Originally Posted by
midnightman
Diana Ross to me had one of the weirdest career trajectories after she left the Supremes. Like she STRUGGLED for the most of the early 1970s. She had "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" but it was sandwiched between two middling performed songs [["Reach Out and Touch" and "Remember Me"). Then in 1971, she failed to get a number one, even trying the ANMHE formula again with another bombastic remake [[ROIBT) that only went as high as 29, followed by her stab at funk-soul which did go top 40 but performed worse [[Surrender), then when I'm Still Waiting took off in England, Motown thought it was gonna bring her back to number one and it flopped [[63). Not to mention she became a mother twice in 1971-72 so that didn't help her either.
Doing Lady Sings the Blues really was her saving grace in more ways than one because not only did it help her become A-list again but it stopped her career misfortunes for the time being. Then she finally returned to the top with Touch Me in the Morning, which was seen as a "chart comeback" since it had been three years since she had topped the chart. The Marvin Gaye duet stuff was a bad move commercially for both artists. Then she returned to middling performances. Last Time I Saw Him was her sole top 40 hit in 1974 as a soloist going to number 14.
Again, doing movies saved her, Mahogany led to Theme from Mahogany, which topped the chart and that was quickly followed up by Love Hangover, another number one. And in the middle of that, she released a ballad [[I Thought It Took a Little Time...) that flopped [[47), and then after LH, put out a barely successful song [[One Love in My Lifetime) and after another mild hit [[Gettin' Ready for Love), had a floptastic 1978 and early 1979. Like no top 40 hits in either year until The Boss reached 19 in 1979.
1980-82 was her most successful era obviously. This produced "diana" and, after she left Motown, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", with around six top ten hits in that stretch.
1983 was likely the year things turned around for the worst but no one knew it at the time. That was the year of the M25 incident with Mary, the year she did Central Park and the year she released a bizarre album trying to keep up with the new wave/pop rock/post disco crowds.
Swept Away from 1984 did briefly bring her fortunes back up - especially with the title tune and Missing You with Lionel, but the writing really was on the wall when Eaten Alive was released later in 1985. I think many radio programmers just did not like to promote Diana Ross unless the song was REALLY GOOD.
Plus Diana had to deal with a new generation of singers that were much younger and accessible - Madonna, Whitney and, later, Janet. Those three gave her problems, especially Whitney, who was to the '80s what the Supremes had been to the '60s.
I will say after Eaten Alive, she was considered an oldies act here and she was basically that way in Europe as well. She'd have comebacks in Europe but it wasn't like she was Tina Turner or anything. The Motown stuff was far too iconic.
No one was here for singing new songs, they wanted the old chestnuts.
That's what I think anyway.
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