Sweet Dream Machine

[TheMotownManiac]

To me, sweet dream machine is a standard run of the mill disco music - no better or worse than a ton of other similar tracks. I like Scherrie on it, and I enjoy it enough when it’s on, but I don’t believe it would’ve done anything on radio, it might have gotten club play, but there were so many dynamic songs to compete with it, it might not have.

you are the heart of me, in my opinion, without that corn ball insert moaning, could’ve gone all the way period. Mary’s vocal is perfect for the song, and I can very clearly Imagine it on the radio. I never judge Supremes or Diana record by what I hope it could’ve done, I always think of what was out at that time and how it measures up. I think this measures up I would’ve been a whole new career direction for Mary.

[Ollie9]

To me, sweet dream machine is a standard one of the male disco music no better or worse than a ton of other similar tracks. I like Sherry on it, and I enjoy it enough when it’s on, but I don’t believe it would’ve done anything on radio, it might have gotten club play, but there were so many dynamic songs to compete with it, it might not have.

you are the heart of me, in my opinion, without that corn ball insert moaning, could’ve gone all the way period. Mary’s vocal is perfect for the song, and I can very clearly Imagine it on the radio. I never judge Supremes or Diana record by what I hope it could’ve done, I always think of what was out at that time and how it measures up. I think this measures up I would’ve been a whole new career direction for Mary.

It’s clear that Motown had total say in which singles were released. Both “Teardrops” And “You Are The Heart Of Me” would have sounded terrific on radio with “Driving Wheel a very poor choice for lead single. I wonder how much influence Pedro And Mary actually had at the time regarding singles?.

[RanRan79]

It’s clear that Motown had total say in which singles were released. Both “Teardrops” And “You Are The Heart Of Me” would have sounded terrific on radio with “Driving Wheel a very poor choice for lead single. I wonder how much influence Pedro And Mary actually had at the time regarding singles?.

Clearly none. I know there's a story that floats around the forum that Mary and Pedro vetoed Motown's decision to release "It's All Been Said Before" in favor of "He's My Man", but I've never bought into that. I've never known management nor an artist at Motown, including a Supreme, to be able to have say so in what singles were released. Not to say that there couldn't have been input. I think Diana's desire to have "Reach Out and Touch" be her first single was a decision by Gordy to let her have her way after everything she had done for him. Who was gifting Mary and Pedro anything? Besides, if they were making the decisions about the singles, the Supremes' discography during the Scherrie years would be full of Mary led singles, especially "Teardrops" and "Heart of Me". The truth is that Motown heard something in "He's My Man" that they thought sounded like a winner, as they did with all the singles that followed it. Mary and Pedro had a lot of influence over the Supremes, but singles wasn't one of them, I'm willing to bet.

[RanRan79]

I never judge Supremes or Diana record by what I hope it could’ve done, I always think of what was out at that time and how it measures up.

I think any given song deserves a full examination, and that includes pondering your personal expectations, which can be as simple as liking the song and hoping it does well, to comparing it to what was happening at the time of the music scene and supposing whether or not a given song had what it took to make it, realizing that at the end of the day, the reasons for what made or broke a song was ultimately very arbitrary.