CoronaVinyl Day 184 (S): Where Did Our Love Go by The Supremes

For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.

Today's CoronaVinyl category is "S," and I haven't yet featured a Supremes album, despite the fact that I have three of them, so now's as good a time as any.

In 1964, The Supremes released their second studio album, Where Did Our Love Go, and in doing so, the so-called "Motown Sound" that would dominate the rest of the decade was introduced to the world.  Where Did Our Love Go featured the group's singles and B-sides from 1963 and 1964, including the group's first three #1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100:  the title track, "Baby Love," and "Come See About Me."  With that feat, The Supremes became the first artist/group in history to have three Billboard #1 hits from the same album.

The album was #1 on the inaugural Billboard R&B album chart in January 1965, and it also reached #2 on the Billboard album chart for four consecutive weeks, held out of #1 by The Beatles' North American counterpart to Beatles For Sale, the Beatles '65 album.  At the time, it was the highest-charting album for an all-female group.

I know I've featured many Motown albums during CoronaVinyl, and I guess I can't reiterate enough what great pop music was being generated from Motown in the '60s.  In addition to the pop songwriting genius of Holland-Dozier-Holland, Smokey Robinson, Norman Whitfield, Harvey Fuqua, and the many other great Motown songwriters, Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard played a huge part in Motown's national and international success -- and, more importantly, helped pave the way for other African-American R&B and soul acts to find crossover success.  

Now that we're more than 50 years removed from the '60s, I think it's easy to forget (or maybe you didn't know in the first place!) how huge The Supremes were.  They were the most successful American group of the '60s, and remain the most successful American vocal group ever.  From late 1963 through the end of the decade, The Supremes had 25 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including 18 Top 10 songs, and 12 #1 songs -- including the very last #1 song of the '60s, "Someday We'll Be Together."  They were second only to The Beatles in terms of chart success in the '60s.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "Where Did Our Love Go"

The title track and first track on the album is a classic and, in my mind, it is the epitome of the Motown Sound.  It's pure pop ecstasy, courtesy of Holland-Dozier-Holland's innovative and counterintuitive songwriting and production.  While Diana Ross sings verses, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard are singing the chorus in the background at the same time.  It shouldn't work because they're basically singing over each other, but it ends up having the opposite effect, where you can't help but sing the chorus.  And when the song is over, you're still singing "baby baby, where did our love go?"

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Your Kiss of Fire"
This is one of the few songs on the album not written by Holland-Dozier-Holland.  It was written by Robert Gordy (Berry's brother) and Harvey Fuqua.  I just like the imagery of "your sweet kiss of fire" and the fact that this song beckons it.