I’m taking you back more than half a century tonight, to 1964 when The Supremes recorded Baby Love and hit #1 on both the U.S. and UK charts. The Motown songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland wrote this, and according to Lamont Dozier …
“I would collaborate with Eddie on lyrics and with Brian on melodies. Then Brian and I would go into the studio and produce the actual record although Eddie should have been put down as one of the producers because he helped teach the artists the tune when the lyric was finished.”
This was the follow-up to Where Did Our Love Go, The Supremes breakout hit and first #1 in America. That song mentions the word “baby” 68 times, so its fitting that their next single had that word in the title. Baby Love was released on September 17, 1964, while “Where Did Our Love Go” was still on the charts.
The Supremes became the first Motown act to have more than one American number-one single, and by the end of the decade, would have more number-one singles than any other Motown act (or American pop music group) with 12, a record they continue to hold.
Motown gave this song a big push in the UK, where The Supremes were sent to tour starting on October 7, 1964. On October 15, they performed the song on the popular program Top Of The Pops, and near the end of the tour made an appearance with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. On November 25, the song hit #1 on the UK chart, making The Supremes the first Motown group and the first girl group to reach #1 in that territory. It was their only UK #1, as the rest of their career was focused on America. Then second Motown act to hit #1 in the UK was The Four Tops with Reach Out I’ll Be There in 1966.
Baby Love
The Supremes
Baby love, my baby love
I need you, oh how I need you!
But all you do is treat me bad
Break my heart and leave me sad
Tell me, what did I do wrong?
To make you stay away so long
‘Cause baby love, my baby love
Been missing ya, miss kissing ya
Instead of breaking up
Let’s do some kissing and making up
Don’t throw our love away
In my arms why don’t you stay?
Need ya, need ya, baby love, baby love
Baby love, my baby love
Why must we separate, my love?
All of my whole life through
I never loved no one but you
Why you do me like you do?
I get this need
Need to hold you, once again, my love
Feel your warm embrace, my love
Don’t throw our love away
Please don’t do me this way
Not happy like I used to be
Loneliness has got the best of me
My love, my baby love
I need you, oh how I need you!
Why you do me like you do?
After I’ve been true to you
So deep in love with you
Baby, baby, ’til it’s hurtin’ me
‘Til it’s hurtin’ me, baby love
Don’t throw our love away
Don’t throw our love away
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Lamont Dozier / Brian Holland / Eddie Holland
This song was a favorite of mine, Jill. Thanks for featuring it. 🙂 — Suzanne
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so glad, Suzanne! Listen again … do a little bit of foot-tapping there! It’s good for you!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yep. 😀 — Suzanne
LikeLiked by 2 people
Jill, what amazes me about The Supremes is took many tries to get that break through hit. But, once they did, it unleashed the dam. Keith
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed, once they found their spot, they ran with it! I still love their music … it never grows old.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Back then I thought they were throwing all the best records in the direction of the Supremes. at the expense of other talent on the Motown label. Not that the Supremes weren’t talented because they all were and any one of them could have sung lead.Groups like Martha Reeves who had a hit in 1963 had to take a back seat. Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye weren’t part of the invasion of the UK in this year but did make it in 65. My all-time favourites, The Four Tops made it later still. Motown was here to stay in our hearts and minds, life would never be the same.
Cwtch
LikeLike
The Supremes did seem to dominate the airwaves, but eventually the movement grew and made way for so many other greats, such as the ones you mention. Where is that sort of talent in today’s music? I’m just not seeing (hearing) it.
Cwtch
LikeLike
Loved this video, Jill. Diana had a mountain of hair. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That was one of the first things I noticed … that hair! But then, I remembered that in 1964 I used to tease my hair until it stood up high, wear gaudy eye makeup (blue with gold spreckled eye shadow) and roll my skirt up ’til it barely covered my posterior! I thought I was the bees knees! Amazing how times change.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There was a lot of fun to be had in those days. 😁
LikeLike
Loved these songs. Came out just at the time I started to take notice of ‘the music scene’
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m glad you liked it … yes, this was about the time I was developing a taste for certain types of music while turning my nose up at others, notably C&W.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Genres don’t worry me too much. It’s what folks do to them. Each type is replete with cringeables
Now Alison Krauss, there’s a good bluegrass-country lady.
LikeLiked by 1 person
True, but the twang of Country and Bluegrass just grate on my nerves, somehow. Never heard of Alison Krauss, but I will definitely check her out!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yeah some of those twangs truly assail the nerves like scratchy fingers down a blackboard.
A bit like some of the thrash metal where the lyrics sound like:
‘Warrrble, frabble,urgggle, draggel…Blaggggggh!
Nobblelgh, dribble, wooble, freeble…Urrrrghahhhh!’
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh definitely so! I cannot even listen to heavy metal! My friend Herb consistently sends me music to listen to and prefaces it with, “I know you’ll hate this, but …” Usually, about 15 seconds and I’m jerking the headphones off!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yep!
So let’s find ‘Nathan Jones’ by the Supremes and indulge in a bit of ol’ Tamala Motown
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t know as I’ve ever heard “Nathan Jones”, but I’ll go in search of …
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s cool one!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I did listen … nope, never heard this one before! I see it made it to #5 in the UK and #16 in the U.S., so I’m not sure why I never heard it! I think it will need to grow on me …
LikeLiked by 2 people
It will😃
LikeLiked by 2 people
I remember watching them on TOTP many times: it was the springboard that launched many acts here, not just the Motown ones. In those days, BBC radio was stuck in a time warp, until the pirate radio stations shook them up and changed things completely.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Back in the day, were you a fan of The Beatles? They were, as you probably know, wildly popular here, but frankly I didn’t really enjoy their music in the early days, though I did start liking it somewhere along the line, but I still don’t care for their early works.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, huge fan and still am. I was 9 when Love Me Do came out, the age when I was really beginning to know music, and they were extremely influential for youngsters here. You should revisit their early albums – there are some great songs there, amongst the cover versions that padded them out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perhaps I shall!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just fabulous, the Supremes really live up to their name. Diana Ross is goddess of Motown for sure. Luv it ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person