Going Through the Motions--1989--from Workin Overtime

[Spreadinglove21]

I know some feel Diana Ross seemed to be going through the motions on many of her recordings during the RCA era. And I realized there's a song on her return to Motown album Workin' Overtime called "Going Through the Motions". Don't think I've read much discussion about it. So thoughts anyone? Is this a song you like from this album? Or was Miss Ross and the producers, songwriters and musicians on this track "going through the motions" on this one?

[Ollie9]

I think it a really good song, with the key a little lower than on many of the other songs on the album. Give me this over “Fool For Your Love”, “Girls” or Upfront’ any day of the week.

[sup_fan]

as much as I [[and pretty much all of us) bitch about WO, there are a couple tracks that are relatively strong. Bottom Line is IMO the best song on the lp. while certainly of it's time, it has a strong melody, some catchy hooks and she performs it well. had it been the lead single, it might have charted pretty well. of course it's not a Mountain or I'm Coming Out but i think it could have been a hit.

there are sort of 2 batches of writers for the WO project - Nile Rodgers and Preston Glass [[and on some tunes other people joined these two).

Rodger tracks:
Workin Overtime
Say We Can
This House
Paradise
keep on dancing
we stand together

Glass tracks:
Bottom Line
Take the bitter with the sweet
Going through the motions

I happen to think the 3 Glass tunes are the strongest - maybe he should have handled her album and not Rodgers. Glass started out as a staff writer for Thom Bell and worked with tons of top artists like Aretha, Stacy Lattisaw, Whitney, Teena marie, George benson and others.

[Ollie9]

as much as I [[and pretty much all of us) bitch about WO, there are a couple tracks that are relatively strong. Bottom Line is IMO the best song on the lp. while certainly of it's time, it has a strong melody, some catchy hooks and she performs it well. had it been the lead single, it might have charted pretty well. of course it's not a Mountain or I'm Coming Out but i think it could have been a hit.

there are sort of 2 batches of writers for the WO project - Nile Rodgers and Preston Glass [[and on some tunes other people joined these two).

Rodger tracks:
Workin Overtime
Say We Can
This House
Paradise
keep on dancing
we stand together

Glass tracks:
Bottom Line
Take the bitter with the sweet
Going through the motions

I happen to think the 3 Glass tunes are the strongest - maybe he should have handled her album and not Rodgers. Glass started out as a staff writer for Thom Bell and worked with tons of top artists like Aretha, Stacy Lattisaw, Whitney, Teena marie, George benson and others.

Thanks for the breakdown. I think “This House” and “Stand Together” are also standouts. I had never even heard of Glass before, but as you mention appears to have worked with some of the best.
Although of it’s time, if recorded in a lower key i think the album would be judged far more favourably today.

[sup_fan]

Thanks for the breakdown. I think “This House” and “Stand Together” are also standouts. I had never even heard of Glass before, but as you mention appears to have worked with some of the best.
Although of it’s time, if recorded in a lower key i think the album would be judged far more favourably today.

one thing i think some of the Rodgers tracks suffer from is a lack of melody. WO, Say You Can are really heavy on beats and very minimal melodies. while Bottom Line and Take the Bitter offers up a bit more. Diana excels where there's a combination of interesting melody and lyrics so maybe the Rodgers tunes were a bit too much on the new jack swing and not enough meat in the lead part.

[Ollie9]

one thing i think some of the Rodgers tracks suffer from is a lack of melody. WO, Say You Can are really heavy on beats and very minimal melodies. while Bottom Line and Take the Bitter offers up a bit more. Diana excels where there's a combination of interesting melody and lyrics so maybe the Rodgers tunes were a bit too much on the new jack swing and not enough meat in the lead part.

Another problem being a number of the songs are quite similar in sound, particularly “Say We Can”, “Bottom Line” and “Bitter With The Sweet”.
Other than the WO tour there was very little tv promotion for the album which would have had a significant impact on sales. The only song i can recall seeing Diana perform was “This House” which wasn’t even a single at the time.
In truth, i think the youthful image projected in this style of song was difficult for a 45 year old woman to present when not in a concert setting. Perhaps that’s how “This House” came to be released as a single.

[reese]

Another problem being a number of the songs are quite similar in sound, particularly “Say We Can”, “Bottom Line” and “Bitter With The Sweet”.
Other than the WO tour there was very little tv promotion for the album which would have had a significant impact on sales. The only song i can recall seeing Diana perform was “This House” which wasn’t even a single at the time.
In truth, i think the youthful image projected in this style of song was difficult for a 45 year old woman to present when not in a concert setting. Perhaps that’s how “This House” came to be released as a single.

The only appearance I remember seeing in the US was a performance on the syndicated telecast OUR COMMON FUTURE, where she sang a medley of WORKIN' OVERTIME and WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD. And even it was taped during her Wembley Arena stint.

Other than that there were the usual short spots on ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, and CNN HEADLINE NEWS, as well as a Barbara Walters interview.

Though I never really got into the album, I did like the title track, SAY WE CAN, PARADISE, and THIS HOUSE. When it came to the latter in concert, when Diana came to the really high note after the bridge, one of her backup singers did it.

[daviddh]

This sounds actually better than I remember..have to have a listen later.
I did like Keep On Dancing.

[Jaap]

For me, what is mostly missing from the WO album is a good bass. The "House Mix" of Working Overtime -- which of course is not "house" at all -- and some of the remixes of "Paradise" have much more bass, which give the songs much more warmth.

Interestingly, Christopher Max, the co-writer of Workin' Overtime, competed in the second season of The Voice of Holland back in 2011.