"I Thought It took a little time, but today I fell in love"

[TNSUN]

Was this song ever sung live in concert by Diana Ross?
I have countless episodes of enjoying this vocal masterpiece!
I know it charted and then "Love Hangover" soared.
Thank you for all your posts.

[reese]

I don't think so. It wasn't a part of her AN EVENING WITH DIANA ROSS set list and I doubt she added it afterwards.

[sup_fan]

it was only out a few weeks [[maybe a month) before motown rush released LH. so no, i don't think it ever made it into live performances or set lists. unless she was doing a tv show, it doesn't seem like she "debuted" material in her stage shows.

[daviddh]

Beautiful song n vocal

[Bluebrock]

It's one of her finest ballads in my opinion, and would have been a major hit had it not been withdrawn. I have always loved it and i remember telling her how much i loved it. Her response? " I don't really recall it but i'm sure it was nice". Those where her exact words. I unearthed my journals from the loft, and i wrote that down in 1991 so i am not doing this from memory. It took me a long time before i asked her opinion of a song again. I was deflated.

[BobbyC]

Have you all ever heard Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr's version? It's really good.

[Bluebrock]

Have you all ever heard Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr's version? It's really good.

Yes i have. It is a very nice version.

[PeaceNHarmony]

Have you all ever heard Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr's version? It's really good.

Yes, and agreed, but in my opinion Marilyn and Billy are incapable of performing anything less than excellent. They both just 'have it'. Good to have their version remembered!

[SatansBlues]

It's one of her finest ballads in my opinion, and would have been a major hit had it not been withdrawn. I have always loved it and i remember telling her how much i loved it. Her response? " I don't really recall it but i'm sure it was nice". Those where her exact words. I unearthed my journals from the loft, and i wrote that down in 1991 so i am not doing this from memory. It took me a long time before i asked her opinion of a song again. I was deflated.

Well to be fair to DR she has probably recorded a couple thousands songs over the course of her 60 year career. While ITITALTBTIFIL is indeed a great Michael Masser song it was not a hit and DR probably never even had a chance to perform it on tv or in concert. How could any artist with DR's extensive songbook be expected to remember every song?

[BobbyC]

Peacenharmony--I agree. There is a version of Marilyn and B singing it live on some TV show somewhere on Youtube. At least there used to be.

[johnjeb]

It's one of her finest ballads in my opinion, and would have been a major hit had it not been withdrawn. I have always loved it and i remember telling her how much i loved it. Her response? " I don't really recall it but i'm sure it was nice". Those where her exact words. I unearthed my journals from the loft, and i wrote that down in 1991 so i am not doing this from memory. It took me a long time before i asked her opinion of a song again. I was deflated.

I never understood why Motown didn't push the single again once Hangover dropped from the Top Ten, instead or releasing One Love.

Back in the late 70s a local DJ told Diana he loved "I'm In Love Again" from More Hits. She didn't remember the song. He, also, was deflated.

In the liner notes to the Surrender Expanded Edition, Valerie Simpson mentions that she forgot about "All The Befores"!

Funny that some of the most loved songs are the least memorable to the artists.

[reese]

I never understood why Motown didn't push the single again once Hangover dropped from the Top Ten, instead or releasing One Love.

Back in the late 70s a local DJ told Diana he loved "I'm In Love Again" from More Hits. She didn't remember the song. He, also, was deflated.

In the liner notes to the Surrender Expanded Edition, Valerie Simpson mentions that she forgot about "All The Befores"!

Funny that some of the most loved songs are the least memorable to the artists.

I suspect the same can be said of most artists. I remember an interview with Aretha where she didn't remember doing a Coke commercial with Ray Charles. One would think that was something you couldn't forget and she actually did at least two with him. But they have done so much over the years that it is unreasonable to expect them to remember everything.

Not to mention they most likely were doing so many special things simultaneously. Unless something came out and was an absolute smash, they might not remember. Plus I gather many of them don't listen to their work anyway unless they are learning it. So while I may love LOVE ME [[from LTISH), I wouldn't be surprised if Diana has forgotten all about it.

[Bluebrock]

Well to be fair to DR she has probably recorded a couple thousands songs over the course of her 60 year career. While ITITALTBTIFIL is indeed a great Michael Masser song it was not a hit and DR probably never even had a chance to perform it on tv or in concert. How could any artist with DR's extensive songbook be expected to remember every song?

I am not saying she should remember every song she recorded, but this particular beauty was the follow up single to a no.1 record. It featured on one of her most successful studio albums, and it has appeared on various compilation albums. Enough reasons to at least recall it in my opinion. I wasn't asking her to perform a live rendition of it. Merely to find out her opinion of what i regard as a gorgeous ballad.

[sup_fan]

think of it this way

i happen to work in marketing and i like my job. but i'm not obsessed with it. for instance, i've not built out a spreadsheet itemizing all of the work i've done, the day the project was completed, etc like i have with my Supremes' spreadsheets lolol

this is Diana's job.

so to have a personal knowledge of each and every song it asking a lot. while at Motown, she also wasn't managing her career so she wasn't actively involved with selecting which songs from the vault to go onto an lp, packaging, single releases, etc. She was completely tied up with other parts of her career. So to expect her to remember the details of a song that was included on an lp 15 - 20 years prior and was never a big hit might be asking too much.

she's also shown herself to NOT be overly tied to sentimentality.

[BobbyC]

Bette Midler once quipped that her fans knew more about her music than she did.

[vgalindo]

Well to be fair to DR she has probably recorded a couple thousands songs over the course of her 60 year career. While ITITALTBTIFIL is indeed a great Michael Masser song it was not a hit and DR probably never even had a chance to perform it on tv or in concert. How could any artist with DR's extensive songbook be expected to remember every song?

I agree. Even Barbra Streisand tells a story of her hearing the song “Alfie” on the radio. And saying it was such a beautiful song that she should have recorded it. And was surprised it was actually her! Lol.

[jobeterob]

I remember reading somewhere that Diana said she wasn't the biggest fan of her material. I was left with the impression she like artists that were less pop oriented and more soul oriented - possibly like Bill Withers.

[SatansBlues]

I am not saying she should remember every song she recorded, but this particular beauty was the follow up single to a no.1 record. It featured on one of her most successful studio albums, and it has appeared on various compilation albums. Enough reasons to at least recall it in my opinion. I wasn't asking her to perform a live rendition of it. Merely to find out her opinion of what i regard as a gorgeous ballad.

I agree, the song should have been another #1 hit. I actually favor it even more than LH. I think her fans need to keep in mind that at the time of the song DR was also the mother of three young daughters. As a fan, I'm just happy to be able to play that song any time I want.

OT: I would love for Rhonda, Traci and Evan to do a podcast with their mother and just simply talk about her music. 2020 marks the 50th Anniversary of Diana Ross's first solo album. I would love for them to start there with her music and what she remembers about making her first solo records and what her life was like during this time period, and what it was like working with Ashford & Simpson. Like some others, I also get the impression that DR does not seem to be tied to this kind of sentiment about her musical catalogue. But I think it could turn into something epic. To fully hear her thoughts on her music, in more detail.

[SatansBlues]

I agree. Even Barbra Streisand tells a story of her hearing the song “Alfie” on the radio. And saying it was such a beautiful song that she should have recorded it. And was surprised it was actually her! Lol.

That's priceless.

[gman]

God only knows how much stuff she rehearsed for hours, planned and then never even recorded til the mid 70's... we weren't always living in the new norm mid 70's golden age of 1 LP a year... I couldn't even imagine 4 yrs between LP's being more or less the coming industry standard back in the early 70s!

[BobbyC]

I recall an interview with Billy Davis jr of the 5th Dimension a few years back, and some fan asked him if there were any more unreleased 5th tracks, and he stated unequivocally "No." He said it was all already "out there." Well, over the years I've seen about a dozen unreleased tracks come to light since then.

[sup_fan]

I agree, the song should have been another #1 hit. I actually favor it even more than LH. I think her fans need to keep in mind that at the time of the song DR was also the mother of three young daughters. As a fan, I'm just happy to be able to play that song any time I want.

OT: I would love for Rhonda, Traci and Evan to do a podcast with their mother and just simply talk about her music. 2020 marks the 50th Anniversary of Diana Ross's first solo album. I would love for them to start there with her music and what she remembers about making her first solo records and what her life was like during this time period, and what it was like working with Ashford & Simpson. Like some others, I also get the impression that DR does not seem to be tied to this kind of sentiment about her musical catalogue. But I think it could turn into something epic. To fully hear her thoughts on her music, in more detail.

what a great idea! given the massive volume of Diana's work, the kids could do a series of podcasts. focus on different eras and themes. maybe do some of the early Sup non-hits and transition into the early hits, some of the Sups "standards and MOR" work and breaking into the Copa, DRATS, early solo, dance, Lady, 80s, return to motown, etc

[Bluebrock]

I remember reading somewhere that Diana said she wasn't the biggest fan of her material. I was left with the impression she like artists that were less pop oriented and more soul oriented - possibly like Bill Withers.

She is not a great fan of her own voice and all the available evidence points to her not being a fan of much of her music.
I had totally forgotten all about our conversation regarding ITITALT until i started reading through my journals, so i can fully understand and accept that she wouldn't have much recall about songs she had recorded many years ago. She probably has little knowledge of other minor hits such as sleeping and your love is so good for me. My amazement at her inability to recall ITITALT was no doubt partly due to my personal love of the song, and i thought it would be of interest to the Ross fans on here.
My grandson has begun the task of transfering my journals onto a digital format, and he has been asking me numerous questions as he continues the task. He asked me who Anita Baker was this afternoon due to learning of my less than complimentary opinion of her! He is only 21 so i cannot be too harsh on him!
The memories are flooding back as i stroll down memory lane. Some positive and some not so positive, but it is never less than fascinating.

[sup_fan]

She is not a great fan of her own voice and all the available evidence points to her not being a fan of much of her music.
I had totally forgotten all about our conversation regarding ITITALT until i started reading through my journals, so i can fully understand and accept that she wouldn't have much recall about songs she had recorded many years ago. She probably has little knowledge of other minor hits such as sleeping and your love is so good for me. My amazement at her inability to recall ITITALT was no doubt partly due to my personal love of the song, and i thought it would be of interest to the Ross fans on here.
My grandson has begun the task of transfering my journals onto a digital format, and he has been asking me numerous questions as he continues the task. He asked me who Anita Baker was this afternoon due to learning of my less than complimentary opinion of her! He is only 21 so i cannot be too harsh on him!
The memories are flooding back as i stroll down memory lane. Some positive and some not so positive, but it is never less than fascinating.

haha - willing to share your thoughts on Miss Baker? lol

but what a fun exercise for him! going through all that history. please be sure to share more of your DR experiences that pop up too

[johnjeb]

My amazement at her inability to recall ITITALT was no doubt partly due to my personal love of the song, and I thought it would be of interest to the Ross fans on here.

I agree. That was the point of my earlier post in that we fans each hold in high esteem certain songs of an artist. It usually comes as a surprise to learn that the artist has little recall of the song.

This is what I have found disappointing in many of the music autobiographies I have read. I had hoped the artist, writer or producer had spoken in more detail about some of their songs beyond a few sentences. I understand that many details are lost to time, but one would hope a cherished few would have resurfaced.

[Ollie9]

Perhaps we as fans remember and scrutinise the music far more so then the artists who actually record it.... If that makes sense.
I have always thought “Took A Little Time” a very pretty ballad with a lovely vocal from Diana. I really don’t see it as another “Touch Me In The Morning” and predict it would only have charted somewhere in the 20’s had the attention not been shifted to LH. I struggle a bit with the “perhaps I have such special needs line”
How “LH” was overlooked as the second single from the album is a mystery to me. It seems the obvious choice.

[SatansBlues]

Perhaps we as fans remember and scrutinise the music far more so then the artists who actually record it.... If that makes sense.
I have always thought “Took A Little Time” a very pretty ballad with a lovely vocal from Diana. I really don’t see it as another “Touch Me In The Morning” and predict it would only have charted somewhere in the 20’s had the attention not been shifted to LH. I struggle a bit with the “perhaps I have such special needs line”
How “LH” was overlooked as the second single from the album is a mystery to me. It seems the obvious choice.

Interesting interpretation of the line. I connected with it the first time I heard the line. I simply heard that line as her being very particular or picky about men that she dates, and was looking for certain qualities in the person she fell in love with.

[Ollie9]

Interesting interpretation of the line. I connected with it the first time I heard the line. I simply heard that line as her being very particular or picky about men that she dates, and was looking for certain qualities in the person she fell in love with.

So did I when I was young and first heard the song. As the years rolled by, my perception of the original meaning started to change. Silly i know.
Having said all that, i still think it’s a lovely ballad, just not a potential blockbuster.

[benross]

The last time I spoke with Miss Peggy Lee, after a show in about 1992, I thanked her for performing several songs from the early 1960s. [[She changed her act each year, so there was always something fresh, even if it happened to be old.) Anyway, I mentioned, specifically, the title of the album from which the songs had come, and she said, "Oh, thank you; I've been trying to remember [the name of the album]." I'm guessing that she and/or her accompanist looked through her book of arrangements from shows through the decades and picked a few titles she or he may have recognized or thought might fit the mood of her new show and they did not bother looking at her actual records when selecting material.

[Ollie9]

The last time I spoke with Miss Peggy Lee, after a show in about 1992, I thanked her for performing several songs from the early 1960s. [[She changed her act each year, so there was always something fresh, even if it happened to be old.) Anyway, I mentioned, specifically, the title of the album from which the songs had come, and she said, "Oh, thank you; I've been trying to remember [the name of the album]." I'm guessing that she and/or her accompanist looked through her book of arrangements from shows through the decades and picked a few titles she or he may have recognized or thought might fit the mood of her new show and they did not bother looking at her actual records when selecting material.

Thanks for sharing the story Ben. I love me some Peggy Lee. I saw her in concert a couple of times in London. Despite on one occasion experiencing some breathing difficulties, she had the audience eating out the palm of her hand. She always came across as a genuinely nice lady.

[florence]

To me Diana's ballads are her forte and I do quite like ITITALT but there's no way it was a blockbuster, lacking a killer punch and seemingly drifting somewhat, the melody was a bit off-kilter.

It probably suffered from following Do You Know Where You're Going To - it's hard to tell how it might have done in the US charts had Love Hangover not been rush-released just a month later.

Certainly there's no question that this killed the record completely but it wasn't really moving upwards that fast.

No doubt it was getting some airplay as it reached #47 on Billboard but only #60 on Casbox after 4 weeks raises doubts and oddly it didn't make the Record World Top 100 at all.

Hmmm...........

Of course you can't rally compare the UK and US markets for Diana in the 70s as so often there were big differences on how some Diana singles performed in either market.

It was the ballads which the UK public lapped up but considering it was released in the wake of her successful 1976 UK tour and after two top 10 hits in Do You Know and Love Hangover they didn't really take to it - surprisingly poor chart performance stalling at #32.

[Bluebrock]

To me Diana's ballads are her forte and I do quite like ITITALT but there's no way it was a blockbuster, lacking a killer punch and seemingly drifting somewhat, the melody was a bit off-kilter.

It probably suffered from following Do You Know Where You're Going To - it's hard to tell how it might have done in the US charts had Love Hangover not been rush-released just a month later.

Certainly there's no question that this killed the record completely but it wasn't really moving upwards that fast.

No doubt it was getting some airplay as it reached #47 on Billboard but only #60 on Casbox after 4 weeks raises doubts and oddly it didn't make the Record World Top 100 at all.

Hmmm...........

Of course you can't rally compare the UK and US markets for Diana in the 70s as so often there were big differences on how some Diana singles performed in either market.

It was the ballads which the UK public lapped up but considering it was released in the wake of her successful 1976 UK tour and after two top 10 hits in Do You Know and Love Hangover they didn't really take to it - surprisingly poor chart performance stalling at #32.

I think most Diana fans in the UK had already purchased the album when ITITALT was finally released as a single over here thus lessening it's impact. It was left to the casual record buyer to make it a hit which they only did to a limited extent. Lovely song though.

[Bluebrock]

haha - willing to share your thoughts on Miss Baker? lol

but what a fun exercise for him! going through all that history. please be sure to share more of your DR experiences that pop up too

Let me say that Ms Baker was a very very very complex person and leave it at that for the moment!
My grandson isn't finding it such a fun exercise. The only performers he was interested in learning about were Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez which kind of says it all.
He was already reasonably familiar with Diana. In fact he met her when he was very young, but has no recollection of it. He does recall meeting Mariah Carey and loved to tell people how rude she was when he was younger, but even telling that story bores him now. He asks why i never worked for Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and others whom i have never heard of. It's a totally different generation.
He is being well paid for his work. I just wish he appreciated how much of a privilege it was for me to do what i did, despite the horrific attitude of some performers. You cannot put an old head on young shoulders.

[thommg]

I find that many artists do not remember aspects that didn't have an immediate impact on them at the time. Can't fault them for that - they sometimes are working at a breakneck pace, and all over the world. However, every now and then you run into someone like Freda Payne, who seems to remember everything! She was at a friend's cabaret act in Los Angeles a few years back. Knowing that she and my friend knew each other, I walked up to her to say hello. As we were talking, I realized I had met her in the late 1970's in DC when she did Daddy Goodness. I mentioned that and she had some nice things to say about the music. I mentioned that I was glad she recorded Hungry, her fantastic ballad from the show. She then proceeded to tell me the album, the producer and how she had to push to record it for the album.

[BobbyC]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKFbwtIm_EY

[reese]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKFbwtIm_EY

I like Marilyn and Billy's version. There are some lyric changes but their performance is nice. Although it does seem an odd choice for SHA NA NA. Usually artists performed their oldies on that show.

[TNSUN]

Maybe, one day, Diana Ross, will say perhaps, since I was overworked all those years ago, I have time today to review my past recordings. Diana Ross will then discover that Michael Masser appreciated her lovely musicality-by her finely tuned vocal performances.
A jewel of song:
"I Thought It Took A Little Time, But Today I Fell In Love." Michael Masser: His musical ear was on the prize, the songstress, Diana Ross...

[BobbyC]

Reeese I agree it's kind of odd. I didn't even know this clip was from sha Na Na until I read the caption. I was searching for the clip of the "new" 5th Dimension singing Aquarius and Up Up and Away on Sha Na Na but they've taken it down, I guess--I got this clip instead

[jack020]

Was looking at some Jap releases of DR and noticed to my surprise that the label of DR 75 looks like this:

[PeaceNHarmony]

The last time I spoke with Miss Peggy Lee, after a show in about 1992, I thanked her for performing several songs from the early 1960s. [[She changed her act each year, so there was always something fresh, even if it happened to be old.) Anyway, I mentioned, specifically, the title of the album from which the songs had come, and she said, "Oh, thank you; I've been trying to remember [the name of the album]." I'm guessing that she and/or her accompanist looked through her book of arrangements from shows through the decades and picked a few titles she or he may have recognized or thought might fit the mood of her new show and they did not bother looking at her actual records when selecting material.

Nice to see a mention of Miss Peggy Lee. Lee was a household favorite as I was growing up [[early 1960's) and I did get to see her live once, at NYC's Ballroom at about the time frame you mention. She was wonderful. I love re-discovering Lee's many 60's lps; 'Mink Jazz' is a particular favorite. Best to you -

[PeaceNHarmony]

It's one of her finest ballads in my opinion, and would have been a major hit had it not been withdrawn. I have always loved it and i remember telling her how much i loved it. Her response? " I don't really recall it but i'm sure it was nice". Those where her exact words. I unearthed my journals from the loft, and i wrote that down in 1991 so i am not doing this from memory. It took me a long time before i asked her opinion of a song again. I was deflated.

I can understand your deflation but I proffer that for many of our favorite recording artists recording sessions are 'just another day at the office', especially for the Motown stable who all recorded hundreds of songs, learning a new one day after day, and moved on to the next. I recommend being inflated [[re-flated?) by the simple fact that we get to luxuriate in the music whenever we choose!

[daviddh]

Loved this song and album.
My first ever Ross solo album .still a favorite to this day.
I am disappointed that Motown didn't reissue this after love hangover.lost gem. Many in the Ross catalogue.
I think we could do a hits collection of the misses.
Bluebrock.glad to hear your going thru your journels.maybe one day you ll get a book.. good luck with it.look forward to it

[reese]

Was looking at some Jap releases of DR and noticed to my surprise that the label of DR 75 looks like this:

Interesting title for the album. I wonder if they were confused by the album being named DIANA ROSS?

I know I was. As a kid when I first saw the album in the stores, I thought it was titled THEME FROM MAHOGANY..., as that was the first song title listed after her name. At that point, I had never heard of an artist using the same title for separate albums.

[lucky2012]

Interesting title for the album. I wonder if they were confused by the album being named DIANA ROSS?

I know I was. As a kid when I first saw the album in the stores, I thought it was titled THEME FROM MAHOGANY..., as that was the first song title listed after her name. At that point, I had never heard of an artist using the same title for separate albums.

I was surprised, too, at the same album titles. This Japanese label is interesting because I've thought a good title for Diana Ross '76 would have been Today I Fell In Love. This would have been a great way to highlight the song as the follow-up to Theme from Mahogany. [[Although Love Hangover was the obvious follow-up.)
It also speaks to the album's theme of the ins and outs of falling in love. Also, the album was released around Valentines Day.

[drlorne]

That's too funny. I guess when you record so many songs, you just have to go with the ones that stick, the others fall away. I always wondered how the Supremes learned the songs they performed because there was probably production stuff done after the vocals, and they might not have heard a finished copy until it was released or they were having to perform it.

[Boogiedown]

Peacenharmony--I agree. There is a version of Marilyn and B singing it live on some TV show somewhere on Youtube. At least there used to be.

Here ya go !



There goes those Fifth's again ! Dippin' into Diana's well ! Don't tell me these two rush released this version when Diana' got pulled ! lol!

It's a good song and its too bad it got the short shrift. I'd call it Top Twenty material.
imo Diana's version needed something new included into its final third /quarter, something additional vocally , instrumentally, to give it a little lift. By the end of the song I'm finding myself fatigued by the repeated title lyric... wanting less of it or something more around it ...

But its a good one.


Added: boy that intro in the McCoo/Davis version.... sure sounds like they are about to sing YOU ARE EVERYTHING ....imo

[BobbyC]

Thanks, Boogie. growing up I only ever heard M and B's version and I thought it was the strongest song they'd done in a long time. I never even knew DR had done it before them! And yeah it's weird how often either the 5th or M&B sang DR songs. Florence sang Ain't No Mountain for years. I was in a hallway at an airport back in the late 80's when the [[then) current 5th got off a plane, and some guy in the crowd yelled out "Hey Diana Ross!!!!" at Florence. Florence was not pleased and made some remark like here we go again--like this happened all the time! It's true she had a look like Diana's for a while, and she covered like 15 DR songs, so it's not like the comparison comes out of nowhere. I don't think Florence is a very nice person. Marilyn is super nice

[Boogiedown]

Ha and you're welcome.

I think the love lyric has a good twist to it,

but shouldn't the title be
I THOUGHT IT TOOK A LITTLE TIME [[TO LEARN ABOUT LOVIN')

[Ollie9]

Here ya go !



There goes those Fifth's again ! Dippin' into Diana's well ! Don't tell me these two rush released this version when Diana' got pulled ! lol!

It's a good song and its too bad it got the short shrift. I'd call it Top Twenty material.
imo Diana's version needed something new included into its final third /quarter, something additional vocally , instrumentally, to give it a little lift. By the end of the song I'm finding myself fatigued by the repeated title lyric... wanting less of it or something more around it ...

But its a good one.


Added: boy that intro in the McCoo/Davis version.... sure sounds like they are about to sing YOU ARE EVERYTHING ....imo

I find this performance rather lifeless and pedestrian.. Diana’s version is far more engaging. It’s when you hear other artists singing a song you associate with DR that you realise just how good she is.

[sup_fan]

That's too funny. I guess when you record so many songs, you just have to go with the ones that stick, the others fall away. I always wondered how the Supremes learned the songs they performed because there was probably production stuff done after the vocals, and they might not have heard a finished copy until it was released or they were having to perform it.

In some instances, like Children's Christmas Song, there are pics of M and F on the Hullaballoo set with sheet music. learning the backgrounds, since they weren't on the record. And there are stories about M and C working with Cholly and not knowing the song since they weren't on it.

Also listen to Reflections. M and C always sang the full background vocals at the bridge even though they were cut from the released version. "All in vain, reflections remain."

and for Forever Came Today, I guess no one could figure out what the heck the backgrounds were so for the Sullivan show, M and C just sang "ahhhhhhhhhhhhh"

in Come See About Me, on the record F and M often do a "mmm hmmm" in the background but live they always sang the words with Diana. I'm guessing Mmm Hmmm might be too difficult to hear and wouldn't really come across on stage. easier to project with the words