It's not about one being better than the other, it's about what the person wants and Mary wanted out. There are pros to cons to being a solo or being a group. I think it makes sense that when you've been with a group since you were 14 and now you're in your mid 30s, that you'd want to do something different. It's no different than an employee who decides after X amount of time that it's time they go into the same business, but this time for self.
When you're in a group, you have to work with the group. When you're a solo, everything hinges on your desires and you don't have to confer with others like you would in a group. You also only have to deal with your shit. In a group you have to deal with your shit and everyone else's too. That might be cool at 21. At 35, not so much. Plus, as an artist, in a group, the art of the music is all about [[or should be about) the entirety of the group. As a solo artist, it's all about you.
But again, with the way the various Supremes walked out the exit door leaving Mary to "pick up the pieces" [[see what I did there?
) she was always going to be more invested in the Supremes than anyone else. Even if Diana or Flo- had she lived- came back, chances are Mary would still have been the last Supreme standing at some point or other. The stress of that has to get to the point where it's overwhelming. To expect Mary to remain in a situation that she clearly had no more love for, is to treat her as though she isn't a human being. The lady should have been allowed to pursue her dreams and goals, sink or swim, succeed or fail.
And quite honestly, if everything for Mary was about dollars and cents, it seems like reforming the Supremes- or any group at that point- after she was dropped from Motown and she left Pedro and that whole disaster, would have been a no brainer. If the name carried more value than "Mary Wilson", then I think Mary would have gladly gone back. The fact that she didn't- and showed no interest in doing so- suggest to me that she really was over the whole group thing.
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