comfort level for what I enjoyed as a single release by the Supremes.

I'm with on your opinion of The Supremes' "The Happening". I also feel that Frank DeVol's work on the song is what took it to the top of the pop chart in 1967 [[it's also worth nothing that "The Happening" stalled at #12 on the R&B chart). DeVol did do a lot of theme songs for TV back the '60s [[like Family Affair & My Three Sons).

[markdtiller]

Does anyone have the movie version of the song? I don't think it's been officially released.

[bradsupremes]

Does anyone have the movie version of the song? I don't think it's been officially released.

Nope. The film version is unreleased.

[greg jones]

I believe were plans to include "The Happening" on the From Broadway To Hollywood album.

Yes, and there was also a title of The Supremes From Broadway To Hollywood and The Motown Sound. Not sure totally what the difference was between the 2 versions.

[greg jones]

Nope. The film version is unreleased.

Then what was the version on the pink "The Supremes" Box Set ?

[LoveSupreme]

Frank De Vol is a film score/tv theme legend. He's scored some great films: "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" and "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?" among them.

The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album did not include either the single or the film version of the theme as recorded by The Supremes.

The album was released by Colgems Records [[COSO-5006), a division of Columbia Pictures, the studio that released the film. I suspect that it was because of record label conflict that The Supremes were not included on the soundtrack album.

The Track Listing is as follows:

A1	Let's Play Games	2:13
A2	Early In The Morining	2:29
A3	Escapism	1:48
A4	The Airport Caper	1:53
A5	Early In The Morning	2:06
A6	The Fuzz	2:30
B1	All I Know About You	1:53
B2	The Happening	2:00
B3	Fred Splits	1:46
B4	Let's Play More Games	1:52
B5	Turndown	2:20
B6	More Airport Caper	2:0

I suspect that "The Happening" is mostly his work, as someone else mentioned in this thread.

I personally love the song - - - I love his whole score for the film as it captures the care-free feeling of the swinging sixties so perfectly - - - and then to have the country's top female group grace their vocals on the film's theme song is it any doubt that they were bound to have a winner?

It's top notch work from all parties involved.

It remains a classic of it's period.

[Circa 1824]

It was BOUNCY. DeVol took HDH to a different place, and I loved it. Same with All I Know About You. Ross had fun with it and made me smile.

[BigAl]

In my earlier, mostly negative, comment about the song, I neglected to append a positive: that Mary and Florence were featured so prominently and audibly, and were not augmented by Andantes.

[floyjoy678]

I've gone through phases of liking this song, although they're pretty short lived. I always thought the lyrics were almost foretelling with Florence on her way out of the group. Its been a while since I've seen their performance of it on Sullivan but I seem to remember Diana looking over at Flo a couple of times as if she were singing those uncanny lyrics to her.

The opening intro was always a favorite of mine with how it builds up and up to Diana's opening "Hey life!". Kinda reminds me of the opening to I Can't Help Myself. Was this the song where the Andantes were added and Flo told Berry to take them off? [[Or maybe it was Reflections).

[Jaap]

"All I Know About You" is too much a novelty tune for me, although it is fun [[including the kisses, that Ross would repeat in "Kiss Me Now")... it always reminds me of the theme of Herbie: The Love Bug because of the use of the flute.

[markdtiller]

Then what was the version on the pink "The Supremes" Box Set ?

That was a demo version

[bradsupremes]

That was a demo version

We know there are at least three versions. The demo version, the single version, and still unreleased film version. I'm not sure why it is reported the tracks were cut in Los Angeles. They all sound like they were cut in Detroit with the Funk Bros. The single version was cut in the same session as "Reflections" and an unused "In And Out Of Love" track.

[luke]

I think it was you Can't Hurry Love that Flo wanted the Andantes offf of or else it was the Happening

[bradsupremes]

I think it was you Can't Hurry Love that Flo wanted the Andantes offf of or else it was the Happening

The rumor was that it was "The Happening." Not sure how true that is. The multitrack tapes and session logs would tell if the Andantes recorded vocals or not. There was a Detroit promotional record called "Detroit Is Happening" sung by Willie Horton that had the Andantes on it. It used either the film instrumental track or the demo track for "The Happening."

http://www.mcrfb.com/files/commerica...0Happening.MP3

[BigAl]

If you notice, in this Sullivan performance of the song, Mary was placed out in front and got a number of close-ups, while Florence was pushed way back, got no closeups, and in fact was slightly out of focus throughout the number. It's so very obvious that this was a blatant, intentional maneuver to divert attention away from her, probably in preparation for her ouster.

[johnjeb]

If you notice, in this Sullivan performance of the song, Mary was placed out in front and got a number of close-ups, while Florence was pushed way back, got no closeups, and in fact was slightly out of focus throughout the number. It's so very obvious that this was a blatant, intentional maneuver to divert attention away from her, probably in preparation for her ouster.

In my memorabilia collection, which I haven't looked at in years, I have an article from a Spring/Summer 1967 R&B World newspaper [[magazine) titled: "Supremes to Split Story Hits NY". It mentioned that during their rehearsals for this Ed Sullivan TV appearance there were serious tensions among the group members. I don't recall the specifics in the article. I'll try to unearth that article another day. Today I might have to shovel 18 inches of snow.

So Florence's positioning in the rear, for this performance, may have to do with the limited rehearsal time she had for this appearance, [[although she seemed to do fine, during the same show, with the Millie, Rose & Mame Medley). I always thought it was just creative staging for this song which had a lot of energy and gave the background singers a prominent visual. Florence may be blurred and with no closeups, but she is in a lot of shots either with Diana or Mary. Florence appears to always be looking at the camera while Mary, most of the time, is looking at the audience.

I was ambivalent about this song, at the time. I recall friends dismissing it as bubblegum, which I agree it is [[after all, in our own minds, we were "sophisticated" high school seniors with graduation only weeks away). This performance helped me appreciate this song more since it was such a dynamic performance and presentation of the song. I also liked their performance of it on the Tennessee Ernie Ford Special and the Talk-of-the Town LIVE album.

I think this song is great for what it is - a POP song. I think had it not been a song promoting a movie maybe Motown would not have considered it for The Supremes. I recall that the reviews for the movie were so bad I didn't bother to go see it at the theater. [[I had seen Beach Ball at the theater in 1965 just because The Supremes were in that film.) Later there was a gossip piece, in a movie mag, which stated that The Supremes made more money off the record than what the studio made off the film! Whether that is true or not I cannot say, but it demonstrates the dismissal of the film and the appreciation of this song and the talents of The Supremes at the time.

It wasn't until the mid 80s when my family was having a house party, after a family wedding, that I became hooked on this song and have liked it ever since. At that party we played lots of Motown songs but it wasn't until The Happening played that a relative who was sitting passively on the sidelines got up by herself and started dancing with the rest of us and she was having a ball to this song. Maybe that's when her wine kicked-in, who knows. But I think it was because she loved this song and her energy was infectious.

[luke]

Yes. I thought it was very odd Mary was put up front as Diana was so heavily promoted and Flo soooo in the background. What a message to her. Sometimes things are as they appear!

[thommg]

[QUOTE=BigAl;376192]If you notice, in this Sullivan performance of the song, Mary was placed out in front and got a number of close-ups, while Florence was pushed way back, got no closeups, and in fact was slightly out of focus throughout the number. It's so very obvious that this was a blatant, intentional maneuver to divert attention away from her, probably in preparation for her ouster.

To me, this placement of The Supremes in this clip is all about camera angles. With Diana in front you could never get the shot of the two Supremes together unless they stood to one side. But, then the shot is a flat 2 shot. The way it is setup, the camera is provided a straight shot to Diana and the Supremes get a 2 shot with some dimension to it rather than something flat. I agree that Florence was downplayed in this presentation by always being the one in the back.