Reflections (The Supremes song)

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"Reflections"
The Supremes - Reflections (Netherlands).png
Single by Diana Ross & the Supremes
from the album Reflections
B-side"Going Down for the Third Time"
ReleasedJuly 24, 1967 (U.S.)
RecordedMarch 2 and May 9, 1967
StudioHitsville U.S.A. (Studio A)
GenrePsychedelic pop, psychedelic soul
Length2:50 (original release)
3:18 (remastered)
LabelMotown
M 1111
Songwriter(s)Holland–Dozier–Holland
Producer(s)Brian Holland
Lamont Dozier
Diana Ross & the Supremes singles chronology
"The Happening"
(1967) 		"Reflections"
(1967) 		"In and Out of Love"
(1967)
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"Reflections"
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Reflections of the Supremes.png

"Reflections" is a 1967 song recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label. It was the first Supremes record released under the new billing, Diana Ross & the Supremes, and is among their last hit singles to be written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland (H–D–H).

It peaked at number 2 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart and number 5 on the UK Singles Chart in September 1967.[1]

Background[]

This single, released at the height of the Summer of Love of 1967 and the Vietnam War, was the first Supremes' release to delve into psychedelic pop; H–D–H's production of the song, influenced by the psychedelic rock sounds of bands such as The Beatles and The Beach Boys, represented a shift in Motown's pop sound during the latter half of the 1960s.[2] The psychedelic influence is apparent in the song's arrangement. Although it is sometimes cited as one of the first mainstream pop recordings to feature a Moog synthesizer, the unusual sounds on the track were generated on a test oscillator and treated with effects. The Supremes' label Motown did eventually purchase a Moog III synthesizer in December 1967.[3]

Release and reception[]

"Reflections" peaked during the late summer and early fall of 1967. Making the highest debut on Billboard Hot 100 on the week of August 6, the song reached number 2 on the week ending September 9, 1967. One place short of being the group's 11th American number 1 single, "Reflections" stalled at the penultimate position for two weeks behind Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe", which Diana Ross re-recorded as a solo for the Reflections album.[4] The single peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart.[5]

The first nationally televised performance to feature Ballard's replacement Cindy Birdsong as a member of The Supremes on American television, now billed as "Diana Ross & the Supremes," was on an episode of the ABC variety program The Hollywood Palace. The episode was hosted by entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. and first broadcast on September 26, 1967.[6]

A later remastered reissue of the song, running 3:11, although containing the looped section that closes the hit 2:50 single version in the fade-out, features a cold closing as originally recorded.

The first part of this song was used in the title sequence of China Beach that ran in the US from 1988 to 1991.

Track listing[]

  • 7-inch single (July 24, 1967) (North America/United Kingdom)
  1. "Reflections" – 2:50
  2. "Going Down for the Third Time" – 2:30

Personnel[]

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States — 1,000,000[29]

References[]

  1. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Company. 79 (36): 22. 1967. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  2. ^ Lundy, Zeth (17 August 2007). "Reflections: Motown in 1967". PopMatters. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Brend, Mark (2012). The Sound of Tomorrow: How Electronic Music Was Smuggled into the Mainstream. London: Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 164–65. ISBN 978-0-8264-2452-5.
  4. ^ Bronson, Fred (2003). Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits. 229: Billboard Books. p. 980. ISBN 978-0-8230-7677-2.CS1 maint: location (link)
  5. ^ Feldman, Christopher (2000). Billboard Book of Number 2 Singles. 94: Billboard Books. p. 288. ISBN 0-8230-7695-4.CS1 maint: location (link)
  6. ^ Host: Sammy Davis Jr. (26 September 1967). "Sammy Davis Jr./Diana Ross & the Supremes". The Hollywood Palace. Season 5. Episode 4. Hollywood. ABC. KABC.
  7. ^ Sexton, Paul (August 12, 2020). "'Reflections': Top Billing For Diana Ross On The Supremes' Soul Psychedelia". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Go-Sets National Top 40". Go-Set. 4 October 1967. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  9. ^ "Every Unique AMR Top 100 Single of the 1967". Top 100 Singles. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  10. ^ "Ultratop.be – Diana Ross & The Supremes – Reflections" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  11. ^ "Ultratop.be – Diana Ross & The Supremes – Reflections" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 10095." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  13. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1967-09-23. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  14. ^ "Vísir - 254. Tölublað (04.11.1967)". Vísir (in Icelandic). 4 November 1967. p. 2. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  15. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Supremes". Irish Singles Chart.
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Diana Ross & The Supremes – Reflections" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  17. ^ "Supremes: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  18. ^ "The Supremes Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  19. ^ "The Supremes Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  20. ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles". Cashbox. September 9, 1967. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  21. ^ "The CASH BOX Top 50 In R&B Locations". Cashbox. September 16, 1967. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  22. ^ "100 TOP POPS: Week of September 16, 1967" (PDF). Record World. worldradiohistory.com. September 16, 1967. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  23. ^ "TOP 50 R&B: Week of September 16, 1967" (PDF). Record World. worldradiohistory.com. September 16, 1967. p. 38. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  24. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-08-12. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  25. ^ "Top 100 1967". UK Music Charts. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  26. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1967/Top 100 Songs of 1967". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  27. ^ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1967". Cashbox. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  28. ^ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1967". Cashbox. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  29. ^ Joseph Murrells (1984). "THE SUPREMES". Million Selling Records from the 1900s to the 1980s: An Illustrated Directory. London, W1H: B.T. Batsford. pp. 251–252. ISBN 0-7134-3843-6.CS1 maint: location (link)

External links[]

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