While Diana Ross's UK chart record is certainly impressive with 78 single entries, 21 Top 10-hits and 2 #1's, I am surprised that her chart history in such an important territory as Germany is very modest. She had no single hits prior to 1980 and only enjoyed one single in the Top 10 with Upside Down, and then just a further 3 Top 20-hits. In the Netherlands she enjoyed 9 Top 10-hits including a surprise No. 1 with A Brand New Day from The Wiz which was not a hit anywhere else.
Comparing the 3 markets show plenty of surprises. I'm Coming Out, for example, now her opening anthem, was less popular upon its release than My Old Piano, a song I believe she has never performed since recording it [[and the accompanying video). Endless Love was wasted on the Germans and never charted there. All Of You, a song Ross never performs despite its being a Top 20-hit in the UK, hit #7 in the Netherlands. Swept Away - a Top 20-hit in the US - mainly flopped in Europe. Touch By Touch proved another Dutch hit at #18 [[and also in Sweden where it hit #11) while one of her very best ballads, Missing You, could mysteriously only make an abysmal #76 in the UK charts.
The often condemned Eaten Alive surprisingly fared better than Chain Reaction in the Netherlands [[#17 vs. #40) - it was also a decent hit in Sweden at #14 where Chain Reaction failed to chart at all. As we know, Ross's hits dried up in the late 80s, but her comeback When You Tell Me That You Love Me was another one that fell cold on the Germans.
On a sidenote, it is also worth noting her popularity in Sweden where Diana [[1980) went #1 [[as did Upside Down), and all her RCA albums sold well: WDFFIL [[#6), Silk Electric [[#11), Ross '83 [[#7), Swept Away [[#10), Eaten Alive [[#3), Red Hot [[#12) - and even Workin' Overtime made a respectable showing at #22 while Force Behind The Power only made it to #43.
UK GER NL US You Are Everything 5 - 13 - Theme From Mahogany 5 - 4 1 Love Hangover 10 - 18 1 A Brand New Day - - 1 - Ease On Down The Road 45 - 33 41 Upside Down 2 3 3 1 My Old Piano 5 15 2 - I'm Coming Out 13 18 32 5 It's My Turn 16 - - 9 Cryin' My Heart Out For You 58 - - - Endless Love 7 - 10 1 Why Do Fools Fall In Love 7 17 1 7 Tenderness 73 - 37 - Mirror, Mirror 36 - 24 8 Work That Body 7 - 15 44 It's Never Too Late 41 - - - Muscles 15 - 10 10 So Close 43 - - 40 Who [[Dutch single only) - - 44 - Pieces Of Ice 46 39 - 31 Up Front 79 - - - All Of You 43 32 7 19 Swept Away - 63 36 19 Touch By Touch 49 - 18 - Missing You 76 - - 10 Eaten Alive 71 38 17 77 Chain Reaction 1 11 40 66 Experience 47 - 45 - Dirty Looks 49 58 60 - Shockwaves 76 - - - Mr. Lee 58 - - - Workin' Overtime 32 - - - Paradise 61 - - - When You Tell Me That You Love Me 2 - 4 - The Force Behind The Power 27 82 - - One Shining Moment 10 - - - If We Hold On Together 11 - 36 - Heart [[Don't Change My Mind) 31 - - -
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