50 years ago today - - -

[LoveSupreme]

at the height of what came to be known as the "Summer of Love", "Reflections" - the first single under the name of Diana Ross and the Supremes was released to the public and soared to #2 on the Billboard music charts.

[LoveSupreme]

[TomatoTom123]

Happy Birthday "Reflections", you fantastic little song!!!

[PeaceNHarmony]

Such a great song. I saw Diana's solo at the Waldorf Astoria's Empire Room and nearly had a heart attack when, 2-3 songs into the act she sang 'Reflections' in her HUGE Afro, mirrored gown, and [[gasp!) a strobe light! And a star was reborn!

[DWSheffer]

Among my top 5 favorite Supremes songs....just love everything about it.

[LoveSupreme]

This is my second favorite song by the group, the first being "My World Is Empty Without You" - - - both never made it to the top of the charts. MWIEWY stalled at #5.

[PeaceNHarmony]

Happy Birthday "Reflections", you fantastic little song!!!

'Little' song, sir? I beg to differ. There are no 'little' DRATS songs; it's the radio that got little!

[vgalindo]

Also one of my favorite Diana Ross and the Supremes songs. Love it..

[sansradio]

'Little' song, sir? I beg to differ. There are no 'little' DRATS songs; it's the radio that got little!

Preach, Norma! 😁

[antceleb12]

Love this song. Very apt lyrics and somberness for what was happening in the group. The only thing that puzzles me is the bizarre treatment the producers did to the background vocals [[Mary, Flo, whoever's on there) and the omitting of the middle part [[which I still don't know the words to!). My favorite part of the song is the cold end on the remastered version.

[Ozmo]

'Little' song, sir? I beg to differ. There are no 'little' DRATS songs; it's the radio that got little!

And they had faces then!!!

[marv2]

"and here they are.......the girls here!" LOL!!!

[TomatoTom123]

'Little' song, sir? I beg to differ. There are no 'little' DRATS songs; it's the radio that got little!

Lol, sorry PNH, forgive me if you can

[Bluebrock]

This is my second favorite song by the group, the first being "My World Is Empty Without You" - - - both never made it to the top of the charts. MWIEWY stalled at #5.

I think i agree with you on both counts. Both are totally unique and like nothing else the girls recorded. If ever there were 2 of their songs that deserved to reach no.1 it is this pair of gems.

[PeaceNHarmony]

Preach, Norma! 

We didn't need streaming; we had PICTURE SLEEVES then!

[jobucats]

at the height of what came to be known as the "Summer of Love", "Reflections" - the first single under the name of Diana Ross and the Supremes was released to the public and soared to #2 on the Billboard music charts.

Thanks for reposting the album cover and the back. Right when I got my copy of this, I was immediately drawn to the solo picture of Diana on the back and how perplexing it was to understand what was going on around the shoulder area. To our right appears to be part of a gown; to the left was what? Is that a shadow?

It's strange what things caught our eyes and ears back in the day as we "studied" our albums. Another example was "A Lovers' Concerto." My friends swore up and down [[and I agreed) that Diana was singing the line , "See Berry on the hill" as opposed to the correct line, "See there upon [[or beyond) the hill..." LOL

It's all in our individual perceptions, right.

[LoveSupreme]

I think i agree with you on both counts. Both are totally unique and like nothing else the girls recorded. If ever there were 2 of their songs that deserved to reach no.1 it is this pair of gems.

You are so right. Imagine my shock when I found out they hadn't gone to #1! I love the haunting quality of both tracks.

HDH were on point with "Reflections" - - - they captured the psychedelic sound of the moment and it's release during that now infamous Summer of Love at the height of the counterculture movement was the perfect time to release the song.

That "Ode to Billy Joe" kept it from reaching number 1 still baffles me...

[LoveSupreme]

Here's something that has always bothered me.

What is the correct lyric in the background after Diana sings

All the love that I've wasted
All the tears that I've tasted
All in vain...

is it: [[a) "All in vain 'till nothing remains" or [[b) "All in vain, all in vain".

I can't really make it out on the original DRATS recording because of the way it is mixed but I'm betting it's [[a). When Luther Vandross recorded his cover [[a) was used *but* on some live performances, especially on that dreaded RTL tour Sherrie and Lynda sing [[b).

Oh and in some live performances all I hear is "All in vain, ooh-ooh-oooh"....LOL

Does anyone have access to the official printed lyric?

[rovereab]

To me this song marked the Supremes as all grown up! Love the song!

[marv2]

I held the actual album cover art from the original album in my hands. Found it in a box we were unpacking at Hitsville back in 1986.

[LoveSupreme]

I held the actual album cover art from the original album in my hands. Found it in a box we were unpacking at Hitsville back in 1986.

That's cool marv...I love the graphics on the cover art...the kaleidoscope setting of the photos and the psychedelic font used was very current and 'in' for that time. There is only one thing about it that irks me: why did they have to choose a photo of Mary in a nun's habit from that god-awful episode of Tarzan?!?!? So many beautiful photos of Mary to choose from and they go ahead and choose that one?!? LOL!

[LoveSupreme]

Yesterday, in honor of it's 50th anniversary I listened to "Reflections" on a loop that played it back-to-back 50 times.

Truth.

Song never gets old.

LOL.

[marv2]

That's cool marv...I love the graphics on the cover art...the kaleidoscope setting of the photos and the psychedelic font used was very current and 'in' for that time. There is only one thing about it that irks me: why did they have to choose a photo of Mary in a nun's habit from that god-awful episode of Tarzan?!?!? So many beautiful photos of Mary to choose from and they go ahead and choose that one?!? LOL!

They were scrambling as they often were in the sixties at Motown. This album was partially recorded while Florence Ballard was still the group. Some of the original pictures selected by the graphic artists or cover art designer had Florence in the picture. They had already decided on this design [[the kaleidoscope or what we kids at the time called "the Spiral Graph" LOL!) so they had to strip off the pictures with Flo in them and in some case literally cut her out. I know this because I saw where they did just that with one photo of Mary, Florence and Diane arriving at the Toyko, Japan airport. The took a pair scissors and just cut Flo right out of the picture. Then someone [[I am not sure who did it) took that picture off of the poster board from the album and hung it up on the wall upstairs at Hitsville as part of a display. When Mary came through and saw that, she had a fit! LOL!!! You don't wanna know, hehehehehehehe!

Anyway, they were in a rush and with Cindy still being so new to the group, they did not have a lot of pictures of her, so when you look closely you will see several pics of Mary and Diane from the days when Florence was with them that have been "edited" to only show them. They did not have email, internet or digital anything in those days. It was all hand designed before being shipped off to the printers.

[LoveSupreme]

They were scrambling as they often were in the sixties at Motown. This album was partially recorded while Florence Ballard was still the group. Some of the original pictures selected by the graphic artists or cover art designer had Florence in the picture. They had already decided on this design [[the kaleidoscope or what we kids at the time called "the Spiral Graph" LOL!) so they had to strip off the pictures with Flo in them and in some case literally cut her out. I know this because I saw where they did just that with one photo of Mary, Florence and Diane arriving at the Toyko, Japan airport. The took a pair scissors and just cut Flo right out of the picture. Then someone [[I am not sure who did it) took that picture off of the poster board from the album and hung it up on the wall upstairs at Hitsville as part of a display. When Mary came through and saw that, she had a fit! LOL!!! You don't wanna know, hehehehehehehe!

Anyway, they were in a rush and with Cindy still being so new to the group, they did not have a lot of pictures of her, so when you look closely you will see several pics of Mary and Diane from the days when Florence was with them that have been "edited" to only show them. They did not have email, internet or digital anything in those days. It was all hand designed before being shipped off to the printers.

Wow! That's cool marv. It still saddens me that Flo was let go. "Reflections" as a song was so symbolic in Supremes history - - - it was the first song under the group's new billing - - - it was released after Flo was let go of the group [[even though she is present on the actual recording) and it's the first album not to feature her image.

I don't blame Mary for having a fit about the picture - it was so disrespectful to Flo.

Thanks for sharing that story.

[marv2]

Wow! That's cool marv. It still saddens me that Flo was let go. "Reflections" as a song was so symbolic in Supremes history - - - it was the first song under the group's new billing - - - it was released after Flo was let go of the group [[even though she is present on the actual recording) and it's the first album not to feature her image.

I don't blame Mary for having a fit about the picture - it was so disrespectful to Flo.

Thanks for sharing that story.

Don't let anyone tell you that Florence Ballard is not on that record! She is most definitely singing on that that record. They sounded good singing it live with Cindy Birdsong too. Just look at the video above for proof of that!

[LoveSupreme]

Don't let anyone tell you that Florence Ballard is not on that record! She is most definitely singing on that that record. They sounded good singing it live with Cindy Birdsong too. Just look at the video above for proof of that!

I know that Florence is singing on it. She recorded it before she was let go. I had no doubt about that.