WDOLG 54 Years

[RanRan79]

Yesterday marked 54 years since the release of the song that propelled the Supremes into the book of legends. Does anyone remember the first time they heard it? Or does anyone have a specific memory tied to the song? What about favorite performance of it?

To me no performance of "Where Did Our Love Go" gets any better than the TAMI Show performance. I think that performance might be second only to the first Sullivan Show appearance as the group's most iconic.

[jobucats]

I remember first hearing this song although it was after "Back in My Arms" which started my fascination with the Supremes which remains to this day. I don't know the logistics of why I never heard "Where Did Our Love Go" until about a year later.

One thing I do recall, other than it being a great song, is that I could only hear one background voice which I came to attribute it to being Mary's voice. To this day, a second background voice is just so subtle to me.

I've often wondered how other fans have assessed this background voice aspect, however, I have been hesitant to ask because I know we fans can be very territorial and start lashing out at others who we think are trying to diminish their favorite Supreme [[which I am not trying to do).

Since we have our own backroom forum where we can hoop and holler, I will now make my query:

On a percentage scale, how much of Mary's voice and Florence's voice do you hear on Where Did Our Love Go?
Here's my assessment- Mary 98% Florence 2%

Again, my observation is not an indictment, so save the drama. It ain't nothing but a chicken wang, but it's a wang that I want to chew on.

[BigAl]

Oh, I remember it well.

For a couple of weeks the Beatles' "P.S. I Love You" had been topping the charts here locally. Then WDOLG started getting heavy — and I mean heavy — rotation, and within a week it had knocked the Beatles off the top position and then stayed there for a couple of weeks or maybe longer.

I would push the Mary-to-Florence ratio back another percentage point and call it ninety-nine percent Mary and one percent Flo. Sounds more like a duet to be honest.

[reese]

On a percentage scale, how much of Mary's voice and Florence's voice do you hear on Where Did Our Love Go?
Here's my assessment- Mary 98% Florence 2%

Again, my observation is not an indictment, so save the drama. It ain't nothing but a chicken wang, but it's a wang that I want to chew on.

When I was a kid, I figured that Flo couldn't make it to the studio that day.

I still don't hear her on it. This may be an instance where they had her stand farther back from the mike.

[TomatoTom123]

Ooh I can't remember the first time I heard "Where Did Our Love Go", but I'm pretty sure it was one of the first Supremes songs I ever bought. The first two I bought were definitely "Baby Love" and "You Can't Hurry Love". Damn I really loved those songs back then... before I even knew what Motown was.

You know, I haven't listened to "Where Did Our Love Go" or "Baby Love" in probably two years. It's shameful to admit, but I have a massive hole in my Supremes collections around 1963-65. I know.

[marybrewster]

Mary is definitely prominent on WDOLG, just as Flo is on YKMHO.

[RanRan79]

I don't hear Florence at all on WDOLG. I believe she's there, but she's so inaudible that she might as well not be there. In contrast, she's clearly there on the German version of the song. HDH have spoken countless times about the recording session for the song as it relates to Ross' lead, but I wish they'd talk about what went into the background. Why is Mary so prominent but Flo is non existent?

[jobucats]

I don't hear Florence at all on WDOLG. I believe she's there, but she's so inaudible that she might as well not be there. In contrast, she's clearly there on the German version of the song. HDH have spoken countless times about the recording session for the song as it relates to Ross' lead, but I wish they'd talk about what went into the background. Why is Mary so prominent but Flo is non existent?

I had put Florence in at 2% just to be on the safe side, although I actually don't hear her at all.