graphing out the chart action of the Sups vs MRATV vs Marvelettes

[sup_fan]

i've shared lots of info from my Supremes Excel Sheet - their itinerary, their chart action, etc.

well this is just fascinating!! a guy took all of the pop charting singles from the Supremes vs MRATV vs the Marvelettes. it goes week by week and you see each release, how it climbed the charts, how it compares with the other groups and when it dropped off

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hOLdCePhf0

[daviddesper]

Quite a lot to follow, but certainly interesting. Thanks for sharing!

[sup_fan]

i didn't realize I'll Keep Holding On was released as early as it was. i have to say that was a pretty innovative song and is due more respect that it typically gets

[daviddesper]

Another thing that this chart emphasizes is how much of a fixture the Marvelettes were at Motown before the other two even got started. For those of us who didn't really discover Motown until the mid 60s, all three groups were firmly established, so the assumption was that they were all on equal footing in terms of longevity.

[TheMotownManiac]

i've shared lots of info from my Supremes Excel Sheet - their itinerary, their chart action, etc.

well this is just fascinating!! a guy took all of the pop charting singles from the Supremes vs MRATV vs the Marvelettes. it goes week by week and you see each release, how it climbed the charts, how it compares with the other groups and when it dropped off

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hOLdCePhf0


Marry me! I love chart facts it’s a great way to tell a story without spin. Your graph is brilliant and well appreciated!

[sup_fan]

oh i can't claim responsibility for this amazing graph and video. i didn't even help with the collecting of the data, unless this youtuber is a fan on here and happened across my sharing of the chart positions

now Maniac - were you one that was trying to discredit my comments about the market being flooded and all? ;) i think this chart gives a perfect example of how River Deep negatively impacted SL. now in the end, SL still charted very very well and sold a gazillion copies. but had River not been climbing at the same time, there might have been enough momentum to push SL to #1. i don't know exactly how billboard calculates the chart positions - what the algorithm is of sales and air play. but you see how SL is moving up the charts and then in comes River.

on FB there's a chat going about Every Body's Got the Right. a couple fans and i were in agreement that Everybody just was a lackluster follow up to Ladder. someone said Loving Country and Together were far better singles. i agree - Loving should have followed Ladder. But then do you hold on SL and release Together? i don't think Together could have do much as a follow up to SL. Together is great but SL is a masterpiece. So maybe after SL was done, you then release River Deep. the duet might be fresh enough of an idea that it avoids the pitfall of being a follow up to such a great song

[TomatoTom123]

Interesting stuff!! Excellently done as well. I would have no idea how to even start something like that. :rolleyes:

[drlorne]

thank you for sharing this. What occurred to me was, that is this chart was available at the time, the Marvellettes and Martha would of been pretty depressed...the fall off is pretty obvious and it's interesting that the Supremes follow the same fate. Almost a law of nature I guess.
Also when you don't have any control over your music or what is released, when you stop selling the organization loses interest.

[rovereab]

Excellent, I really enjoyed seeing the patterns emerging.

[SatansBlues]

That's an excellent clip. I would love to see this graph with all the Motown singles that charted on the pop charts and one for the Soul/RnB charts.

[TomatoTom123]

That's an excellent clip. I would love to see this graph with all the Motown singles that charted on the pop charts and one for the Soul/RnB charts.

Now that sounds like a challenge!! :D

[theboyfromxtown]

I really enjoyed that video. Thank you

[TheMotownManiac]

oh i can't claim responsibility for this amazing graph and video. i didn't even help with the collecting of the data, unless this youtuber is a fan on here and happened across my sharing of the chart positions

now Maniac - were you one that was trying to discredit my comments about the market being flooded and all? ;) i think this chart gives a perfect example of how River Deep negatively impacted SL. now in the end, SL still charted very very well and sold a gazillion copies. but had River not been climbing at the same time, there might have been enough momentum to push SL to #1. i don't know exactly how billboard calculates the chart positions - what the algorithm is of sales and air play. but you see how SL is moving up the charts and then in comes River.

on FB there's a chat going about Every Body's Got the Right. a couple fans and i were in agreement that Everybody just was a lackluster follow up to Ladder. someone said Loving Country and Together were far better singles. i agree - Loving should have followed Ladder. But then do you hold on SL and release Together? i don't think Together could have do much as a follow up to SL. Together is great but SL is a masterpiece. So maybe after SL was done, you then release River Deep. the duet might be fresh enough of an idea that it avoids the pitfall of being a follow up to such a great song

well I wouldn’t exactly call it been discredited, however I’m going to make you love me and love child climbed at the same time and both went platinum. I will agree that there’s probably some stations that didn’t add River deep because they were already playing Stoned love, but I don’t think stoned love lost any adds because of River deep asSL was already well launched. SL is a great record, but it doesn’t surprise me it failed to hit number one. I wish it had, but I just don’t think it was that good to be considered a sure fire number one. It didn’t ignite a slew of album sales on either chart. The single was #1 R&B, but the album only went to 12. I know it’s sacrilege to suggest this, but it might be that, like up the ladder to the roof, it appeals very strongly to a certain market and not as broadly as we think.

[TheMotownManiac]

Also just noticed, that stoned love shot straight up the chart for several weeks and then for three weeks after that slowed way way down and then when River deep was released stoned love began to climb again and made it number seven.

[sup_fan]

SL entered the charts on 11/7 at 61 and then over the next few weeks climbed but then stalled around 20 for 3 weeks. The girls appeared on the Tom Jones show in Nov and then Flip Wilson in Jan. these two appearances could be why the song got that second burst of chart activity. Plus in Dec they did the Smokey special and Mike Douglas, so they had a considerable about of tv air time. And if the single was on the radio, like it must have been to general the 1 Million+ sales, these tv spots would have helped push it along

[sup_fan]

here's more of the data

SL was released on 10/15 and entered the charts on 11/7 at 61. for 3 weeks it was climbing nicely [[61, 48, 22) and then stalled after week 11/21 and sat around #20 the weeks of 11/21, 28 and 12/4

River was released on 11/5 and entered the charts on 11/28 at number 51. it went from 51 to 45 and then 35 and then 30.

so the week SL started to stall [[11/28) is the week River first charted.

SL had been making nice leaps each week and had momentum until River was released. so unless a top source like George or a historian comes out with a more clear answer, i think this is pretty strong evidence that River stole some of the sales and movement of SL

frankly i'm sure the same happened in 68. Love Child was a HUGE hit but only sat at #1 for 2 weeks. had IGMYLM not been released, it's very possible LC would have sat on top for another week or two.

[TheMotownManiac]

here's more of the data

SL was released on 10/15 and entered the charts on 11/7 at 61. for 3 weeks it was climbing nicely [[61, 48, 22) and then stalled after week 11/21 and sat around #20 the weeks of 11/21, 28 and 12/4

River was released on 11/5 and entered the charts on 11/28 at number 51. it went from 51 to 45 and then 35 and then 30.

so the week SL started to stall [[11/28) is the week River first charted.

SL had been making nice leaps each week and had momentum until River was released. so unless a top source like George or a historian comes out with a more clear answer, i think this is pretty strong evidence that River stole some of the sales and movement of SL

frankly i'm sure the same happened in 68. Love Child was a HUGE hit but only sat at #1 for 2 weeks. had IGMYLM not been released, it's very possible LC would have sat on top for another week or two.


Ralph, chart fax do not lie and I’m always the last to admit when I’m wrong. It certainly does look like that and I never thought about love child because Grapevine was soaring up the charts so quickly and I know there were some stations that were not playing with the child because of the controversial nature but it looks like maybe that’s possible maybe it would’ve lasted another week or two. I’ve always thought that baby love was hurt by the release of come see about me and the album, but baby love wasn’t just a smash hit record it was a phenomenon. Somebody from HDH said some thing similar that they could’ve got five or six weeks at number one out of baby love if……..

[floyjoy678]

Ralph, chart fax do not lie and I’m always the last to admit when I’m wrong. It certainly does look like that and I never thought about love child because Grapevine was soaring up the charts so quickly and I know there were some stations that were not playing with the child because of the controversial nature but it looks like maybe that’s possible maybe it would’ve lasted another week or two. I’ve always thought that baby love was hurt by the release of come see about me and the album, but baby love wasn’t just a smash hit record it was a phenomenon. Somebody from HDH said some thing similar that they could’ve got five or six weeks at number one out of baby love if……..

I always thought it was amazing that Baby Love and Come See About Me were released just a month from each other and they both went to #1.

[sup_fan]

and it could be that if 1 song sits at the top for too long, the public bores of the the song AND the group. the rapid fire of singles and albums from the Sups between June 64 and June 65 is stunning

WDOLG was a great song and could certainly have been a 1 hit wonder amidst the wave of British invasion

BL - sealed the deal and with the WDOLG album the girls now were all the rage

Come - wow ANOTHER great song.

Stop - so supremes and yet so different. the girls are now a phenom

Specialty albums - the kids raced to buy Liverpool, plus the others. people are thinking - wow what'll they do next?!?!?

Back in Arms - the epitome of The Motown Sound and just great. plus the more hits album


I think this machine gunning of content helped because it took advantage of this relatively short period [[all in 1 year) and turned the group into a sensation. What'll they do next!!