What percent of LOVE HANGOVER's success do you credit to Ross herself??
As a #1 record, there's no denying LOVE HANGOVER is one of Diana's recording career pinnacles.
It's also one of disco's pinnacles.
At the time it came out, I got to witness the dance floor fill instantaneously to that teaser intro, and if you weren't on the floor by the time the beat kicked in ...you weren't going to be able to find a spot . Its popularity was so apparent, Motown had to rush release it as a single to ride the wave.
But how much of that success is due to Diana herself? We know she had to be cajoled into even participating in the recording session and as a mother with young kids, the last thing on her mind was competing with Donna Summer in the disco diva arena.
As songwriting goes and as a composition, I think LOVE HANGOVER transcends the whole disco tag applied to it ...such that even some of those that claim they hate all disco, might give a nod to this song's appeal-ability. Were it not a huge club hit, I think LOVE HANGOVER still would have had mass appeal and been a #1 record. It did happen at times .....DANCING QUEEN by ABBA for example.
So once in the studio and when her engine got properly lubed, did Diana start to feel it?? Did she apply her A game??
Or does the credit really go to the wizardry of dedicated studio editing and a vision for the record by its producer Hal Davis....including its seven minute plus length.
Did the name 'Diana Ross' on its label give the record a leg up??
Percentage?? a fifty-fifty prospect
where it was the exact right combination of talents brought together at the right time??
[= 50% credit]
Or, more likely without Diana's participation , it would have meant a lesser [or a non] hit??
[= 75% credit to Diana]
Or, could Hal have pulled off his vision regardless of who he had in the studio??
[= 75% credit to studio production magic, and 25% credit to Miss Ross]
or, some other ratio??