The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart
Encyclopedia
The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart is a 1967 album
recorded by The Supremes
for Motown. The album is wholly composed of covers of show tunes written by the songwriting duo of Richard Rodgers
and Lorenz Hart
. The album was the final album released before The Supremes' name was changed to "Diana Ross & the Supremes", and member Florence Ballard
replaced by Cindy Birdsong
.
Originally intended as a double album, The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart was halved before Motown issued it in May 1967. In 1986, two unreleased tracks from the Rodgers & Hart sessions were included in the Diana Ross & the Supremes' 25th Anniversary collection. Several more were included alongside the original twelve LP tracks on The Rodgers & Hart Collection, an expanded compact disc collection released by Motown in 1987. All of the sessions, including a bonus live recording, were included on the 2002 Motown/Universal release The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart: The Complete Recordings.
In 1986, two unreleased tracks from the Rodgers & Hart sessions were included in the Diana Ross & the Supremes' 25th Anniversary collection. Several more were included alongside the original twelve LP tracks on The Rodgers & Hart Collection, an expanded compact disc collection released by Motown in 1987 celebrating its 20th Anniversary. All of the sessions, including a previously unreleased track and a bonus live recording, were included on the 2002 Motown/Universal release The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart: The Complete Recordings.
and Lorenz Hart
, produced by Berry Gordy
and Gil Askey
Numbers 1 and 2 were first issued on the compilation Diana Ross & the Supremes' 25th Anniversary in 1986, while 3 through 12 were first issued on The Rodgers & Hart Collection in 1987. All of these songs , plus a live medley of "The Lady is a Tramp/Let's Get Away from It All
" recorded at the Copacabana
in May 1967, were included in the collection The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart: The Complete Recordings in 2002. The versions of "You Took Advantage of Me" and "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" included on the 2002 collection are alternate recordings to those previously issued. "I Could Write A Book" was previously unreleased and included on the 2002 collection. "Manhattan" was done as a duet with Florence Ballard and Diana Ross.
They promoted the album as special guest stars in an hour long tribute to Rodgers & Hart on a network television special. The album soared into the Top 20 of the Billboard Top 200 and an admirable peak of #3 on the Billboard R&B Album chart.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
recorded by The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
for Motown. The album is wholly composed of covers of show tunes written by the songwriting duo of Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
and Lorenz Hart
Lorenz Hart
Lorenz "Larry" Milton Hart was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart...
. The album was the final album released before The Supremes' name was changed to "Diana Ross & the Supremes", and member Florence Ballard
Florence Ballard
Florence Glenda Ballard Chapman was an American singer and a founding member of the Motown group The Supremes. From 1963 until 1967, Ballard sang on 16 Top 40 hit Supremes' singles, ten of which hit number-one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1967, Motown CEO Berry Gordy decided to remove Ballard from...
replaced by Cindy Birdsong
Cindy Birdsong
Cynthia Ann "Cindy" Birdsong , better known by her stage name, Cindy Birdsong, is an American singer, most famous for singing with the legendary soul groups Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles and The Supremes.-Early life:...
.
Originally intended as a double album, The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart was halved before Motown issued it in May 1967. In 1986, two unreleased tracks from the Rodgers & Hart sessions were included in the Diana Ross & the Supremes' 25th Anniversary collection. Several more were included alongside the original twelve LP tracks on The Rodgers & Hart Collection, an expanded compact disc collection released by Motown in 1987. All of the sessions, including a bonus live recording, were included on the 2002 Motown/Universal release The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart: The Complete Recordings.
In 1986, two unreleased tracks from the Rodgers & Hart sessions were included in the Diana Ross & the Supremes' 25th Anniversary collection. Several more were included alongside the original twelve LP tracks on The Rodgers & Hart Collection, an expanded compact disc collection released by Motown in 1987 celebrating its 20th Anniversary. All of the sessions, including a previously unreleased track and a bonus live recording, were included on the 2002 Motown/Universal release The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart: The Complete Recordings.
Track listing
All songs written by Richard RodgersRichard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
and Lorenz Hart
Lorenz Hart
Lorenz "Larry" Milton Hart was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart...
, produced by Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
and Gil Askey
Side one
- "The Lady Is a TrampThe Lady Is a Tramp"The Lady Is a Tramp" is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical Babes In Arms in which it was introduced by former child star Mitzi Green. This song is a spoof of New York high society and its strict etiquette...
" - "Mountain Greenery"
- "This Can't Be LoveThis Can't Be Love (song)"This Can't Be Love" is a show tune and a popular song from the 1938 Rodgers and Hart musical The Boys from Syracuse. It was also included in the 1962 musical film, Billy Rose's Jumbo, though most of the songs in that film came from the 1935 Rodgers & Hart musical Jumbo. The lyrics poke fun of the...
" - "Where or WhenWhere or When"Where or When" is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical Babes In Arms. It was first performed by Ray Heatherton and Mitzi Green. That same year, Hal Kemp recorded a popular version. It also appeared in the movie of the same title two years later...
" - "LoverLover (song)"Lover" is a popular song written by Richard Rodgers, with words by Lorenz Hart. It was featured in the movie Love Me Tonight . Les Paul's version was a guitar instrumental released by Capitol Records in 1948. It has a french title Partout Toi...
" - "My Funny ValentineMy Funny Valentine"My Funny Valentine" is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Babes in Arms in which it was introduced by former child star Mitzi Green...
"
Side two
- "My RomanceMy Romance (song)"My Romance" is a popular song, with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, written for Billy Rose's musical, Jumbo . In the 1962 movie version of Jumbo, Doris Day performed the song....
" - "My Heart Stood Still"
- "Falling in Love with LoveFalling in Love with LoveFalling in Love with Love is a show tune from the Rodgers and Hart musical The Boys from Syracuse, where it was introduced by Muriel Angelus. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1938...
" - "Thou Swell"
- "Dancing on the Ceiling"
- "Blue MoonBlue Moon (song)"Blue Moon"'s first crossover recording to rock and roll came from Elvis Presley in 1956. His cover version of the song was included on his self-titled debut album Elvis Presley....
"
Known outtakes
The following Rodgers/Hart compositions were also recorded by the Supremes for this album:- "ManhattanManhattan (song)"Manhattan" is a popular song and part of the Great American Songbook. It has been performed by Lee Wiley, Oscar Peterson, Blossom Dearie, Tony Martin, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Torme, among many others....
" - "The Blue RoomBlue Room (song)"Blue Room" is a show tune from the 1926 Rodgers and Hart musical The Girl Friend, where it was introduced by Eva Puck and Sammy White.-Early recordings:...
" - "With a Song in My HeartWith a Song in My HeartWith a Song in My Heart may refer to:*With a Song in My Heart , a 1952 movie biography of Jane Froman, starring Susan Hayward*""With a Song in My Heart" , a 1929 popular song by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, revived in 1948...
" - "Spring is HereSpring Is Here"Spring is Here" is a 1938 popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the musical I Married an Angel , where it was introduced by Dennis King and Vivienne Segal.-Notable recordings:...
" - "Little Girl BlueLittle Girl Blue (song)"Little Girl Blue" is a popular song with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, published in 1935. The song was introduced by Gloria Grafton in the Broadway musical Jumbo....
" - "It Never Entered My Mind"
- "There's a Small Hotel"
- "You Took Advantage of Me"
- "Bewitched, Bothered and BewilderedBewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" is a show tune and popular song from the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey. The song was introduced by Vivienne Segal in the 1940 Broadway production, and also sung by Miss Segal both on the 1950 hit record and in the 1952 Broadway revival...
" - "Wait Till You See Him"
- "I Didn't Know What Time It WasI Didn't Know What Time It Was"I Didn't Know What Time It Was" is a popular song. The music was written by Richard Rodgers and the lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the musical Too Many Girls . Early hit versions included Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw...
" - "Johnny One Note"
- "I Could Write a Book"
Numbers 1 and 2 were first issued on the compilation Diana Ross & the Supremes' 25th Anniversary in 1986, while 3 through 12 were first issued on The Rodgers & Hart Collection in 1987. All of these songs , plus a live medley of "The Lady is a Tramp/Let's Get Away from It All
Let's Get Away from It All
"Let's Get Away from It All" is a popular song with music by Matt Dennis and lyrics by Tom Adair, published in 1941.The song is best known in a version by Frank Sinatra, but many others have recorded it and it is considered a pop standard....
" recorded at the Copacabana
Copacabana (nightclub)
The Copacabana is a famous New York City nightclub. Many entertainers, among them Danny Thomas, Pat Cooper and the comedy team of Martin and Lewis, made their debuts at the Copacabana. The 1978 Barry Manilow song "Copacabana" is named after, and is about the nightclub. Part of the 2003 Yerba...
in May 1967, were included in the collection The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart: The Complete Recordings in 2002. The versions of "You Took Advantage of Me" and "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" included on the 2002 collection are alternate recordings to those previously issued. "I Could Write A Book" was previously unreleased and included on the 2002 collection. "Manhattan" was done as a duet with Florence Ballard and Diana Ross.
They promoted the album as special guest stars in an hour long tribute to Rodgers & Hart on a network television special. The album soared into the Top 20 of the Billboard Top 200 and an admirable peak of #3 on the Billboard R&B Album chart.
- Diana RossDiana RossDiana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
: lead vocals - Mary WilsonMary Wilson (singer)Mary Wilson is an American singer, formerlymember of the Motown female singing group The Supremes during the 1960s and 1970s. Wilson was the only singer to be a consistent member of the group in its eighteen-year tenure...
: background vocals, co-lead vocal on "Falling in Love with Love" - Florence BallardFlorence BallardFlorence Glenda Ballard Chapman was an American singer and a founding member of the Motown group The Supremes. From 1963 until 1967, Ballard sang on 16 Top 40 hit Supremes' singles, ten of which hit number-one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1967, Motown CEO Berry Gordy decided to remove Ballard from...
: background vocals, co-lead Vocal on "Manhattan"
Chart history
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
20 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B Albums Chart Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
3 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
25 |