Thoughts on Happy is A bumpy Road?

[Spreadinglove21]

I came across this detailed and informative write up of Happy is A Bumpy Road on Facebook. What do others think?

Speaking of better single options, this Frank Wilson-Pamela Sawyer tune was placed on the b-side of the "Nathan Jones" single, released in April of 1971. Although plenty of people bought the single and thus heard this song on the flipside, it's a shame Motown didn't give "Happy [[Is a Bumpy Road)" a chance at success on its own. Simply put, this is one of the great Supremes b-sides of the decade, it may be among the best. Producer Frank Wilson arranges the song as a fascinating hybrid of rock ballad and Holland-Dozier-Holland-esque pop tune; the first verse [[with the great psychedelic lyric "I see your footsteps running up and down my brain") comes off like something written for Grace Slick, but by the time the chorus begins, set to a foot-stomping beat straight out of 1964, you'd swear the tune was meant for Diana Ross. It’s to Wilson’s credit that he shapes the song into an epic, almost-operatic masterpiece; there are similarities here to "Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music," the amazing opening track on their second Terrell LP New Ways But Love Stays, in the way he skillfully ties together several genres into a cohesive piece. Of course, none of this could have worked without vocalists to deliver the goods, and The Supremes more than do the job here. Jean Terrell effortlessly shifts from a laid-back resignation to the plaintive pleas of a woman desperate to make a troubled situation work. At times, her delivery does resemble that of the group's previous lead singer; perhaps this was a deliberate move, a kind of nod to urgent, yearning hits of the 1960s Supremes. But Terrell's performance is also extremely mature. There is great skill in the way she remains so focused, even as the instrumental track transforms behind her. Meanwhile, "Happy [[Is a Bumpy Road)" makes a brilliant use of the background vocals, arranging them almost as instruments themselves; the layered voices ring through the track like bells, particularly at 1:25, as they fortify Terrell's voice and add absolutely gorgeous, echoed harmony to her lead vocal. That three-second snippet, by the way, as The Supremes wail together on just a few words, has got to be one of the great vocal moments in the group's entire career. There's something about it that is so heavenly, so stratospheric that it's hard not to be moved. Although the Terrell-led Supremes released some great singles, this is really the perfect recording for the trio, it's a smart, successful modernization of the elements that made them great in the first place. Interestingly, Wilson would cut the song again just a few months later on The Four Tops; it would be released on the 1972 LP Nature Planned It. He alters the melody slightly for the male group, and it results in a far less effective recording, it's loses the sweetness present on this version. It's hard to say how this song would have done had it been released as a follow-up to "Nathan Jones," but it absolutely gets our vote; this is a magical recording that deserves to be rediscovered by fans.—feeling wonderful.

[Spreadinglove21]

Here is the song for reference:

[daviddesper]

I never warmed up to the Touch album but I would agree that Happy is one of its better tracks.

[danman869]

Happy Is A Bumpy Road is a good song and I love to listen and sing along to it. It was a nice choice for a B-side. However, it was not hit single material. Heck, The Four Tops' cover version had an instrumental track that was a bit more interesting.

I'm of the firm belief that by the 1970s, the general public expected dance songs from The Supremes--and that's what did better for the group chart-wise. The group had plenty of mid-tempo songs or ballads that were lovely, but... they weren't better choices for achieving a hit single.

[BobbyC]

I agree, Dan. I like Happy Is a Bumpy Road but never thought it was single material.

[sup_fan]

these write ups being posted on FB are being pulled from The Diana Ross Project website. the guy on that site does great reviews of all of the Sup, DR solo and 70s Sup albums. track by track. which a few here and there might deviate from what i think, he's spot on with nearly all of it. all of the reviews are written with great insight and care. it's a marvelous documentation of the broader discography

[sup_fan]

as for Happy, this is one of the few times i don't fall in 100% with his assessment. the author really loves this song. I don't know that i see it as the missing 2nd release from the Touch album

personally i think Sunrise is the best follow up. but then again, perhaps a single mix of This Is The Story would have been extremely powerful

[BobbyC]

I'd have gone with This Is the Story but again, is it single material? I don't think so, personally.

[sup_fan]

true - This Is The Story isn't a dance tune or a normal love ballad. so that might have held it back. but it's an impeccable record and i don't think it needs the context of the album to appreciate it.

[Spreadinglove21]

these write ups being posted on FB are being pulled from The Diana Ross Project website. the guy on that site does great reviews of all of the Sup, DR solo and 70s Sup albums. track by track. which a few here and there might deviate from what i think, he's spot on with nearly all of it. all of the reviews are written with great insight and care. it's a marvelous documentation of the broader discography

Thanks for the info. I remember those Diana Ross project write ups. They were excellent. Is this the same person posting? Or is someone copying and pasting and presenting them as their own? Not cool if the latter.

[daviddh]

always fond of the Touch project and this tune, but not sure it would have hit as a single

[jim aka jtigre99]

Touch was a very strong album. I think it contains some of the best vocals that Jean Terrell recorded-very strong, fullbodied and emotional. I also loved hearing Mary Wilson share the lead vocals on the title song. Nathan Jones was truly an interesting and strong song with very interesting sounds much like Reflections, I just wished they had tweaked the final released product just a bit more. I think they were in a hurry to strike on the success of Stoned Love with another groundbreaking sound. Happy is a Bumpy Road was a very good song and I really liked it a lot. I think it did had a more upbeat and danceable sound than some of the other songs. I wouldn't have released Touch as a single, as much as I love Mary Wilson's voice-it seems the shared lead was too disjointed and Jean is so jarring next to Mary's soft, sensual vocals. It should have been a Mary solo and this also needed some work on the finished product, especially the way it opens. I remember Clifton Davis saying on Mike Douglas that he thought Here Comes The Sunrise, that he wrote, was going to be a single for the Supremes and expressed disappointment that it wasn't but was glad it was on the album. Love it Came to me this time was also another possible single, IMHO. This is the Story has such a strong and beautiful vocal by Jean that it could also had been a single. I don't think Happy is a Bumpy Road would have been a hit single, it definitely would have had a bumpy road on the charts.

[TheMotownManiac]

Very often, when I read posts like this, I just naturally assume that the person suggesting the single release from yesteryear was not around at the time. I Think this is a great tune, I’ve always enjoyed its experimental weirdness, and the wonderful vocals. But I don’t think it had a snowballs chance in hell of getting any adds whatsoever. It’s so discordant and disjointed in the beginning that I would imagine program directors never even played it through because they knew if it was on the radio people would be changing stations and their job is to prevent that. I think that’s one of the many reasons Touch did not work as a single, ditto Ross’ Reach Out I’ll Be There. 1971 was not exactly a triumph for Motown produced singles. I do agree that if Mary had done all of a Touch re-edit, with a wonderful intro, it would’ve done better but I still don’t think it would hit. Ross’ Reach Out2, with a complete re-edit and removal of any intro, might have done well. It seems to me there’s a hit buried in there somewhere. I just feel that Motown was dropping the ball on both acts and I know he was busy prepping the movie, but maybe that should’ve been put off for six months.

so I have to ask, if I’m not being too personal, what year were you born? If you prefer not to divulge things like that publicly, of course I’d understand.

[daviddh]

The new mix of Touch on Mary's Anthology is really nice. But I think it needed a different mix. The single mix was terrible.

[captainjames]

Sorry "Happy" was dud for me and my least favorite on the album. No way would this have been played or a hit.

[jim aka jtigre99]

The first record I ever bought was Up The Ladder To The Roof. I would always have favorite songs that I liked personally but knew they wouldn't be the best choice for a single release. To be honest, I think sometimes Motown didn't know either. I would never have chose Happy [[is a Bumpy Road) as a single. I think it tied into the old cartoon I used to see in the newspapers that was called Love is-with a bunch of different phrases and cartoons. They were far more effective with I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walking in 1976, which was clearly influenced by the ads for the Yellow Pages-I'm gonna let my fingers do the walking through the Yellow Pages. I always liked The Loving Country on Right On as a single instead of EGTRTL but not sure if it would have done much better than #21. NWBLS is one where Stoned Love just stood out as great song. I read people liked Time To Break Down as a second single but I am not sure if it would have done so well after such a powerful song, I also liked Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music as a possible single. Touch, especially the released version , was just the wrong decision as a single after Nathan Jones. And as far as Diana's Reach Out I'll Be There, even at a young age I felt it was fine for what it was but I felt it clearly trying to emulate Ain't No Mountain High Enough[[One of Diana's very, very best) and not succeeding at all. I always liked I'm Still Waiting but it wasn't a hit in the US, found out years later that it was a hit in the UK.

[sup_fan]

The first record I ever bought was Up The Ladder To The Roof. I would always have favorite songs that I liked personally but knew they wouldn't be the best choice for a single release. To be honest, I think sometimes Motown didn't know either. I would never have chose Happy [[is a Bumpy Road) as a single. I think it tied into the old cartoon I used to see in the newspapers that was called Love is-with a bunch of different phrases and cartoons. They were far more effective with I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walking in 1976, which was clearly influenced by the ads for the Yellow Pages-I'm gonna let my fingers do the walking through the Yellow Pages. I always liked The Loving Country on Right On as a single instead of EGTRTL but not sure if it would have done much better than #21. NWBLS is one where Stoned Love just stood out as great song. I read people liked Time To Break Down as a second single but I am not sure if it would have done so well after such a powerful song, I also liked Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music as a possible single. Touch, especially the released version , was just the wrong decision as a single after Nathan Jones. And as far as Diana's Reach Out I'll Be There, even at a young age I felt it was fine for what it was but I felt it clearly trying to emulate Ain't No Mountain High Enough[[One of Diana's very, very best) and not succeeding at all. I always liked I'm Still Waiting but it wasn't a hit in the US, found out years later that it was a hit in the UK.

i so agree with your earlier point on Nathan. not sure if it was you or Maniac in a pervious thread a few years ago. but someone pointed out that after the bridge in Nathan, it just never really goes anywhere. the song lacks the big peak after the bridge which i think it exactly the problem. it just never really goes anywhere. if after the bridge they had really added more of the synthesizer and had jean really ad lib, it would have helped immensely. someone also suggested that having the entire song in unison didn't help.

as for these other songs, i think Loving Country and Together We Can Make could both have made strong singles. LC would have required quite a bit of editing down from the lp version. but i think you could have done it. it carries on the ethereal lushness of Ladder perfectly, along with the timely lyric

then to follow that up with the high power of Together. although that would have delayed SL until spring 71. also i don't think LC or Together would have been the sure fire #1 that SL could and should have been. so maybe you release Ladder, LC, SL and then Together. then go to Nathan. or maybe even River Deep. and then Nathan

[sup_fan]

The new mix of Touch on Mary's Anthology is really nice. But I think it needed a different mix. The single mix was terrible.

agreed. the single mix is even worse than the album. as it is, the song is sort of 2 songs mashed together. the intro is just oddly errie - like halloween music. and the first couple of verses are too sparse. the song lyrics are so sensual that to have such a weak intro and opening is quite jarring. jean is also quite shrill and cindy should have been incorporate more into the first half.

then once to get well into verse 2 and into the bridge, the track swells and it eventually becomes this lush sexy song. they needed to find a way to bring that feeling into the first half while still saving room to grow and climax

[RanRan79]

I've never heard "Bumpy" as a single, although I love it as an album track. Single wise, I wouldn't bet against it. It has a great sound. Would it have caught on? Who knows? I think it was a better choice than some other cuts that got released as singles.

I think it's interesting pondering the possibilities. I also think it's worth pointing out that there really were no surefire hits or surefire flops. At the end of the day there's very little rhyme or reason why one song shoots to the top and another song never even makes the charts. Case in point is how some songs are released and go nowhere, then they get a re-release and all of a sudden it's climbing the charts.

Back in the 90s I bought a compilation of 1970s hits. "Brand New Key" was on it. I later learned- or maybe I learned in the liner notes, can't recall- that the song was a number one hit. I thought to myself back then the same thing I think to myself now: Who the FUCK bought that shit?

So the idea to me that people heard "Brand New Key" and thought "yes!!" and would have then heard "Happy Is A Bumpy Road" and thought "what the hell is this shit?" just doesn't seem right.