Supremes/Diana Ross [[solo) Singles That Tell a Story

[jobucats]

I was listening to Debby Boone's relaxed version of "When the Lovelight Starts Shining in His Eyes" and was captivated by the moving story which is conveyed in the lyrics.

What other Supremes'/Diana Ross [[solo) SINGLES have a strong story line with actual events being mentioned? I can think of "Love Child" and "I'm Living in Shame." "Nathan Jones" has some elements of a story in it.

[Circa 1824]

I'm Still Waiting; Last Time I Saw Him

[JohnnyB]

Sleepin’ is definitely one…

[rovereab]

Love Hangover - we've all lived that story!

[Ollie9]

I Thought That We Were Still In Love..

[lucky2012]

Early songs with stories: When the Lovelight Start Shining, A Breath-Taking Guy. Stop! In The Name of Love gave Diana more story to sing about than the previous three #1s.

[Jaap]

The one song I like musically but makes me uncomfortable because of its "story" is "All the Befores," as it comes across to me as a woman who just cannot leave an abusive relationship. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but that's why I don't like the song.

[Ollie9]

The one song I like musically but makes me uncomfortable because of its "story" is "All the Befores," as it comes across to me as a woman who just cannot leave an abusive relationship. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but that's why I don't like the song.

Funnily enough it was actually the very first song i thought of. The lyrics make it sound like she has totally given up hope of ever making a new life for herself which i find a bit depressing. This being the only reason i seldom ever listen to it.
it’s such a shame as Diana sings it to perfection.

[lucky2012]

The one song I like musically but makes me uncomfortable because of its "story" is "All the Befores," as it comes across to me as a woman who just cannot leave an abusive relationship. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but that's why I don't like the song.

I love this, too. I have it on my playlist of my very favorite Ross vocal performances. I was struck by the track the first time I heard it when I bought Surrender in 1971. It, indeed, is very sad and I knew that. 52 years later [yikes!] I realize how disturbing the story line is. :[[ It will remain one of my favorites, telling myself that "it's only a [sad] movie!"

[TNSUN]

"Tell Me Again" and my response, "Can't It Wait Until Tommorrow". Ha ! Ha ! Ha !

[Spreadinglove21]

Back in My Arms again tells the story of how jealous and men deprived Mary and Flo tried to sabotage Diana's relationship with her man, but Diana was able to repair the damage and learn never to listen to those two heifers again.

[RanRan79]

One of my favorite story songs is "Did You Read the Morning Paper". "Bill When Are You Coming Back" is another one. You can really imagine all the scenes in the song playing out, thanks to the great writing and the brilliant lyrical interpretations from Diana and Jean.

[gman]

Sleepin’ is definitely one…
and some people think TOUCH was a poor choice for a single? IMHO ...Sleepin' gets the trophy!

[sup_fan]

and some people think TOUCH was a poor choice for a single? IMHO ...Sleepin' gets the trophy!

oh lord - that song barely passes my test as album filler lol. and i'm one that like Old Funky Rolls! lolol it just paints this wildly morose scene. the production and singing is beautiful, which Touch struggles with at times. frankly i'd line this up more with I Guess I'll Miss The Man. again a beautiful song but the lyrics and all do not make this a single

[RanRan79]

"Sleepin" was a horrible choice for single. I'd love for the folks involved in that decision to explain it. Unlike Supfan, I actually think it's a fantastic album track. Lyrically it made sense, as drug addiction seems to have been on the rise. Diana, being the vocal actress that she is, got right into it. The part where she says "you're wrong, can't you see he's just" and sings "sleepin", and then when she sings "a fix don't fix a fix" and then says "don't touch him"...gets me every time.

It's a great song, but nothing about it sounds like something DJs would be in a rush to spin over the radio, or that listeners would be in the mood to listen to. It's so terribly depressing, the lyrical content. For me it's one of the highlights of the LTISH album and Diana's talents are on full display. But a single? I don't think any of the 70s Supremes' singles were as bad a choice as "Sleepin", including "Miss the Man".

[sup_fan]

look at an album like The Boss. the entire album is perfectly sequenced. both sonically and lyrically. or Surrender. or even DR 70 [[although you might argue These Things is a bit out of place, although i don't find it too crazy)

or for the best example, Baby It's Me. the tracks on the released album are glossy, sophisticated, beautifully produced and perfectly performed. the unreleased tracks are all fine tracks but Brass Band and Country John really don't fit the tone and style of the final product.

So Sleepin is performed beautifully. but how the hell do you sequence that into an album?!??! imagine it as a Track 1 on a side lololol what a way to introduce an album or even introduce Side 2. Then try placing it as the last track on a side - again, big no. If it's in the middle of a side, then what comes before and after? how do you lead in or follow it up? it's similar to Witchi Tai Tao on the MW Anthology. cool song and performed well but just didn't fit with anything they were doing.

[RanRan79]

LTISH was a hodgepodge of sounds anyway. I think "Sleepin" would have fit onto any album that had the right collection of songs.

It's like Diana's "My Baby, My Own". On its own it's a great song, sure, but its rather dark. It fits onto TMITM because the tone of the songs around it compliment it very well. On an album that appears to have just been thrown together [[not in the same way as Ross 78 of course, but LTISH sounds like a throw back to the days when Motown just took random Supremes tracks and threw together an album) "Sleepin" doesn't sound anymore out of place than anything else on it.

"Sleepin" would have been a perfect song for an album of songs with maybe a "life today" theme. Perhaps that's the direction the album released after TMITM should have taken. Use "Sleepin", "Stone Liberty", "To the Baby", "Young Mothers", add some more life songs like "Living For the City" and "Higher Ground". Not that I'm suggesting she had recorded those two songs, but my examples of songs with the theme I'm going for, but have a good beat so the whole album isn't dark and mellow. Maybe even a love song like "I'd Give My Life For You". "Why Play Games" might have worked as well.

LTISH was such a ridiculous way to follow up TMITM. With more thought, Diana could have had a classic album.

[sup_fan]

LTISH was a hodgepodge of sounds anyway. I think "Sleepin" would have fit onto any album that had the right collection of songs.

It's like Diana's "My Baby, My Own". On its own it's a great song, sure, but its rather dark. It fits onto TMITM because the tone of the songs around it compliment it very well. On an album that appears to have just been thrown together [[not in the same way as Ross 78 of course, but LTISH sounds like a throw back to the days when Motown just took random Supremes tracks and threw together an album) "Sleepin" doesn't sound anymore out of place than anything else on it.

"Sleepin" would have been a perfect song for an album of songs with maybe a "life today" theme. Perhaps that's the direction the album released after TMITM should have taken. Use "Sleepin", "Stone Liberty", "To the Baby", "Young Mothers", add some more life songs like "Living For the City" and "Higher Ground". Not that I'm suggesting she had recorded those two songs, but my examples of songs with the theme I'm going for, but have a good beat so the whole album isn't dark and mellow. Maybe even a love song like "I'd Give My Life For You". "Why Play Games" might have worked as well.

LTISH was such a ridiculous way to follow up TMITM. With more thought, Diana could have had a classic album.

ok now that's an interesting album theme. and good selection of tunes. it's heavier than most of the content and album themes we've seen or discussed for Diana but certainly and interesting one and compelling. and in that setting, yes i could see Sleepin fitting in

agree about the hodgepodge nature of LTISH and that, overall, it was a poor follow up to TMITM. i think if the "To The Baby" tunes and the Bob Gaudio tunes were removed and then complete the album with more of the Masser and Miller work, it would have help together much better. although the title track was ready earlier, it could and should have been held to allow the Marvin tracks time to hit. TMITM should have had a 2nd single released and then release the entire duet set. Hold the song Last Time until 74. by then you'd have had Sorry Doesn't Make it, Together also ready. so the album could be:

Last Time
No One gonna be a fool
Love me
Together
You

I'll be here
Sorry doesn't make
Get is all together
Where did we go wrong
Behind closed doors

i think these songs take much of the rich sound of TMITM and adds more fun and levity to it.

[RanRan79]

I think the big problem with the LTISH album, and perhaps why it ended up with a "careless" tracklist, is the title cut itself. I think the song is very good and do not object to it as a single, despite it not being the way I prefer Diana. Of course, my opinion on it as a single might be skewed based on the fact that it ended up a hit. Had "Saw Him" flopped, I might have a different opinion. [[To that, I might have a different opinion on "Sleepin" as a single if it had managed to hit.)

Anyway, the song should have been a single only cut. Add the song to the greatest hits package in the upcoming years and call it a day. The album really doesn't know what it wants to be and I think that's because TPTB were struggling to figure out what to surround the single with. IMO the Bob Gaudio cuts were the direction the album should have taken. Would've been interesting to see what might have been had he been allowed to helm the project, someone new and fresh and bringing that to Diana's career.

[Ollie9]

I think the big problem with the LTISH album, and perhaps why it ended up with a "careless" tracklist, is the title cut itself. I think the song is very good and do not object to it as a single, despite it not being the way I prefer Diana. Of course, my opinion on it as a single might be skewed based on the fact that it ended up a hit. Had "Saw Him" flopped, I might have a different opinion. [[To that, I might have a different opinion on "Sleepin" as a single if it had managed to hit.)

Anyway, the song should have been a single only cut. Add the song to the greatest hits package in the upcoming years and call it a day. The album really doesn't know what it wants to be and I think that's because TPTB were struggling to figure out what to surround the single with. IMO the Bob Gaudio cuts were the direction the album should have taken. Would've been interesting to see what might have been had he been allowed to helm the project, someone new and fresh and bringing that to Diana's career.

Good point about trying to build the album around “LTISH”.
As with Ross 78, very few of us actually agree on what might have made for better sounding albums. I am not a huge fan of the Gaudio cuts, and would probably have added one or two songs from the “To The Baby sessions such as “Part Of You” and “To The Baby”.
I would definitely have kept “Sleepin” being it contains a classic Diana Ross vocal.

[RanRan79]

Good point about trying to build the album around “LTISH”.
As with Ross 78, very few of us actually agree on what might have made for better sounding albums. I am not a huge fan of the Gaudio cuts, and would probably have added one or two songs from the “To The Baby sessions such as “Part Of You” and “To The Baby”.
I would definitely have kept “Sleepin” being it contains a classic Diana Ross vocal.

I like the Gaudio tracks because they sound so fresh and different from what she had been doing. I like tough Diana, and "Heard" and "Liberty" are definitely that. I think it was time for her to move on from the mellow jazzy stuff. And I definitely think it was a mistake to try to send her into an all pop vibe. I think the Gaudio cuts did very well of mixing pop and soul and a tinge of rock and still allowing Diana to be herself.