The Supremes’ rise to the top was slow and gradual, and their largely disappointing debut LP, Meet The Supremes, hardly suggested them as Motown’s future hit machine. The group had yet to achieve a big hit like their fellow Motown girl groups, the Marvelettes and Martha and the Vandellas, who had burst onto the scene successfully in ’63. But like Martha and the Vandellas, some fortunate timing kick-started a stuttering career, and Where Did Our Love Go did more than just put the Supremes on the map; it made them global superstars.
After Meet The Supremes flopped commercially, Clarence Paul became the latest songwriter to chance his arm with the group. Paul used the success of Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds In Country and Western Music as a template for a whole album’s worth of material he recorded on the Supremes, eventually released in 1965 as The Supremes Sing Country, Western & Pop. After the country doo-wop crossover ‘My Heart Can’t Take It No More’ failed to dent the charts, Smokey Robinson was given a quick blast with the girls. Released in June ’63, the charming albeit clunky ‘A Breath Taking Guy’ provided their biggest hit to date, reaching a lowly #75.
Moving in the right direction, the Supremes were handed to Motown’s newest hitmakers, the songwriting engine Holland-Dozier-Holland. The trio had provided hits for the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, and the Vandellas, something which hadn’t escaped the ambitious eyes of Diana Ross. Finally, the group scored a genuine hit with the HDH penned ‘When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes’, which reached #23 and #2 in the pop and R&B charts, respectively. With their potential seemingly untapped, the Supremes were set to fly.
In February ’64, the much-anticipated follow-up ‘Run Run Run’ was released, bringing the group crashing back down to earth as it languished in the lower echelons of the charts. Consistency was proving elusive for the group, and Berry Gordy was starting to get restless. The walkout of Marry Wells had led to uneasy murmurings within the label, with Smokey Robinson also being courted by Scepter Records. Gordy needed someone to fill Wells’s space as one of Motown’s major acts before more of his talent and resources were enticed away. Thankfully, HDH were on hand, gift-wrapping the Supremes with Motown’s best single to date.
‘Where Did Our Love Go’ was originally intended for the Marvelettes, but they turned it down, preferring to record ‘Too Many Fish In The Sea’ instead. Motown’s revolving door provided the Supremes with a golden opportunity, one they were reluctant to take, with Ross, in particular, unenamoured with the track. Coaxed into recording it, Gordy predicted the song would take the group into the top ten, while Motown’s promotional manager Barney Ales went bolder, envisioning it as a number-one hit. Ales would be proved right.
‘Where Did Our Love Go’ was a slow burner in the charts; its rise was aided by the Supremes’ appearance in Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars tour in the summer of ’64. The Supremes’ live performances and Motown’s marketing efforts saw the single rise from its tentative beginnings at #77. Slowly climbing into the top ten in August, the single eventually usurped Dean Martin’s ‘Everybody Loves Somebody’ to claim pole position, where it would remain for a further two weeks. ‘Where Did Our Love Go’ would form the centrepiece of the group’s album of the same name, released just as the single reached its peak.
‘Where Did Our Love Go’ finds power in its simplicity, driven by its foot-stomping rhythm; the only slight bit of indulgence is a lovely saxophone solo. Ross dips into a lower register, perfectly encapsulating the song’s mournful quality with a maturity her shriller tones wouldn’t have provided. Supported by some great harmonies from Ballard and Wilson, it kicked off a run of five consecutive number-one singles for the group. Synth-pop duo Soft Cell famously went on to superbly blend it into a successful 12′ inch with their cover of ‘Tainted Love’. ‘Run, Run, Run’ moves into groovier territory, filled with bouncing horns; it’s a better track than its chart placing suggests, with Ross in sparkling form.
‘Baby Love’ was another number-one smash, a gorgeous effort that again utilises a foot-tapping rhythm (albeit quieter) alongside some chiming keys and swinging harmonies. Hiding heartbreak behind a cheerful melody, Ross sounds mature beyond her years. ‘When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes’ ratchets up the tempo, driven along by its powerful drums and handclapping rhythm and featuring some nice backing vocals from the Four Tops. The tempo is fractionally too quick, and the song trips over itself slightly, particularly in its rushed chorus. ‘Come See About Me’ is soft and velvety, with all three girls in fine fettle. The song was notably released as a single after a version by 14-year-old Nella Dodds threatened to upstage it, dipping into the charts until Motown quashed her ambitions.
The Smokey Robinson penned ‘Long Gone Lover’ features some nice interplaying between the trio as they share the lead, Ballard providing a shrill finish. Its punchy rhythm and swirling harmonies make it a catchy little ditty. ‘I’m Giving You Your Freedom’ is a slow, plinky number with a gentle but slightly hesitant hook and jittery percussion, though it showcases some lovely flamenco guitar licks. ‘A Breathtaking Guy’ is decent without being groundbreaking, featuring some tight guitar work and a swaying, if hardly captivating, rhythm. The calypso-infused ‘He Means The World To Me’ is elevated by some wonderful vocals from Ross; otherwise, it’s a bit rough and wayward with its misplaced vibraphone notes.
The shimmering ‘Staring at the Crossroads of Love’ is a fiesta in high notes, with Ross’s shrill tones countered nicely by Ballard and Wilson’s sultry backing vocals. The Robert Gordy-produced, ‘Your Kiss of Fire’, is a busy number, with its bouncing horns, whirling pianos and skittish percussion. It’s fun but suffers from some very ordinary vocals, Ross singing that without her lover’s kiss, she’s “like a fish without the sea”. ‘Ask Any Girl’ is caught between eras but provides an interesting conclusion. Beginning with these semi-operatic strings, which give way to some vibrant horns, it bobs along quite nicely, with some cooing backing vocals thrown in for good measure.
Where Did Our Love Go is a consistent effort, though the second side is weaker than the first, which is chock-full of hits. The Supremes gained a reputation as a singles machine, making a mockery of those who once dubbed them the “No-hits Supremes”, and Where Did Our Love is essentially a set of singles packaged together. The record became Motown’s most successful commercial album to date, reaching #2 in the charts, only held off the top spot by the Beatles ’65. Where Did Our Love Go fared similarly well in the UK as the Supremes countered the British invasion. With HDH in place, and the group finding their feet, more hits would follow.