Diana Ross "What You Gave Me"

[RanRan79]

I'm torn on this one. Not torn on my like or dislike. I actually love Diana's version of this song. But I'm torn on whether I like or dislike the idea to release it as a single. I can see why someone thought it was a good idea, but I'm also not all that surprised that it didn't catch on. I still think "You Were the One" was the obvious single. Maybe had they gone with that first and then followed it up with "What You Gave Me"? Diana also didn't do enough TV at the time. I have to believe that television performances of some of these non hit singles during the late 70s would've helped, at least somewhat. Anyway, here's a fav of mine:

[reese]

I loved WHAT YOU GAVE ME on first listen. On the day that I bought the ROSS album, I remember playing that song over and over again. But Motown waited at least three or four months after the album was out before they released it as a single and as it often was, Diana didn't promote much of her 70s output. Also, I think the synthesizers might have made the song "too disco"? Perhaps a more r&b mix might have made some difference.

[RanRan79]

I loved WHAT YOU GAVE ME on first listen. On the day that I bought the ROSS album, I remember playing that song over and over again. But Motown waited at least three or four months after the album was out before they released it as a single and as it often was, Diana didn't promote much of her 70s output. Also, I think the synthesizers might have made the song "too disco"? Perhaps a more r&b mix might have made some difference.

Is that what happened? I can't recall [[and apparently was too lazy to look it up) what the single release vs album release was like. I'm so sick of ripping Motown to shreds for the stupidity that was their decision making surrounding Diana's single releases. So I'm gonna let this rant stay in the box...for now. But yeah, I think I liked it on first listen also. My intro to Diana's version of the song was the extended version on the diana80 deluxe set when it was released, as I hadn't yet tracked down a copy of Ross78. I love just about everything about the song, but my favorite is when Diana lets loose at the end.

[reese]

Is that what happened? I can't recall [[and apparently was too lazy to look it up) what the single release vs album release was like. I'm so sick of ripping Motown to shreds for the stupidity that was their decision making surrounding Diana's single releases. So I'm gonna let this rant stay in the box...for now. But yeah, I think I liked it on first listen also. My intro to Diana's version of the song was the extended version on the diana80 deluxe set when it was released, as I hadn't yet tracked down a copy of Ross78. I love just about everything about the song, but my favorite is when Diana lets loose at the end.

I think ROSS was released in September of 1978 with WHAT YOU GAVE ME not being released until December. More than likely, much promotion was probably going to THE WIZ, its soundtrack, and its single EASE ON DOWN THE ROAD. Once those under-performed, Motown probably rushed out WHAT YOU GAVE ME. Ironic since at that point, Diana was closing her shows with YOU WERE THE ONE.

[gman]

I LOVED IT! with the exception of Together, I loved the entire LP and played it start to finish....a lot!... It is, along with the debut LP and Baby it's Me among my fav DR solo LPS.
The "big fish" for me here is LOVIN' LIVIN" & GIVIN'....it grabbed me from the start, I have loved it ever since....but only this mix. I don't like any of the other mixes...at all.
I am so used to the 12" of WHAT YOU GAVE ME, [[which is what I used for my own quick grab mixed DR tapes /CD recordings) I cant off the top of my head recall the LP version, much less the 7" edit..it's been a very long time

[reese]

I am so used to the 12" of WHAT YOU GAVE ME, [[which is what I used for my own quick grab mixed DR tapes /CD recordings) I cant off the top of my head recall the LP version, much less the 7" edit..it's been a very long time

I haven't heard it in a while but I recall the single edit being very bad.

[lucky2012]

I liked it from first listen. I hesitated or procrastinated buying the Ross [[78) album. I didn't much care for the cover art and the track list included Reach Out from Surrender [[??!)and two previously released songs I hadn't been impressed with [[Sorry and Together). It just seemed too much like a rushed album release. Disappointing after Baby, It's Me and before The Boss.
It turned out that I liked all of side 1 and loved Lovin, Livin' & Givin. I was excited when I saw the 12" single b/w What You Gave Me. That was the first 12" I bought and played the hell out of it for probably a year, even after The Boss was released. [[I, too, never liked any of the other versions of Livin').

[daviddh]

I liked the song but....some thoughts..Diana and berry were not on good terms at this point.
I think it started during filming of Mahogany. And then a similar occurrence for baby it's me. Motown couldn't decide what the first single would be.berry wanted the title cut but by the time they decided on getting ready radio was playing what they wanted.
For Ross. HDH was to produce one side and then a side of ballads.
During recording HDH had a disagreement with BG and walked. Leaving the album unfinished.
The album was salvaged by the producer who basically stiched it back together.
Several tracks have been found for the upcoming expanded edition.looking forward to this collection.
Btw.lovin living giving was the first single but Motown pulled it here in USA.never understood why.but it seems the left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing.
Also.agreed Ross was off tv for a long period.when I finally saw her on tv she sang lady is a tramp and not her new song

[BayouMotownMan]

The Ross lp in 1978 was a contract release, which is why so little promotion went into it. After Mahogany, Ross's relationship with Berry was strained and she became much more temperamental and resistant to his domineering control. He obsessed over Diana Ross. She was now in her 30s and wanted to make some decisions for herself. She began refusing to record certain material. She wasn't all that into disco and Motown had gone full disco.

She wasn't recording much after 1975 except for the Richard Perry lp, so Motown assembled this lp with the few new tracks they deemed releaseable and went into the vaults to pull out material that was several years old. This made the lp somewhat unbalanced. In the fall of 1978 it was time for a new Diana Ross lp as per her contract that Motown just threw this together. Also, Ross was now working on the The Wiz and had no time to promote the lp. Available recordings were so few that Motown resurrected Reach Out I'll Be There from 7 years prior and added a drum track to it to make it sound more contemporary.

The clubs were playing What You Gave Me and Livin', Lovin' & Givin'. So Motown went with What You Gave Me first and edited Livin' as the follow up single. But What You Gave Me was so unreceived by radio that the second release was scratched.

[johnjeb]

I thought "What You Gave Me" was lame. It was the type of disco record that I hated - an uptempo cover that did not improve on the original. I do not recall hearing it in the clubs. If it was played in one of the clubs I frequented, I don't recall getting excited on hearing it played, despite being a big Diana fan. Although, I must admit, it's better than her disco version of "For Once In My Life". I haven't listened to either in years [[decades?), maybe I'll give both of them 'one more chance'.

It was this type of song that diminished disco in many peoples eyes [[and ears!). Although Gloria Gaynor's "Never Can say Goodbye" was a big hit, her follow-up "Reach Out I'll Be There", although popular in the clubs, did not do well on Billboard's POP chart. There are many disco covers that suffered the same fate.

I LOVE "Lovin', Livin' and Givin'". Her singing is so smooth and effortless. I also don't recall this being played in the clubs. It was different enough that I thought it would be a hit. There are several versions and I can't recall the distinctions between them. One that I remember playing frequently, in particular, is on the vinyl album "20 Golden Greats" a UK import [[not sure if this version is on a CD). This song, regardless the version, is different enough that it should have been the release instead of WYGM.

[Ollie9]

At absolute best the song is a pleasant album track. Hit single, not in a million years.
Diana star power had become a little tarnished at that point in time. No real major hits off BIM. The Wiz bombed with its soundtrack selling poorly. She needed something fresh, dynamic and at the very least relevant to pull her out of the rut. Nothing on Ross was capable of that. ....Enter The Boss.

[vgalindo]

I always loved this song. I think it could have been a big hit. Also “You were the one”. Was another lost hit. IMO.

[Boogiedown]

The Ross lp in 1978 was a contract release, which is why so little promotion went into it. After Mahogany, Ross's relationship with Berry was strained and she became much more temperamental and resistant to his domineering control. He obsessed over Diana Ross. She was now in her 30s and wanted to make some decisions for herself. She began refusing to record certain material. She wasn't all that into disco and Motown had gone full disco.

She wasn't recording much after 1975 except for the Richard Perry lp, so Motown assembled this lp with the few new tracks they deemed releaseable and went into the vaults to pull out material that was several years old. This made the lp somewhat unbalanced. In the fall of 1978 it was time for a new Diana Ross lp as per her contract that Motown just threw this together. Also, Ross was now working on the The Wiz and had no time to promote the lp. Available recordings were so few that Motown resurrected Reach Out I'll Be There from 7 years prior and added a drum track to it to make it sound more contemporary.

The clubs were playing What You Gave Me and Livin', Lovin' & Givin'. So Motown went with What You Gave Me first and edited Livin' as the follow up single. But What You Gave Me was so unreceived by radio that the second release was scratched.

Add to all this , near this time Diana shared an ill-fated billing on the much ballyhooed TGIF soundtrack against Donna Summer .....who stole the thunder with a #1 record with LAST DANCE , while Diana's song was so weak , in desperation they pulled it from the LP and remixed it.

johnjeb:


I thought "What You Gave Me" was lame. It was the type of disco record that I hated - an uptempo cover that did not improve on the original. I do not recall hearing it in the clubs. If it was played in one of the clubs I frequented, I don't recall getting excited on hearing it played, despite being a big Diana fan. Although, I must admit, it's better than her disco version of "For Once In My Life". I haven't listened to either in years [[decades?), maybe I'll give both of them 'one more chance'.

It was this type of song that diminished disco in many peoples eyes [[and ears!).

yes a happy tune , but as disco goes , it was
too Tony Orlando and Dawn if you know what I mean . Too much razzmatazz.

[Circa 1824]

What You Gave Me has a horrible squeak/scratching sound throughout the song.

[captainjames]

"You were the One" should have been the next single. HDH was gone and there was too much at risk during this time. This may have been the beginning of Berry realizing he may lose Diana so I think he made some wrong decisions.

[daviddh]

Loved You Were The One and Never Say I Don't Love You

[sup_fan]

The Ross lp in 1978 was a contract release, which is why so little promotion went into it. After Mahogany, Ross's relationship with Berry was strained and she became much more temperamental and resistant to his domineering control. He obsessed over Diana Ross. She was now in her 30s and wanted to make some decisions for herself. She began refusing to record certain material. She wasn't all that into disco and Motown had gone full disco.

She wasn't recording much after 1975 except for the Richard Perry lp, so Motown assembled this lp with the few new tracks they deemed releaseable and went into the vaults to pull out material that was several years old. This made the lp somewhat unbalanced. In the fall of 1978 it was time for a new Diana Ross lp as per her contract that Motown just threw this together. Also, Ross was now working on the The Wiz and had no time to promote the lp. Available recordings were so few that Motown resurrected Reach Out I'll Be There from 7 years prior and added a drum track to it to make it sound more contemporary.

The clubs were playing What You Gave Me and Livin', Lovin' & Givin'. So Motown went with What You Gave Me first and edited Livin' as the follow up single. But What You Gave Me was so unreceived by radio that the second release was scratched.

very interesting! yeah there really does seem to be a void of decent material from this time. the Holland material she recorded really isn't very strong. It's surprising she didn't work more with Greg Wright. his two tracks are wonderful and anyone with a brain in QC could have seen that. they should have done several more or just let him produce a full album

[sup_fan]

What are peoples' thoughts on the two version of Lovin Livin Givin?

[RanRan79]

What are peoples' thoughts on the two version of Lovin Livin Givin?

I actually didn't realize there were two versions until someone pointed it out in this forum earlier this year or late last year, I think. The version I always knew was the one that was what I call "electro disco". Hated it. Always hated it. But then someone posted the other version, which for my taste is nicer and has a better groove and is devoid of that "I Feel Love" type of vibe. I actually kind of liked it. But I'm still confused about which version is which.

[sup_fan]

I actually didn't realize there were two versions until someone pointed it out in this forum earlier this year or late last year, I think. The version I always knew was the one that was what I call "electro disco". Hated it. Always hated it. But then someone posted the other version, which for my taste is nicer and has a better groove and is devoid of that "I Feel Love" type of vibe. I actually kind of liked it. But I'm still confused about which version is which.

according to wikipedia:

Detailed info on track "Lovin', Livin' and Givin'"
The version of "Lovin', Livin' and Givin'" in the 1978 American musical disco comedy film Thank God It's Friday is almost an instrumental used as a background for dialogue.

The different versions of the song are as following:

1. On the LP Ross [[1978) and later as a B-side on the 12" "The Boss" [[1979) – 5:10 [[with its own disco break).
2. On the MCA re-issue I'm Coming Out and on the CD Anthology from 1986 [[the 5:10 version edited to 3:30 with a progressive synthesizer intro but without the disco break).
3. On the European 7" and the US movie soundtrack [[4:40 with a 50-second disco break different from the album version break). This version is the one available on the CD Thank God It's Friday [[on both the single CD edition and the 2-CD set).
4. On the 1983 double LP Anthology [[4:00, same as #3 without the progressive synth intro).
5. On the original Thank God It's Friday European LP [[3:15, with a different arrangement, less synth).
6. On the CD The Motown Anthology [[same as #5 but longer, 4:40). This one is usually referred to as the film mix, which it isn't. The mostly instrumental version heard in the film would in fact be #7.

[daviddh]

I totally agree with allowing Greg wright to produce the entire album.
Hello.where was the Q and A dept on this. There are several tracks found and I am hoping a few are his.

[George Solomon]

Thought I'd jump in on this one. The first pressing of the US TGIF soundtrack also had the 3:15 original version which is an edit of mix on The Motown Anthology. That version is how Diana recorded the song. I believe you can identify which TGIF LP had this mix because it is listed incorrectly on the cover as LIVIN' LOVIN' AND GIVIN'. Future pressings got it right with "Lovin'" first in the title and the synth version. There was also a one LP DJ version of TGIF that had the synth version with the second verse cut.
And if this isn't enough... the single edit that was on the 1986 Anthology was issued to DJ's on a white label Motown 45. I guess it didn't spark enough interest because they cancelled the commercial release and then went with "What You Gave Me."

[sup_fan]

thanks George! out of curiosity - are there any other Diana singles that had so many versions and edits?

in hindsight, i can see why WYGM might spark on the dance floor more than LLG. it is more exciting. but the funky guitar sound is not something i really enjoy. today i prefer LLG. although none of these are huge favs of mine

[Boogiedown]

Thought I'd jump in on this one. The first pressing of the US TGIF soundtrack also had the 3:15 original version which is an edit of mix on The Motown Anthology. That version is how Diana recorded the song. I believe you can identify which TGIF LP had this mix because it is listed incorrectly on the cover as LIVIN' LOVIN' AND GIVIN'. Future pressings got it right with "Lovin'" first in the title and the synth version. There was also a one LP DJ version of TGIF that had the synth version with the second verse cut.
And if this isn't enough... the single edit that was on the 1986 Anthology was issued to DJ's on a white label Motown 45. I guess it didn't spark enough interest because they cancelled the commercial release and then went with "What You Gave Me."

That is a fascinating little tidbit I never knew!!

And here it is:


Why does it not surprise me.... Motown's participation in this project was embarrassingly lame !! I bet Casablanca didn't mind one bit though. They got to throw Diana's name on there to sell a couple more copies while it pitted her poorly against Donna Summer.

[florence]

Loved You Were The One and Never Say I Don't Love You

Never saw You Were The One or What You Gave Me as big hits.

I do think Never Say I Don't Love You was a missed opportunity in the UK.

It's up there as one of the best ballads Diana ever recorded.

Diana had a pretty lean period in the UK from 1977-1979 - this was "hidden" on the B-side of No-one Gets the prize which was a very minor hit here in 1979 - if only some enterprising DJ on national radio had flipped the record over and given this a few plays the potential was huge.

[Ollie9]

Never saw You Were The One or What You Gave Me as big hits.

I do think Never Say I Don't Love You was a missed opportunity in the UK.

It's up there as one of the best ballads Diana ever recorded.

Diana had a pretty lean period in the UK from 1977-1979 - this was "hidden" on the B-side of No-one Gets the prize which was a very minor hit here in 1979 - if only some enterprising DJ on national radio had flipped the record over and given this a few plays the potential was huge.

Had it not been already featured on Ross 78, “Never Say I Don’t Love You” could have been released as a single had it been included on the To Love Again package. Diana’s profile was much higher in 81, so would have guaranteed plenty of radio play.
I would have released “Stay With Me” followed by NSIDLY. Two songs that could and should have been hits.

[florence]

Had it not been already featured on Ross 78, “Never Say I Don’t Love You” could have been released as a single had it been included on the To Love Again package. Diana’s profile was much higher in 81, so would have guaranteed plenty of radio play.
I would have released “Stay With Me” followed by NSIDLY. Two songs that could and should have been hits.

100% with you on Stay With Me.

I had this fantasy where Capitol and Motown went to war and released singles at the same time - namely Still In Love and Stay With Me garnering big airplay and publicity and turning into huge hits!

[Ollie9]

100% with you on Stay With Me.

I had this fantasy where Capitol and Motown went to war and released singles at the same time - namely Still In Love and Stay With Me garnering big airplay and publicity and turning into huge hits!

If that fantasy had been a a reality, my money would have been on “Stay With Me”.
Having said that, given Diana’s popularity at the time i think “Still In Love” would have done quite well also.