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Motown M 1068 (A), October 1964
b/w Always In My Heart
(Written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland Jr.)
Stateside SS 376 (A), January 1965
b/w Always In My Heart
(Released in the UK under license through EMI / Stateside Records)
The Supremes again, so soon? A little over a month had elapsed since Baby Love had hit the shelves and begun its unstoppable rise to the top. What, then, was Motown playing at, shoving out another Supremes single barely five weeks later?
The answer most Motown buffs will give you is two words: Nella Dodds. A 14-year-old would-be starlet, she auditioned for Scepter/Wand by singing along to the recently-released Where Did Our Love Go LP and boasting about her passable Diana Ross impersonation. With Baby Love all over the airwaves, Florence Greenberg reasoned: why not?
Wand picked what they saw as the LP’s most accessible track not yet used on a Supremes 45, Come See About Me, they worked hard to mimic the production, instrumentation and backing vocal arrangements of the Supremes’ original, and Dodds’ version hit the stores in early October of 1964. Berry Gordy went ballistic, demanding Motown release the Supremes’ cut as a single to squash Nella’s version; the result was a third straight Number One hit for the girls, while Nella Dodds’ record foundered. Denied her big break, Dodds went on to have a short music career with a couple of respectable hits, but she’s largely – and unfairly – been forgotten to history. The message is clear: don’t mess with Motown.
All of which makes sense, until you ask the crucial question: why? Why bother? I mean, “oh no, Nella Dodds might have taken a Jobete song up the charts, making an already-rich Motown incrementally richer” – is that the kind of thing that would have HDH quaking in their boots? Why would Motown be so keen to squash it? One possible answer is that they were planning to release Come See About Me as the Supremes’ next single, and Nella’s version might have stolen its thunder. But in real life, the Supremes would issue Stop! In the Name of Love just three months later anyway, so it’s difficult to envisage where Motown might have been planning to squeeze this hypothetical extra single into the schedules. No, more likely this was released for a simple reason: because no matter what the circumstances, Berry Gordy wasn’t going to let anyone take liberties.
Berry had made much of his living chasing a buck wherever one might be found, and so it strikes a modern observer as a bit rich that he objected so strenuously whenever anyone tried to turn the tables. But object he did; Motown, who’d once been lucky not to have been sued into oblivion (by Scepter, of all people) for brazenly ripping off the Shirelles, now fired off lawsuits with alarming ease whenever they felt a copyright was being infringed. Perhaps the fiasco with Mary Wells’ very public walkout had stung Gordy’s pride. Perhaps it would have been too much to bear to see a Supremes song – a song he owned – climb the charts on the back of his hard work. (Dodds’ version, a passable but unexciting cover, surely wouldn’t have garnered much traction without America’s legion of newly-minted Supremes fans). Whatever the reason, Nella couldn’t be allowed to succeed. Not without a fight.
In the end, it wasn’t really a fight at all. Of the four singles released by the Supremes in 1964 (everyone forgets Run, Run, Run), this is probably the least immediate, the most conventional; it’s still undeniably brilliant, and leaving it on the LP would have been a real shame.
(One does rather feel for the Marvelettes, whose release schedule is now inadvertently synchronised with that of Motown’s biggest stars and their greatest in-house competitors, but them’s the breaks.)
It’s surprising to note that this is really the first “straightforward” verse/chorus pop song the Supremes have cut since teaming up with HDH – there are no big, ambitious changes, no complicated transitional phases, no cyclical structures. Not a bad thing, of course, but this is nonetheless a formula record. (Not to be confused with “formulaic”.)
It rode the crest of a wave to top the charts in the US, but in Britain – beyond the reach of Nella Dodds – there was a two month wait to follow up the big hit, and when Come See About Me finally appeared the following January its time was past, the single scraping the UK Top 30 for a week before disappearing forever. Americans know this as part of the Supremes’ majestic run of five straight chart-toppers; for Brits, whose sales-only singles charts have always disadvantaged tracks taken from already-released albums, it’s a little-remembered footnote. I’ll be very interested to see what you think of it, dear reader, and where it stands in relation to the rest of the pantheon of great Supremes hits. (You’ll find out what I think soon enough, if you’ve not already skipped to the end.)
It’s also surprising to note this was recorded before Baby Love, and indeed before the group knew they were going to be huge. There’s no lack of confidence on show here, and the band are tight and professional, but Diana’s vocal is a throwback to the days before Where Did Our Love Go, a touch higher in places than we’re now used to, a touch flatter. It works great for the song, which needs a high lead vocal to counter the relatively low bed of Flo and Mary’s call-and-response chimes, but I find it interesting that that probably wasn’t an intentional ploy, that that was just the way she sounded back then and so HDH, still unaware what was coming, having already cajoled and pushed her out of her range once already, now had to craft a song around her comfort zone.
Comfort, there’s the word I’ve been searching for. This is comfortable. Notwithstanding the much-lauded intro (a fade-in of incredible warlike drums leading to the trademark 4/4 foot stomp – a trademark already! – now augmented with a guitar riff accenting the rhythm with extra quavers on the first beat), this doesn’t challenge either the listener, the band or the group; it’s almost plodding in its relentless, grinding march, and you get the feeling it could continue exactly like this for another thirty minutes without going anywhere new.
Does any of that matter? Of course it bloody doesn’t. This is a cracking record, and if it’s not right up there with the very best, well, so what? It’s still a joy, another simple but addictive tune, a song full of great moments. A formula record, sure, but what a record – and, really, what a formula.
The lyrics don’t get any more cheerful, either; Diana Ross’ narrator again pleads for an errant ex-boyfriend to come back, and again she’s seemingly either unaware or unconcerned that she was getting the rough end of the deal to begin with (“I’ve given up my friends just for you / My friends have gone, and you have too / No peace shall I find / Until you come back and be mine”). But it’s not quite as wild a cry of desperation as Baby Love; rather, it’s a kind of mirror precursor to You Keep Me Hangin’ On, an acknowledgement that Diana can’t move on with her life until this issue is properly resolved:
Sometimes up!
Sometimes down!
My life’s so uncerta-a-in
Since you’re not around
I love that little rick in the way she stretches “uncertain” over four syllables. I love the two-note backing vocal chants from Flo and Mary (boo hoo!), not as slick as some later productions but sounding very good indeed compared to the rest of the Where Did Our Love Go LP. Really, this is just a fine record all through.
It’s the most classy, assured Supremes single to date, which is why I’m surprised it predates Baby Love; the clues are in the hints of the past, rather than any lack of confidence or belief. Diana’s voice isn’t exactly where it’ll soon be going, and yet she’s rarely sounded better, again fitting her performance to the song with devastating economy of emotion, again knowing precisely how much to let go and how much to hold back. She gets it right all the way through.
Tempting to wonder what might have come to pass had this not been a single (and a hugely successful one). After two massive hits (and a resounding flop just before) that had largely been sui generis, a Spector pastiche and two outlying heralds for a whole new sound, this scales everything back down a notch, pulls everything back in towards a more conventional model, a model that serves as a bedrock for nearly every great HDH/Supremes song for the next two years.
All the ingredients are here, not just that beat, that sound, but the mixture of “up” music and “down” lyrics (sometimes up, sometimes down indeed!), the dichotomy of Diana’s cold, dispassionate steely glare and her broken, begging desperation, and the basic structure of beautiful verse, killer chorus. They’re all here, and – thanks to Nella Dodds – they’re all at Number One. The next time we meet the Supremes, they’ll have moved out of reach of knockoffs and copycat artists, ready to begin their annus mirabilis of 1965. Next year belongs to them. This year hasn’t exactly been too shabby.
MOTOWN JUNKIES VERDICT
(I’ve had MY say, now it’s your turn. Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment, or click the thumbs at the bottom there. Dissent is encouraged!)
COVERWATCH
Motown Junkies has reviewed other Motown versions of this song:
- Choker Campbell’s Big Band (December 1964)
You’re reading Motown Junkies, an attempt to review every Motown A- and B-side ever released. Click on the “previous” and “next” buttons below to go back and forth through the catalogue, or visit the Master Index for a full list of reviews so far.
(Or maybe you’re only interested in The Supremes? Click for more.)
The Marvelettes “A Need For Love” |
The Supremes “Always In My Heart” |
DISCOVERING MOTOWN |
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Like the blog? Listen to our radio show! |
Motown Junkies presents the finest Motown cuts, big hits and hard to find classics. Listen to all past episodes here. |
Rhine Ruder said:
no, no, no! you went overboard on the weak “baby love”, and now you are saying “come see about me”, their most mature single yet, is an 8! i am shocked … but, hell, i would rather read your opinionated essays than the always complimentary notes in the complete motown single series. at least you never bore me. you have me worried when you place “come see about me” in the same sentence as the hectic, manic “you keep me hangin’ on” as if you are gonna diss that masterpiece too. and you seem to be choosing your supreme hits more by their popularity amongst fans than your usual idiosyncratic tastes. i worry nightly that i won’t live to see what you have to say about my supreme tens. i feel compelled to list them now, so that if i get hit by a car today, at least i will have my say … so i am gonna do it:
stop in the name of love – 7
back in my arms again – 9
nothing but heartaches – 10
i hear a symphony – 7
my world is empty without you – 10
love is like an itchin’ in my heart – 12!
you can’t hurry love – 9
you keep me hangin on – 10
love is here and now your gone – 7
the happening – 4
reflections – 9
in and out of love – 3
forever came today – 10
jeez, i used up 5 tens (would really be 6 cuz where did our love go gets on also) and the supremes are not my favorite group, that would be the tops. but h/d/h were so hot that is why i won’t even rate the surpremes post the h/d/h years. you’ll be hearing more from me if that car didn’t splat me all over the street today! but, really and honestly great immense project you are creating. i would buy the book, when you publish it!
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The Nixon Administration said:
Well, if there’s one thing I’m known for, it’s pandering to fan popularity… 🙂 (SUBS PLEASE CHECK)
Thanks for the kind words, and for the rankings (I love reading other people’s marks!)
You’ll have to wait and see, but a few of those listed are 10s for me too. Like you, I don’t consider the Supremes my favourite group, and yet they rack up more 10s than anyone else. Contradictions, contradictions.
For future readers: The similarity between this and Hanging is lyrical, not musical. 8 is not a “diss”. And fan popularity influences my ratings as much as what colour socks the producer was wearing.
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The Nixon Administration said:
(also please do take more care when crossing the road!)
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Rhine Ruder said:
i really thought that’s what you were all about until we got to the golden age. waiting for some really outlandish surprises with the big motown classics.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Just as I’m not handing out 10s automatically to received-wisdom “classics”, nor am I setting out to show how iconoclastic I am by rejecting mega-hits as too obvious or too famous.
The 10s, as you’ll know by now, are my personal top fifty, my killer Motown mixtape: some of them are obscure (did anyone see I Want A Guy, Oh Little Boy or Dream Come True in advance?) and some of them are so well-known as to make you roll your eyes (wow, My Guy, really? Baby Love, how leftfield! And so on). I honestly, hand on heart, don’t give a stuff. (Which is the only way to approach this sort of undertaking, or I’d go mad tying myself in semantic knots trying to be both definitive and individual.)
You’ll have to let me know how I do. Will any of our Supremes 10s coincide? Wait and see, dear reader, wait and see 🙂
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Richard said:
Definitely a “10” for me. Still love this song today and play it a lot. Love the intro drums and Diana’s voice in my opinion is right on. Love her voice on Where Did Our Love Go, Come See About Me and Reflections.
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John Plant said:
I was very interested in Rhine’s evaluations, as I see that I’m not alone in prizing ‘Love Is LIke an Itchin’ In My Heart’ – and in regarding ‘In and Out of Love’ as one of the worst Supremes singles ever..Anything less than a 10 for ‘Come See About Me’ has me spluttering too (in contrast to my Olympian calm and Zenlike serenity when ‘Too Many Fish’ received the same mark.) but once again, Nixon, your analysis of the song’s strengths is unbeatable – and yes, I know, 8 is very good! – but this was always my favourite Supremes song until ‘Itchin’ came along…My affection for ‘Back in My Àrms Again’ and ‘Nothing but Heartaches’ has faded a bit with the years (7 for each, perhaps), but Stop! is a certain 10 for me, along with Itchin’, You Can’t Hurry Love, You Keep Me Hanging On, and perhaps Love Is Here (on the strength of the harpsichord, the spoken bits, and the sighs). Reflections leaves me cold (5) and I truly can’t stomach the Hollywood slickness of The Happening (2, being generous). The weakness of the last three HDH singles for the Supremes somewhat palliates my grief at their departure….(Forever Comes Today gets a 3 from me)… I recognize that ‘My World is Empty’ is a fine song, but it doesn’t make a direct connection (7 again, perhaps.) As for ‘I Hear a Symphony’, I’ve always enjoyed contemplating a situation where the sight of the beloved triggers a runthrough of Mahler’s Eighth…
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144man said:
My marks would be closer to Rhine Ruder’s than John Plant’s. I thoroughly agree with the 10 for the underrated “Nothing But Heartaches”.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Can’t wait for the inevitable debates when we get to each upcoming “monument” 🙂
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Ed Pauli said:
I actually like the Supremes B-sides better–always have!
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Damecia said:
Hi, Rhine Ruder
I must comment on your Supremes ratings. I most definately agree with you about “Love Is An Itching in My Heart”—great song and “My World Is Empty Without You” –great song too. But a 10 for “Nothing But Heartaches” –I’m shocked. I’ll give my opinion of that song when we get there (which should be kinda soon). And I personally would give “Reflections” a 20, but your 9 is not bad at all. (LOL)
Oh yeah Nixon is know pushover when it comes to these ratings, which I also love and find very entertaining lol.
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Landini said:
Hi Rhine Ruder, Damecia & all,
I’m joining this party a little late however… Wow a 10 for “Forever Came Today”. I personally love that song. And yes, Miss D, I love me some “Reflections” too! Am I the only one on Earth who likes “In & Out Of Love”? I notice people don’t seem to like that song. I think it is a wonderful pop song. Of course, I also like “The Composer” which I think got dissed somewhere on this site. Oh well, it would be a boring world if we all agreed.
Not totally related, but Damecia, have you ever heard the “Love Child” album? Despite being a hodge podge potluck of various writers/producers (& it is most likely a Ross solo album backed by the Andantes or whoever) it is a nice collection of pop/soul tunes which fit Miss Ross’s voice quite nicely. The next album “Let The Sun Shine In” was pretty dreadful to my ears at least. I’d be curious to hear “Cream of the Crop”. the last official Diana Ross/Supremes studio album.
By the way, Mr Ruder, do be careful around the cars. On my way home from work last night I narrowly missed getting side-swiped by an insane red light running driver. He would up hitting another car up the road & went driving on. Apparently the cops did find him & everyone involved in the accident wound up okay. Whew!
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Damecia said:
Grandpa Landini I cant believe you like “In & Out of Love” it has some good parts, but as a Supreme fan I can say that this song is whack! Lol. Who knows though by the time Steve D. gets to the song I may have a change of heart.
As far as “The Composer” it was okay, but not really a Supremes song IMO. I much prefer “No Matter What Sign You Are” or “Somethings You Never Get Used To” these are two later Supremes songs thay I think are very underrated.
Yes I have heard Love Child the album and I would put it in my top 5 of Supremes records. I loved the raspy quality Miss Ross voice had at the time. It’s also some nice soulful tracks on there like “How Long Has That Evening Train Been Gone” which is 1 of my faves and “Bah Bah Bah”
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MotownFan1962 said:
“The Composer” was okay for me, too, but I agree it just doesn’t have that Supremes feel. Berry should have at least let The Andantes sing louder or turned up their mic.
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Nick in Pasadena said:
Rating Motown discs is always a challenge, because you can’t help but compare them to the standard they’ve set for themselves. So, while this might be an “8” in the Motown pantheon (I would have given it a “9” myself), it is head and shoulders over 99% of everything else being released at the time (and 1964 was a pretty amazing year for pop music). I always thought “Come See About Me” was incredibly self-assured; as if H-D-H knew they’d found a winning formula and were confident that, with the proper care and feeding, it couldn’t miss. And that amazing fade-in intro! Berry G. surely knew that you had to grab the radio listener with an immediate hook. I have a Top Ten list of my favorite Motown intros, and this one is definitely on it.
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Damecia said:
Nick you’ve summed up every reader’s and perhaps Nixon’s struggle when you say
“Rating Motown discs is always a challenge, because you can’t help but compare them to the standard they’ve set for themselves”
It’s just sooo damn hard (LOL)
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Dave L said:
Of course, in November of 1964, none of us had heard of any “Nella Dodds” and were only surprised at how quickly this was on the heels of a still-fresh hit, itself just reaching No. 1. It didn’t happen again, or anything thing close, until the duets with the Temptations shared Billboard space with the solo hits of each group.
“Come See About Me” momentarily fostered the hope we’d get the kind of embarrassment of riches Beatles fans knew all through 1964. Back in the first week of April, the Fab Four held the top five of the Top Ten, thanks to Tollie, Vee Jay and Swan releases that only got hot after the breakthrough with Capitol. (I believe it remains a feat -thanks to such circumstances- still unmatched today.) But after “Come See About Me” Motown was careful not to give us the next Supremes single until the current hit was clearly moving downward on Billboard. By January, I distinctly remember I was aching for 1074.
As you said long ago, you can’t give a 10 to everything or it loses meaning, and an 8 is no disgrace. Like any Supremes fan, I love the song; Florence, in more than one instance, called it her own favorite of their classic hits. (And she is very strong on it.)
Even though the record casts Ross in romantic distress yet again, I catch a faintly greater sense of strength, a pinch of sexual come-on, especially singing the title, that makes the record less all-despair like “Where” and “Baby Love.”
Your essay does it superb justice. 🙂
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Bob Harlow said:
This may not be Diana ‘s best work, but “Come See About Me” is my favorite their #1 (U.S.) singles. For me, it stands the test of time better than any of the others.
I never get tired of this one. One of the greatest intros in motown history! A solid 10!
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The Defiant One (@DudeKembro) said:
Yeah, this one is an easy 10. It kicks Baby Love’s saccharine butt. Of those classic first five #1s, I give it a slight edge over Back in My Arms Again as the best of the bunch (followed by Where Did Our Love Go and Stop! In the Name of Love in that order).
It’s power is that the song is simultaneously nostalgic and fresh. It’s one of their least-dated hits. My brother and I used to dance to this in our living room in the 90s. I placed in a singing competition with this last year. This song still grabs and holds attention like it was released yesterday. 10/10 (easy).
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Dameciad said:
When you said “…simultaneously nostalgic and fresh” you describe the song perfecty.l
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MichaelS said:
This gets a “9” in my book. I was around for Nella Dodds’ version of the song; it did get some airplay at the time but paled in production values big time. What makes the Supremes’ version so endearing to me is how far up front Mary and Florence are in the mix, as they should be! Later when they were toned down, the recordings suffered.
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Ron Leonard said:
First of all Nixon, how can you give the Marvellettes ” Too Many Fish In The Sea” an 8 and give the Supremes “Come See About Me” the same rating? For me, the Marvellettes song in vocals and music production can’t even come close to measuring up to probably the most well produced Supremes single to date. This is my most favorite Supremes Number 1 song out of the 3..”Where Did” and Baby Love”..I’m going by sound ie; rythym track, percussion and backing vocals..In fact, I was just speaking to a friend of mine who also contributes his comments on Motown Junkies and actually we agree this was probably the Supremes biggest hit to date, if you go by the charts. “Come See About Me” was Number 1 here in America and then the Beatles “I Feel Fine” knocked The Supremes down to Number 2 for a couple weeks and then, The Supremes went back to Number 1 again with “Come See About Me”.
Motown, I believe was the only Record Company that was able to compete head to head with the British Invasion back in the 1960’s..Don’t get me wrong, there was some awesome material coming out of Britain at the time..
Anyway, I would give this Supremes song a 9 or possibly a 10..Remember, this is in my book and thank you so much Nixon for your Motown Junkies Threads!
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144man said:
I’ve always liked “Too Many Fish In the Sea” better than “Come See About Me”. I was into R&B before Motown came along, and at the time “CSAM” was a bit too “pop” for my liking.
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MotownFan1962 said:
I, too, prefer “Too Many Fish in the Sea” over “Come See About Me”. I like more upbeat, danceable tunes. Something you can Twist or Watusi to (those are the only dances I know).
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Robb Klein said:
Me three!-preferring “Too Many Fish In The Sea”. I’d give “Come See About Me” an 8.5. 8 on normal days, 9 on good days. There’s no doubt that it’s a tremendously well constructed song and recording, and The Supremes diid a good job on it, as well. But, when I tell you I prefer Stevenson/Hunter, Fuqua/Bristol and even Dean/Weatherspoon to HDH, you’ll all think I’m completely loopy.
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Mark V said:
Robb, I wouldn’t think you were loopy, but I’m glad you added “even” to Dean and Weatherspoon. They’re a team whose productions I would call “sentimental” on a bad day, which is not a term I’d usually use to describe Motown music.
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MotownFan1962 said:
I like Stevenson/Hunter’s songs, too. My favorite by them is “Just Ask The Lonely” by the Four Tops. “Dancing in the Street”, too (which they co-wrote with Marvin Gaye). They knew how to write! Imagine what wonderful gems H-D-H and Stevenson/Hunter could have come up with if they worked together.
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MotownFan1962 said:
“Just Ask the Lonely Why I Want You Back, Jimmy Mack”
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Robb Klein said:
Brian Holland and Mickey Stevenson wrote some songs together. Just like “too many cooks spoil the soup”, 5 songwriters on one song is likely to be too much. I don’t think I’d want to hear a bevy of songs written by Holland, Dozier, Holland, Stevenson and Hunter. Cutting the royalties 5 ways would also be a downer. That’s also why I limit my storywriting partners to no more than one.
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MotownFan1962 said:
True. Then again, five heads are better than three or two. Example: The Miracles.
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Robb Klein said:
In singing, 5 heads may be better than 2, but probably not in songwriting. Usually, if you see more than 3 writers, the 4th and 5th most likely just contributed one small element in one place in the song. usually two writers work together, and the third is like an “editor”, providing the outside view, and polishing the song. I’m guessing that Ashford and Simpson worked together on songs, and Jo Armstead then added her elements, or she gave them an idea, and the pair took it and ran with it. I wonder how The Tokens (Margo, Margo and Medress worked)?
Usually, when there were 5 writers listed for a song, each group member contributed at least a little feature to the song, but, I’d bet they probably had two major writers (one for the tune, and one for the music).
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The Nixon Administration said:
What’s the old maxim? “Change a word, claim a third”? 🙂
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Damecia said:
So MotownFan1962 are you saying that you couldn’t twist or watusi to ‘Come See About Me?’ lol
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MotownFan1962 said:
No. Too slow for the Twist and too soft for the Watusi. At least in my opinion. I might be able to Waltz to it, though. Or do the Four Tops’ signature move.
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More Love and More Joy said:
Of course. Although I was still in my playpen in 1964, everything I’ve ever read suggests that the American music industry panicked at the British Invasion. But not Motown. Its brilliant, bellicose answer to the British Invasion was to invade Britain, namely with the Supremes! Had Berry Gordy not been faced with the prospect of extinction by the Beatles, the Supremes may not have had the do-or-die impetus that propelled them to international superstardom!
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144man said:
I would never have picked this out from the album as an obvious single. Unlike “Where Did Our Love Go”, this has grown on me over the years, so I rate it a 7.
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The Nixon Administration said:
I agree, but Wand had few unused cuts to pick from – this or Long Gone Lover, I reckon – and that’s why I question whether Motown ever meant to release it. But #1 (and twice, as has been mentioned), and look at these responses! Can’t argue with the pick.
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Rhine Ruder said:
i will not believe this wasn’t written as a single, that intro says listen to me on your car radio and don’t stop listening until the fadeout!
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Damecia said:
Agree! that intro is remarkable, I feel the same with “Ask Any Girl” too bad that wasn’t released as a single.
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Landini said:
I believe I read in some Motown book or other that this one was definitely slated for a single release. Can’t remember where I read it. Of course, the Dodds version caused Motown to panic & rush release the Supremes version. By the way, someone (maybe Damecia) mentioned Ross’s pronunciation of uncertain. That is funny. I always thought she was saying “unsatisfied”. Hmm Grandpa Landini needs to turn his hearing aid up! LOL! Of course, this is from the same guy who thought the Four Tops were saying “like pigeons & a letter” rather than “pages in a letter” in “Ain’t No Woman”. LOL!
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Damecia said:
Granpa Landini where have you been!?! I’ve been missing your commentary (LOL). Although I am flattered you thought it was me who mentioned Ross’s pronounciation of “uncertain” it was not me. It was our Motown Supplier Steve D. (lol). I only agreed.
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Landini said:
Hi Damecia, Don’t know if you have seen my other posts. I went kind of crazy posting. I have had some health issues. Some cancer has returned & I am taking chemo every 3 weeks. So please keep me in your prayers. Hope you are doing well. Bless you!
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Robb Klein said:
I have to agree here. I have no doubt that this song was slated for release as a single from the start.
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ExGuyParis said:
Lovely review! I get so excited when I see the email announcing a new one. I dive in, and pull up the song on iTunes, and listen as I read. Telltale sign that you are a Supremes fanatic: there are 30 “different” versions of the song in your iTunes library (or 29 if you exclude “Jonny Und Joe”). Yes, 30… each from a different album. Live versions, extended versions, mono, stereo, one by Earl Van Dyke, one by the Funk Brothers… some slightly faster, and some slightly slower, giving a minutely different plot twist. The “without lead vocal” version is so cool… you get to appreciate where F&M are alone and where Diana play background singer as well. How is it I’m not tired of hearing the song after 40-some years, and hundreds and hundreds (perhaps even thousands) of listens? I don’t know, but that’s the case.
It still conjures up memories of seeing them perform it live, quite a few times. It still sounds fresh and fine. I adore the fact that you can hear the distinct voices of Flo & Mary (as they had not yet so radically pushed Diana’s voice into the foreground and reduced F&M so strongly… that eventually they could substitute fakes and nobody knew).
Hi, I’m Paul, and I’m a Supremes freak!
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Ron Leonard said:
I’m very glad to see another Supremes freak!! However, I’m a Motown freak, too!!
Another thing on “Come See About Me”, where Diana sings ” No matter what you do or say..I’m gonna love you anyway”, listen to how the music rythym track, base and guitar really hit it hard..in other words accentuated..This for me is only really pronounced on the single mix..Holland, Dozier, Holland and Berry Gordy made sure that the Motown songs really stood out on AM radio..and yes, this 45 is going on 46 years old and I’am definatley NOT tired of it
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Ron Leonard said:
I stand corrected!! “Come See About Me” is going on 48 years old!! 1964 to 2012.
Duh!!
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Damecia said:
@ExGuyParis You’re not alone…I get excited when I see a new post too! (LOL) Paul I will agree that you are a Supremes addict = )
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ExGuyParis said:
Oops… forgot to cite the funked-up cover by The Originals. Sorry, guys!
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MotownFan1962 said:
Well, The Andantes did sound a lot like Flo and Mary to untrained ears, especially on “In and Out of Love”. They were very talented vocalists, and quite good at imiations, too. If you listen to some of the tracks on “The Return of The Marvelettes” (namely “Uptown” and “Someday We’ll Be Together”), you’d swear Gladys, Katherine, and Georgeanna were on those tracks!
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Ed Pauli said:
I see that you have pictured both the crappy styrene pressing and the superior RCA pressing ( UK fans were spared styrene!!)
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Dave L said:
I have at least three copies, one of them says only “Taken from album Motown 621” – without mentioning the title also, but I’ve never -till now- saw a copy that doesn’t credit the LP at all.
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Mark V said:
I really thought when you said you had three 10’s coming along before the end of 1964 that this would be one of them. This is my favorite song on the album “Where Did Our Love Go” and a true revelation because I had not heard it until I bought the album. (I think the time frame is right there. It’s been a long time.) I’ll have to wait until “Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart” before this one is equalled in my estimation.
I really enjoy your reviews and was especially looking forward to this one.The record is a ten in my book for sure. But your review of “Baby Love” exceeds the review of this one because it made me listen to BL with fresh ears.
Thanks.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Thanks Mark, it’s always nice to get that kind of response.
There are two 10s left for ’64. One is crushingly obvious, the other I’ll be very interested to see the reaction. No spoilers 🙂
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The Nixon Administration said:
(oh alright, it’s Ray Oddis)
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Damecia said:
Already 27 comments! It must be The Supremes = ) (LOL).
They say you learn something knew everyday and it’s true. From Nixon I’ve just learned that “Come See About Me” is the Supremes record that really wasn’t suppose to be released. WOW! I’ve read “Call Her Miss Ross” and the updated version numerous times and J. Randy Taraborrelli never mentioned this. (LOL)
With this being the record that wasn’t suppose to be released it is interesting to note that this is the song the girls sung on their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
I can’t imagine “Stop! In The Name of Love” being released after “Baby Love.” After 2 hits that sounded like nothing that was out at the time the simplicity of “Come See About Me” was needed. Especially considering the grandness of “Stop! In The Name of Love.”
I’ve always liked “Come See About Me” because of how easy it is to sing. This is a song that almost anyone can sing and sound some kind of decent. Another thing I like about “Come See About Me” is the versatility this song has. It can become jazzy, soulful, MOD, or contemporary.
I agree with Nixon that Miss Ross pronunciation of “uncertain” stole the show on this record. (LOL). All in all, the girls didn’t do too much or too little. That is why this is a great pop record = )
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Damecia said:
I wished Nixon reviewed albums too (no pressure here…I know you’re not Superman lol). I’m curious to here your thoughts on the album as a hold.
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Landini said:
Are you talking about the “Where DId Our Love Go” album? I personally love it! By the way, Nella Dodds wasn’t the only one to try to pull a potential hit off of a Motown album. Sandy & the Pebbles released a single of “My Kind of Fellow” from the Gladys Knight/Pips album “Everybody Needs Love”. Bob Brady & the Concords (an East Coast group) had a fairly big hit with Smokey’s “More More More Of Your Love” from the Miracles “Away We A Go Go” album. Bob Brady’s voice sounds exactly like Smokey’s Miss Dodds even tried her hand again with a Supremes album track called “Honey Boy”. Two different singers, Darrel Banks & George Carrow, attempted to have a hit with a Stevie Wonder album track called “Angel Baby”. In 1976 a hitless 5th Dimension tried to beat Motown/Diana Ross to the punch by releasing their own version of “Love Hangover” (then a cut on Diana’s 1976 self titled album) as a single. Of course, Motown rushed released Diana’s version & promptly put the poor 5th D’s version through the wood chipper!
Oh yeah, I heard Nella Dodds (who lives in Maryland) interviewed on a Baltimore Oldies station back in the late 80s. Very nice lady. Apparently she is very popluar with the Northern Soul crowd.
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Landini said:
One more thing. I love the Jr Walker remake of “Come See About Me”!
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Damecia said:
When it comes to the battle of “Love Hangover” Miss Ross wins hands down! IMO one of the sexiest songs of all time.
I had no. idea of all of these rushed Motown covers! Thanx for schoolin me Grandpa Landini = )
Yes I was refering to the “Where Did Our Love Go. ” I vote it one of my top 5 Supremes albums because it contains all diffrent some sounds. Some terrible, some bad, some good and others brilliant yet the eagerness & youthfulness of the Supremes & HDH were all there. Discovery is the word I would use to summarize the album as a whole.
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John Plant said:
Ah, Damecia, perhaps when Nixon finishes this massive and awe-inspiring project, he’ll do precisely what you suggest; a review of all Motown albums (in their many and various forms) from his pen would be a wonderful thing. As for this particular album, it is devastatingly redolent of my sophomore year at college – I can remember my roommate (still one of my closest friends) waking me at 3 AM, having just seen Fellini’ s 8 1/2, and the sound of that first album is intimately wrapped up in that experience – and in so many others. Many all-nighters were solaced by the haunting presence of those three voices singing ‘He Means the World to Me’ , ‘Standing at the Crossroads’, – or yes, ever memorably, ‘Come See About Me..’
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Damecia said:
= )
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Mary Plant said:
So I might as well chime in with my own 10 – I’ve been see-sawing between 9 and 10. Damecia hit the nail on the head (as she often does) about it being so sing-able, which, to a 14 year-old girl is key. The old Dick Clark show rating by the dancers that “it has a good beat and you can dance to it” really sums up my sometimes visceral reaction to a song – the fact that it’s got great lyrics and a great tune are icing on the cake! As usual,outstanding review from Nixon and wonderful comments, everyone!
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David L. said:
I think “Come See About Me” deserves a solid ten. I know I’m getting my review in a little late, so I’ll dive right in. You can literally hear the song coming. The drum beat starts off slow and then gets louder like it’s playing in a car that’s roaring around the corner. The guitar intro knocks me out and it’s used well throughout the song for emphasis. This song is a rock-and-sassy relief compared to the saccharine-sweet “Baby Love”. Love it.
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The Nixon Administration said:
There’s no time limits here – in a way, we’re all fifty years late already…
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Mickey The Twistin' Playboy said:
I wasn’t a big fan of CSAM when it first came out but over the years it’s grown on me. In my best mood to hear it I rate it 8/10. .
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Robert said:
Diana Ross’s account (on the 1970s blue Motown box set) of the rush-release of “Come See About Me”:
“Baby Love, and Come See About Me, were from the same album, Where Did Our Love Go. And the album was so big that we began to release things one right after the other. As soon as a record would go down a little bit, we’d release another one from the album. We only released Come See About Me because, it was covered, it was getting ready to be covered by, Nella Dodds, and we didn’t think that was fair, because we planned on releasing it but we didn’t want to release it right away. So, we released it, and at the same time her record was out… and we had a little battle going, which was best, I guess, because we continued to work hard and tried to get another hit record.”
I love that last sentence. What an understatement.
Um, what can I say about Come See About Me. I guess I can start with, It’s the perfect pop record. Over the past 40+ years, I can honestly say I have listened to that record thousands of times. It never gets old and I never get tired of it. I can get lost in it. But I can’t review it right now. I’ll do that later. In the book Conversations With Joan Crawford, the author interviewing JC asks her for comments and memories about each and every film she made, beginning with her very first silent. When he gets to her her triumphant “Mildred Pierce,” she asks to take a break. “I want to be fresh for this one.” And I want to be fresh when I write about Come See About Me.
Robert
Lafayette, LA, USA
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Damecia said:
Robert, I love your commentary! You are a delight. Hope I’m not sounding like a Motown Junkie Groupie right now lol
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Robert said:
LOL — Thanks again! In real life, I don’t talk much, but I love to write. What you’re going to get from me on Come See About Me will probably be very lengthy and wordy. It will be 40+ years of thoughts and feelings about this record that I’ve never been able to share with anyone else before, because they just wouldn’t understand. So now’s my chance!
Robert
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Damecia said:
I can’t wait to read it = )
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The Nixon Administration said:
Looking forward to it! Lengthy and Wordy are my middle names. Well, not really.
Welcome to the site, Robert. Glad you’re enjoying.
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bogart4017 said:
The Nella Dodds version was interesting to hear but it really lacked the punch and drive of the original. Its as if The Supremes have the “hungrier” version. I became interested in it upon release because i liked a lot of things that were coming out of the Wand/Scepter labels (Chuck Jackson, Tommy Hunt, Lenny Miles, Maxine Brown, Big Maybelle) and there was the instant familiarity since i had the WDOLG Lp.
Not only was i the first one on the block with the record—–i was the only one. I don’t think i’ve ever seen a record die so quickly! The was no radio support whatsoever. Well, a cousin of mine did inform me theat Frantic Ernie Durham from WJLB in Detroit had Nella’s version as a “pick hit to click” while the Supremes “Baby Love” was sitting at the stations top ten (According to him #2 was “Needle In a Haystack).
Anyway The Supremes single rapidly became the most worn out single in jukeboxes in the neighborhood and i did notice that people responded to it quicker than any of the other singles the Supremes released before. From the fade-in the dancefloor filled up quickly and at some house parties, to this day, its the same reaction. I think its because this one sounded more R & B than pop,, at least to me it did. They would never be as soulful as this again until “Someday We’ll Be Together”.
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Damecia said:
“Hungry” the most accurate words IMO to describe the Supremes on this record and during this time period.
I will have to disagree with you Bogart though because I don’t think this is the last time they were soulful until “Someday We’ll Be Together” I think we get alot of soul on “Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart.” It’s a Supremes record like no other. I can’t wait until Steve D. reviews it!
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bogart4017 said:
I will agree with you disagreeing with me—-you see i havent heard the song in a long time and “Love is Like…” has never been one of the songs that stands out in my brain when walking through a mental discography. I know it has the danceability that some others don’t have but it just wasnt as popular amongst my set back in ’66.
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Damecia said:
Bogart I just love your commentary lol
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bogart4017 said:
thanx–I told some of my co-workers about your you-tube videos and they suitably impressed. You have a bright future in these here United States.
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Damecia said:
thank you! = ). As you can clearly see Motown is a major influence.
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Robert said:
Interesting comments. Dodds’ version sounds, to me, a little spoofy. Like she’s spoofing Diana’s delivery. The Supremes’ version is perfection on vinyl. I’ve always seen it as one of their overlooked hits, sandwiched between two others that people know more. It’s like, Oh yeah, Come See About Me, I like that one. But for me it is and always will be THE one.
I’m working on a review to post here. I hope there’s enough bandwidth in the universe to contain my comments!
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Damecia said:
So right about the sandwiched in between over looked good hit
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bogart4017 said:
Now see its just the opposite here. Nobody i know overlooked this record ack in ’64. In fact, i know some people who as far the Supremes are concerned the only 45’s they own are WDOLG, CSAM and “Someday We’ll Be Together”. And literally that is it. Oh, they’re aware of all the others but arent interested. My late father, the only Supremes product he ever purchased was CSAM and the single copy of “A Place In The Sun” featuring the Temptations. And i always had the sneaky suspicion that was only because he was a huge Paul Williams fan.
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Robert said:
I’m glad it received so much attention in those days. It was Number One on the U.S. Billboard pop chart the day I turned six, Jan. 16, 1965. I don’t remember knowing about the Supremes until Stop! came out a few months later. That’s when my older sisters went crazy over them, and I went along with them. For me, CSAM was sorta like “that other song.” I didn’t fall in love with it until ten years later when I was in high school. After learning about Florence Ballard’s situation (she was still alive then), I started listening to my sister’s Greatest Hits double lp. I would come home from school every day and listen to CSAM over and over. I’ve been hooked ever since. I know I’ve listened to it literally thousands of times over the years, because I still listen to it several times a week. I’ve already listened to it today! I’ve always been just this side of insanely obsessed with this song. But it makes me happy and it doesn’t hurt anyone!
Robert
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Abbott Cooper said:
Don’t agree with the final sentence. I think “Back In My Arms Again” was plenty soulful.
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144man said:
Thank you to Platters81 on the Soulful Detroit Forum for introducing me to Claudine Clark’s “Goodbye Mama”. Listen to this on YouTube, paying particular attention to the backing track, and marvel at the sheer cheek of it all.
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jam said:
She’s even credited as the only writer. Definitely marvelling at the cheek.
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Kevin Moore said:
Great song – great review – my 3 bits:
1. I would give this a 10/10 if not for the out-of-tune backup vocals (especially on “come see about me”, but almost everywhere), so 8/10 seems about right. The song, the lead vocal and the rhythm section are so great that it’s a classic in spite of the intonation, especially since the vocal arrangement itself is quite strong. I don’t understand it, given that they should have had plenty of budget for overdubs and retakes, and since the Supremes had turned in plenty of exquisite backup vocal tracks in the past. I get that it was necessary to have a visually appealing front line of singers, unique to each group, but for the studio, I would have sifted through those gospel groups for some golden-piped ringers and created a “funk sisters” backup juggernaut to call in when necessary. I’m probably full of crap on this, but one way or another it was a crime for Quality Control to have put this out without fixing the intonation on the chorus. Maybe because they were hurrying for the reasons you explain?
2. There are some things that seem to pre-echo Rubber Soul (especially You Won’t See Me – the horns at 1:40 sound like “time after time you refuse to even listen”) (also the iv minor of “come on boy, see about me”)
3. This is definitely NOT the hard-to-define HDH shuffle.
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Slade Barker said:
Just want to add that rushing out a single to compete with a cover was a very common phenomenon. Brian Wilson was a bit miffed when a non-Beach Boys band took “Little Honda,” one of his BB’s album cuts & got a cover hit out of it. Yes, even though he made extra money from “the Hondells”‘s version. So much so that when he heard another band was going to take his album track “Help Me Ronda” for THEIR single, he hastily recorded a whole new, much better version and retitled it “Help Me, Rhonda,” so theirs wouldn’t even have the current NAME! The BB’s got another huge hit, and the other version never even came out. That’s how competitive people were back then, and it was standard for top acts to release three albums a year (at least in the US), so it was all very heady stuff.
The dark side of all of this is that record labels sometimes stole hits right out from other performers. Evie Sands, one of the GREAT voices of the ’60s, was the victim of this over & over again. She’s worth discovering, though it’s heartbreaking to hear the (sometimes note-for-note) cover versions of her songs that rose to the top of the charts, or near it.
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Abbott Cooper said:
Heartbreaking is a perfect description for all those cover versions of the records of black R&B singers and groups by white replacements like the Fontaine Sisters, Georgia Gibbs, the McGuire Sisters, Pat Boone, et.al. in the 1950s because record company owners didn’t think white ears were ready for so called race music.
As for the song at hand, I still have the 7- inch tape upon which I recorded this song on my Voice of Music 4-track reel-to-reel tape recorder, and unerased is the intro by the radio DJ who called the singers the Marchin’ Supremes. And they sho’ nuff marched with a quick pace right up to #1 and into my limited gallery of “10” rated songs. I never grow tired of this one. BTW, in NYC, on the R&B stations, the group was known as the SUpremes (accent ALWAYS on the first syllable.
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More Love More Joy said:
This is the strongest of their three #1 singles of 1964. It’s not about baby love, or love foregone. Not to mansplain too much I ho, but it is IMO about a young woman’s faithful but mature realization of SEX. Diana’s lovely, kittenish vocals frame the line “Come see about me,” a rich old, G-rated euphemism in the Black community about doing it. But pulling it off requires the melody, gospelish backups and crackerjack instrumental work that is delivered up here on a silver platter. 10/10
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