Missing You

[jobeterob]

The final big hit - well big American pop hit

[jobeterob]

Darn, it’s blurry

[Ollie9]

“Missing You” marked a return to the soulful type ballad Diana excelled at. Compared to much of the forgettable pop fluff she was turning out at the time, it was something of a relief to know she still had it in her.
Had she followed this up with a Lionel Ritchie produced album her hit making days might have continued a while longer.

[daviddh]

i remember this song taking a while to take off here in USA, then she appeared on the awards show and it took off.
good song, surprised she doesnt do this as much as anymore. it was a nice seller.

[florence]

Never really got Missing You.

Obviously the sentiment is fine but for me it's a bit dull, not one of her finest ballads.

It was dropping down the charts having peaked around the 40s/50s when her appearance on the awards show regalvanised the record.

It was a strange one in the UK.

At that time a record became a hit when it entered the Top 75 - Missing You peaked at #76!

But it sold steadily for quite a long period and spent 29 weeks in The UK Top 200 selling more than many of her minor "hits" which charted in the Top 75.

[Ollie9]

Never really got Missing You.

Obviously the sentiment is fine but for me it's a bit dull, not one of her finest ballads.

It was dropping down the charts having peaked around the 40s/50s when her appearance on the awards show regalvanised the record.

It was a strange one in the UK.

At that time a record became a hit when it entered the Top 75 - Missing You peaked at #76!

But it sold steadily for quite a long period and spent 29 weeks in The UK Top 200 selling more than many of her minor "hits" which charted in the Top 75.

I remember it being played a plenty on UK radio at the time.
It remains a touching song, but i don’t consider it to be one of Diana’s strongest ballads. I think it’s appeal lay in the sentiment of the song, with most of us missing someone at some point in our lives.
It certainly marked a return to the Diana of old who at that point in time i thought gone forever.
Unlike her American fans, the UK didn’t particularly warm to the Swept Away album or subsequent singles. She hadn’t had a hit single since “Muscles” in 82 so her profile was kind of low here. Like the USA, it needed a tv appearance to give it a nudge.

[florence]

Unlike her American fans, the UK didn’t particularly warm to the Swept Away album or subsequent singles. She hadn’t had a hit single since “Muscles” in 82 so her profile was kind of low here. Like the USA, it needed a tv appearance to give it a nudge.

After 1982 EMI in the UK dropped the ball on promoting Diana.

Had Touch been a release in that year it was almost certainly at least Top 20.

Strangely, I suppose given its American success, they did pull out the stops for Missing You including re-promoting it several times to no avail.

If they had given it the same attention when it was released Touch would certainly have been a sizeable hit and perhaps the Swept Away album would have benefited

[Ollie9]

After 1982 EMI in the UK dropped the ball on promoting Diana.

Had Touch been a release in that year it was almost certainly at least Top 20.

Strangely, I suppose given its American success, they did pull out the stops for Missing You including re-promoting it several times to no avail.

If they had given it the same attention when it was released Touch would certainly have been a sizeable hit and perhaps the Swept Away album would have benefited

“Touch” did receive a fair amount of radio play at the time, but the public just weren’t interested. Personally i have always hated the song, finding it rather twee and lightweight.
They probably should have taken a chance with “Swept Away” but were probably put off by “Mirror Mirror” charting so poorly.

[jobeterob]

It’s not one of my favourite songs - but I think it’s a good recording and I like hearing it once in a while

[Jaap]

"Touch by Touch" was a surprise Top 10 hit in the Netherlands, one of her bigger hits in the 1980s. "All of You" also made the Top 10, while "Missing You" didn't even chart [[which has always surprised me). "Touch by Touch" is a fun song, but to me not really a Diana Ross song -- and I never liked that bridge which seems to be copied straight from the opening tune of The A-Team.

[Ollie9]

"Touch by Touch" is a fun song, but to me not really a Diana Ross song A-Team.

At that point in time i don’t think there was anything typical of a Diana Ross song.
The SA album alone contained soft rock, calypso shuffler, r&b, weird techno, a bland retro cover and perhaps one of the worst pop songs of her career in “We Are The Children”.

[Guy]

At that point in time i don’t think there was anything typical of a Diana Ross song.
The SA album alone contained soft rock, calypso shuffler, r&b, weird techno, a bland retro cover and perhaps one of the worst pop songs of her career in “We Are The Children”.

An excellent summation of SA.

[rovereab]

I like the song and the video which I think shows the good vibes between Diana and Marvin. However, what sounds like an edit at track time 2:00 lets the recording down as it spoils the flow of the song to my ears.

[Boogiedown]

what week was that jobeterob ??
its too blury and I'm curious how crappy the competition was [or wasn't] that week

[jobeterob]

The date isn’t on it - but it was 1985

Private Dancer and Like A Virgin are on the chart

[jobeterob]

Is that better? Why are my pictures blurry?

[Boogiedown]

no better.
thanks for trying, I'll pick a date around WE ARE THE WORLD recording .

[midnightman]

How odd that that album - Swept Away - Diana and RCA basically had this "throw everything at the wall to see what sticks" method, which is why you have:

A rock-ish dance song [[title track)
Power ballads [[Forever Young)
Romantic duet [[All of You; apparently this was copy and pasted on SA)
R&B tunes [[Missing You, Telephone)
New wave-ish pop [[It's Your Move)
Schlocky humanitarian anthem [[We Are the Children)

And ironically, the one song that has endured was the new wave-ish tune, albeit in a very slowed down, reverbed, warped version and turned into a viral meme.

[sup_fan]

How odd that that album - Swept Away - Diana and RCA basically had this "throw everything at the wall to see what sticks" method, which is why you have:

A rock-ish dance song [[title track)
Power ballads [[Forever Young)
Romantic duet [[All of You; apparently this was copy and pasted on SA)
R&B tunes [[Missing You, Telephone)
New wave-ish pop [[It's Your Move)
Schlocky humanitarian anthem [[We Are the Children)

And ironically, the one song that has endured was the new wave-ish tune, albeit in a very slowed down, reverbed, warped version and turned into a viral meme.

it really was a patchwork album. there was 0 connectivity between the tunes in terms of production approach, style, anything. but it doesn't strike me as quick as disjointed at LTISH or Cream of the Crop.

now that said, there are some tunes that are really questionable. like Forever Young - i find her vocals way to wispy and breathy. Rescue Me is ok i guess but she always had some "oldies" tune on her albums or a knock off like So Close. the woman was now 40 and didn't need to be reminding people of "oldies" if her goal was to appear current and relevant.

i can deal with Children, had the hideous children's choir not been included. or at least if they could have sang in tune! there's this false notion that kids sing endearingly off pitch and that it's "cute." plenty of kids choirs can sing in pitch just fine.

[thommg]

i can deal with Children, had the hideous children's choir not been included. or at least if they could have sang in tune! there's this false notion that kids sing endearingly off pitch and that it's "cute." plenty of kids choirs can sing in pitch just fine.

When I hear that recording I think, why didn't they add a key change and just go all the way full shlock?

[midnightman]

it really was a patchwork album. there was 0 connectivity between the tunes in terms of production approach, style, anything. but it doesn't strike me as quick as disjointed at LTISH or Cream of the Crop.

now that said, there are some tunes that are really questionable. like Forever Young - i find her vocals way to wispy and breathy. Rescue Me is ok i guess but she always had some "oldies" tune on her albums or a knock off like So Close. the woman was now 40 and didn't need to be reminding people of "oldies" if her goal was to appear current and relevant.

i can deal with Children, had the hideous children's choir not been included. or at least if they could have sang in tune! there's this false notion that kids sing endearingly off pitch and that it's "cute." plenty of kids choirs can sing in pitch just fine.

One thing I noticed about the RCA material was how old fashioned everything was. Like you said, if Diana was tried to appeal to that era's young listeners, she didn't play her cards right by adding in oldies tunes or '60s-era type of material. Because it would bring attention to her age. That definitely added to why she had such a sales slump.

[Ollie9]

One thing I noticed about the RCA material was how old fashioned everything was. Like you said, if Diana was tried to appeal to that era's young listeners, she didn't play her cards right by adding in oldies tunes or '60s-era type of material. Because it would bring attention to her age. That definitely added to why she had such a sales slump.

The biggest mystery for me is why she waited nine years before reconnecting with Nile for an album in the vein of diana 80. It would seem a no-brainer to me.
She seemed clueless in thinking her fans and public craved repeats of 50’s retreads and yowling guitars.

[sansradio]

The biggest mystery for me is why she waited nine years before reconnecting with Nile for an album in the vein of diana 80. It would seem a no-brainer to me.
She seemed clueless in thinking her fans and public craved repeats of 50’s retreads and yowling guitars.

It may have had something to do with bad blood resulting from her decision to remix diana without his knowledge right before its release. He's said to have been seriously pissed.

[sup_fan]

The biggest mystery for me is why she waited nine years before reconnecting with Nile for an album in the vein of diana 80. It would seem a no-brainer to me.
She seemed clueless in thinking her fans and public craved repeats of 50’s retreads and yowling guitars.

i'm guessing here and trying to sort of piece together comments from fans like Bluebrock and others.

her recording career really wasn't a #1 priority for her at this period so it seems she sort of approached it with a lackadaisical attitude. Supposedly she wanted to work with Lionel and Quincy and Michael, especially on some of her earlier albums. but i guess they were busy or she didn't get hold of them soon enough or something. I would think being asked to produce THE debut album after Diana's departure from Motown would have been a prize at the top of most producer's wish list. I realize Quincy might have had contractual obligations with other singers and maybe just really couldn't squeeze her in. but i have my doubts on that.

Supposedly when she finally worked with the Gibbs, it was very rushed and very last minute. so perhaps she wasn't good at planning out these things or accounting for timelines.

there's a quote from around 1981 where she talks about producing it herself. i think she mentioned the idea of working with chic again but that they wanted creative control and that was something she was not willing to give up. odds are that sentiment carried through MUCH of her working relationships with producers while at RCA

[midnightman]

The biggest mystery for me is why she waited nine years before reconnecting with Nile for an album in the vein of diana 80. It would seem a no-brainer to me.
She seemed clueless in thinking her fans and public craved repeats of 50’s retreads and yowling guitars.

Beats me. I think Diana would've found herself stuck anyway because the early '80s was not a great time for female pop-R&B artists prior to the arrivals of the "new blood" like Whitney and Janet.

Plus she was older, had kids to look after, too much was going on, you know?

Diana wanted control too and I think Nile and Bernard would've still butted heads with her. I think she should've rehired Ashford & Simpson - but I think by then, A&S were becoming stars on their own right. Luther Vandross became the go-to for the older divas [[Dionne, Aretha) in the '80s as well some younger ones [[Cheryl Lynn). Luther gave Diana a few songs. But again, probably would've butted heads [[as we now know about those legendary heated sessions Luther had with Aretha).

Maybe it just wasn't in the cards to work?

[sup_fan]

Diana would also receive songs from writers and producers as potential tunes to record. she might favor a few of those and want to include. so a project might not be 100% with 1 producer.

katz only did about 2/3 of the Ross lp. although supposedly there are unreleased tunes. not sure if they're his or Parkers though

[Ollie9]

Diana would also receive songs from writers and producers as potential tunes to record. she might favor a few of those and want to include. so a project might not be 100% with 1 producer.

katz only did about 2/3 of the Ross lp. although supposedly there are unreleased tunes. not sure if they're his or Parkers though

I don’t visualise a huge problem if she had presented certain songs she liked to any would be producer. Unless of course they were at the quality of “We Are The Children”.
Katz produced five of the eight songs featured on ross 83, with the disjointed “Girls’ the only Ross production.That’s a fair few.
My point being, when you have the best selling album of your career, why not go for a follow up. If anything, it was a style and genre of music she appeared for the most part to avoid.

[sup_fan]

I don’t visualise a huge problem if she had presented certain songs she liked to any would be producer. Unless of course they were at the quality of “We Are The Children”.
Katz produced five of the eight songs featured on ross 83, with the disjointed “Girls’ the only Ross production.That’s a fair few.
My point being, when you have the best selling album of your career, why not go for a follow up. If anything, it was a style and genre of music she appeared for the most part to avoid.

i think you're right about the importance of a follow up lp. the story is that chic was to produce a 2nd album on her at motown but of course she left the label before that could happen.

had she stayed - maybe she would have done more chic and maybe not. even if they had produced something, it might not have been released. the very early 80s were really a period of musical change as "disco" died and other more new wave sounds went mainstream.

I believe the next lp would have been a full Masser production with all new tunes, as opposed to the mishmash we got on To Love Again. That would have taken her through 1981

so that puts us at 1982. maybe the label would have brought Michael on board to work with her after the phenomenal success of Off The Wall and the Jackson's work at epic. MJ still had a good relationship with Berry and so even being at a different label probably wouldn't have totally stopped it. and if it was for Diana, hey no rules apply.

Lionel would almost undoubtedly produced her too. Assuming Endless Love still happened [[no reason it shouldn't in this timeline), then Dreaming Of You would probably have been a released too since both artists would have been on the Motown label.

[Boogiedown]

I'm not sure the Chic sound is worth revisiting. Do you really want even more of UPSIDE DOWN kind of stuff from her?
Seems like the artists that got the Chic treatment tapped into it briefly then moved on.
A little goes a long way.
Even Chic's own albums ....well I don't listen to them.

Disco worked best as a kaleidoscope of songs and artists and sounds being interweaved together. You got a bit of this and a bit of that and you moved on. That was a big factor in its magic.

[Ollie9]

I'm not sure the Chic sound is worth revisiting. Do you really want even more of UPSIDE DOWN kind of stuff from her?
Seems like the artists that got the Chic treatment tapped into it briefly then moved on.
A little goes a long way.
Even Chic's own albums ....well I don't listen to them.

Disco worked best as a kaleidoscope of songs and artists and sounds being interweaved together. You got a bit of this and a bit of that and you moved on. That was a big factor in its magic.

I think the public were clamouring for another “Upside Down” from her. Far more so than dated musical retreads or fluffy pop. There was definitely room for one more album.

[RanRan79]

I think the public were clamouring for another “Upside Down” from her. Far more so than dated musical retreads or fluffy pop. There was definitely room for one more album.

He's right that the Chic sound was dead. She didn't need to revisit that. Besides, Nile Rodgers had moved on had some huge successes.

So in all my criticisms of Diana during this time, I have failed to remember what she was dealing with. She apparently recorded the SA album when her mother was battling cancer. Then her mom dies like a month or two after the album dropped. There's no way Diana was thinking clearly during this time, nor that of when the EA album was being recorded. While I like the SA album, I've been brutal with my thoughts about the EA album and the dumb decisions I feel Diana made with the entire thing. I'm officially forgiving her EA. It's unfair to ask someone to be focused during such a tough time.

That being said, Nile would have been perfect for the follow up to SA. Like A Virgin had blown up, among some of his other projects, and while I wouldn't think Diana needed to be doing Madonna songs, Nile had certainly proven that he could produce quality albums around unique talent. I think he would have found a way to give Diana age appropriate songs that would appeal to the youth market and the more adult market. He most certainly would have given her a better all around album than EA.

[Ollie9]

He's right that the Chic sound was dead. She didn't need to revisit that. Besides, Nile Rodgers had moved on had some huge successes.

So in all my criticisms of Diana during this time, I have failed to remember what she was dealing with. She apparently recorded the SA album when her mother was battling cancer. Then her mom dies like a month or two after the album dropped. There's no way Diana was thinking clearly during this time, nor that of when the EA album was being recorded. While I like the SA album, I've been brutal with my thoughts about the EA album and the dumb decisions I feel Diana made with the entire thing. I'm officially forgiving her EA. It's unfair to ask someone to be focused during such a tough time.

That being said, Nile would have been perfect for the follow up to SA. Like A Virgin had blown up, among some of his other projects, and while I wouldn't think Diana needed to be doing Madonna songs, Nile had certainly proven that he could produce quality albums around unique talent. I think he would have found a way to give Diana age appropriate songs that would appeal to the youth market and the more adult market. He most certainly would have given her a better all around album than EA.

Without sounding hard hearted, it’s hard to comprehend that she spent two years not thinking clearly owing to her mother’s illness. It must have been difficult having to perform at Radio City every night, but i can’t believe the task of finding a strong producer would have added additional strain to the process of recording an album.
Many of us have to deal with the grief of losing a parent while still having to make important business decisions. Having a single producer take control would i have thought been an asset in freeing up time for her to concentrate on more personal matters during that difficult time.
I definitely think she should have teamed up with Nile and Bernard anytime between 81 -87. None of the albums she recorded during that time frame will ever be considered classics.

[RanRan79]

Without sounding hard hearted, it’s hard to comprehend that she spent two years not thinking clearly owing to her mother’s illness. It must have been difficult having to perform at Radio City every night, but i can’t believe the task of finding a strong producer would have added additional strain to the process of recording an album.
Many of us have to deal with the grief of losing a parent while still having to make important business decisions. Having a single producer take control would i have thought been an asset in freeing up time for her to concentrate on more personal matters during that difficult time.
I definitely think she should have teamed up with Nile and Bernard anytime between 81 -87. None of the albums she recorded during that time frame will ever be considered classics.

As I have to repeatedly remind people, grief affects everyone in different ways. And yes, cloudy judgement is one of those things. And because one person can do "thing A" while grieving, another person may find it hard to even get out of bed. So yeah, I can forgive her these mistakes. Now, of course I have no way of knowing if this was Diana's issue or not. Contrary to popular belief, she doesn't confide in me. I'm just giving her the benefit of the doubt.

[Boogiedown]

you seem certain.
but there is the risk of overstaying your welcome with that sound . the risk of the " hoo-hum she already did that" result.

As it is I already think of it as a Chic album that features Diana Ross. Does she want to get over identified as a performer under their shadow?


[i guess one could argue it worked with HDH]

[Levi Stubbs Tears]

It's funny that people think Nile & Bernard's music was dated in the early 1980s when they went on to have huge successes with Madonna, David Bowie, Power Station, Duran Duran, INXS and many more that decade.

Nile & Bernard also wrote many lovely ballads. Pretty much all of them were superior to anything Diana recorded during the RCA years.

[Ollie9]

It's funny that people think Nile & Bernard's music was dated in the early 1980s when they went on to have huge successes with Madonna, David Bowie, Power Station, Duran Duran, INXS and many more that decade.

Nile & Bernard also wrote many lovely ballads. Pretty much all of them were superior to anything Diana recorded during the RCA years.

Very much agree.

[sup_fan]

It's funny that people think Nile & Bernard's music was dated in the early 1980s when they went on to have huge successes with Madonna, David Bowie, Power Station, Duran Duran, INXS and many more that decade.

Nile & Bernard also wrote many lovely ballads. Pretty much all of them were superior to anything Diana recorded during the RCA years.

very true but that was all a little after a "cooling off" period of a couple years. chic was so hot in the late 70s and then the diana album in 80. but then the next big hit was Bowie's Let's Dance.

[RanRan79]

It's funny that people think Nile & Bernard's music was dated in the early 1980s when they went on to have huge successes with Madonna, David Bowie, Power Station, Duran Duran, INXS and many more that decade.

I can only speak for myself, but when I say the sound was dead, I was talking about the Chic sound. Everyone knows a Chic production of the late 70s into early 80s. It has a signature sound. Diana got that sound when it was fast on the way out. She did not need to have any more productions post 1980 that sounded like the diana80 album.

The successes Nile and Bernard moved on to throughout the 80s sounds nothing like the sound they became known for in the disco era. So yeah, using them during this time makes a lot of sense. But Diana could not have afforded a diana80 sound alike in 1981. The public had been there and done that and moved on.

[Ollie9]

I can only speak for myself, but when I say the sound was dead, I was talking about the Chic sound. Everyone knows a Chic production of the late 70s into early 80s. It has a signature sound. Diana got that sound when it was fast on the way out. She did not need to have any more productions post 1980 that sounded like the diana80 album.

The successes Nile and Bernard moved on to throughout the 80s sounds nothing like the sound they became known for in the disco era. So yeah, using them during this time makes a lot of sense. But Diana could not have afforded a diana80 sound alike in 1981. The public had been there and done that and moved on.

The point being that with the exception of “Mirror Mirror” Diana didn’t move on with her music. In 81 she was doing 50’s retreads or dated disco schlock like “It’s Never Too Late”. The “diana” album sounded fresh and cutting edge by comparison.

[sup_fan]

The point being that with the exception of “Mirror Mirror” Diana didn’t move on with her music. In 81 she was doing 50’s retreads or dated disco schlock like “It’s Never Too Late”. The “diana” album sounded fresh and cutting edge by comparison.

i do agree with this. she was mostly just singing run of the mill pop tunes. I think Mirror, Sweet Surrender and the backing track to Work that Body could have been the anchor of a fresh new sound and album. heck even the title Work That Body could have been super sexy and hot. but the inane lyrics about eating cake!?!? made it a joke of a song.

[Ollie9]

i do agree with this. she was mostly just singing run of the mill pop tunes. I think Mirror, Sweet Surrender and the backing track to Work that Body could have been the anchor of a fresh new sound and album. heck even the title Work That Body could have been super sexy and hot. but the inane lyrics about eating cake!?!? made it a joke of a song.

I’m pleased we agree on something sup lol.

[RanRan79]

The point being that with the exception of “Mirror Mirror” Diana didn’t move on with her music. In 81 she was doing 50’s retreads or dated disco schlock like “It’s Never Too Late”. The “diana” album sounded fresh and cutting edge by comparison.

I agree, but repeating diana80 wasn't the right move either. In 1981 disco was officially dead. It was time to move on. "Mirror, Mirror" was definitely the right direction. It's unfortunate that she didn't insist the entire album be structured around this more progressive sound.

[Ollie9]

I agree, but repeating diana80 wasn't the right move either. In 1981 disco was officially dead. It was time to move on. "Mirror, Mirror" was definitely the right direction. It's unfortunate that she didn't insist the entire album be structured around this more progressive sound.

I disagree. “diana” wasn’t a traditional disco album in the vein if ‘I Will Survive. It was funky and exciting r&b that took her in another direction. The public loved this new sound being why it took off. “Mirror Mirror” was fresh, but i don’t think soft rock was a place to linger as in 5O’s retreads being it wasn’t the genre of music she was famous for.
It’s worth noting that the single flopped here in the UK, usually her most reliable market.

[Levi Stubbs Tears]

She did not need to have any more productions post 1980 that sounded like the diana80 album.

The public had been there and done that and moved on.

I think the public had also moved on from songs like 'Why Do Fools Fall in Love' from the 50s, but obviously Diana didn't agree.

[RanRan79]

I think the public had also moved on from songs like 'Why Do Fools Fall in Love' from the 50s, but obviously Diana didn't agree.

Apparently they didn't move on because the song was a hit. I'll never understand why it was a hit. To me it sounds like karaoke and it definitely is not how I would have kicked off this phase of her career. But the public felt differently, unfortunately.

[jobeterob]

I prefer the Eaten Alive album a little more than SA - I wasn’t keen on Children, FY and even MY wasn’t high up my list. However, I saw the recent list of sales showed SA at 1.5 million - powered by MY, SA and All of You.

[Boogiedown]

Disco was not dead when Diana hit #1 on its chart with UPSIDE/ COMING OUT.
Billboard had a Hot 100 that week for the genre just as it did for Soul, Country, and Pop.

You can't pigeon hole disco as having had a certain sound. There was no one sound. And as soon as any style became too familiar, the DJs were on to the next ... As with UPSIDE DOWN Chic's first release: DANCE DANCE DANCE was not "traditional" disco either. That's what made it stand out as being Chic's sound. In fact I don't know what traditional disco means. It was always changing, always had variables ...
So yes UPSIDE DOWN was a fresh approach to disco ...as was to be expected ...

From that same disco chart of Aug 16, 1980 where Diana was #1


some wild secret disco:



where synths and electronics clash head on with real.


Just for fun

[Levi Stubbs Tears]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjuL32pgsIE

[RanRan79]

Her two biggest hits from 1984 were "Swept Away" and "Missing You". She hadn't had a hit single since 1982. Seems like it would have made sense for her to tap Daryl Hall and/or Lionel Richie for the next album, both of whom I have confidence that they would have given her top quality tunes.

[sup_fan]

i don't think the WDFFIL album is terrible. it's quite enjoyable - aside from the hideous Endless Love cover. but i do agree that it isn't up to the task of being THE debut album for her new label.