This is one of those oldies that everyone knows, but, having been outside of the U.S. for several years, I hadn't heard it for a while, and when I heard it on the radio the other day, I thought, "I'd forgotten how catchy this song is." So I thought I'd write a bit about it.
Everyone loves The Supremes, right? They were the most popular girl group in the 1960s for a reason.
And yet, at least for me, The Supremes songs often do not reward multiple relistens the way other classic songs do. Their songs are catchy, but shallow. The first time you hear a Supremes song, you think, "Oh, this is pretty fun." But the second time you hear it, you're starting to get bored. And the third time you hear it, you change the radio station.
This particular song, though, has been sticking with me. I don't know, maybe give me a few more listens and I'll probably get sick of it. But for the moment, I still like it. It starts out really catchy with those staccatoo strings, and then transitions into a nice flowing melody, while still keeping an up tempo drumbeat.
This particular song, though, has been sticking with me. I don't know, maybe give me a few more listens and I'll probably get sick of it. But for the moment, I still like it. It starts out really catchy with those staccatoo strings, and then transitions into a nice flowing melody, while still keeping an up tempo drumbeat.
When I heard it on the radio, I thought to myself, "Hmmm, this sounds kind of like a Supreme's type melody. But it seems to be more of a male/female duet than a girl group."
So I looked it up on Wikipedia, and:
Unable at first to get the vocal performance he desired from Ross, Johnny Bristol decided to try something different: he would harmonize with her, helping Ross to get into the mood needed for the record. On the first take, the engineer accidentally recorded both Ross's vocal and Bristol's ad-libs. Bristol and arranger Wade Marcus liked the results, and Bristol had his vocal recorded alongside Ross' for the final version of the song. Bristol's ad-libs and words of encouragement to Ross can be heard in the background throughout the song. When Berry Gordy heard the completed song, he decided to release it as the final Diana Ross & the Supremes song. Neither of the Supremes' remaining members, however, sang on the record.
Ah, so that explains that. That's interesting, though, that he was "unable at first to get the vocal performance he desired from Ross." I wonder what was going on with Ross? And it also makes you wonder: Did he finally get the performance he wanted out of Ross?
I took another listen to the song, and it's still not bad, but is it just me, or are Diana Ross's vocals a little bit subdued?
Also according to Wikipedia:
The girl group made their final of several performances throughout the decade with Diana Ross singing lead on the 1960s decennial finale of The Ed Sullivan Show that aired live Sunday, December 21, 1969, on CBS.[7]
...and when you watch that clip, it kind of looks like Diana Ross is sleepwalking through the performance, doesn't it?
Compare Diana Ross's performance on Love Child. Obviously Diana Ross could throw herself into a song when she wanted to.
I don't know, what do you think? Would Someday We'll be Together have benefited from more energetic vocals on Diana Ross's part, or is it perfect just the way it is?
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While I was on Wikipedia, I also read up on Johnny Bristol (the guy mentioned above who contributed the male vocals.) Turns out he also had some hits under his own name, like Hang in There Baby, which I don't remember ever hearing before, but which sounds decent.
