I Hear a Symphony

This article is about the song. For the album by The Supremes, see I Hear a Symphony (album). For the album by Hank Crawford, see I Hear a Symphony (Hank Crawford album).
"I Hear a Symphony"
Single by The Supremes
from the album I Hear a Symphony
B-side "Who Could Ever Doubt My Love"
Released October 6, 1965
Format Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM)
Recorded Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A); September 22, 28-30, 1965
Genre Pop, R&B
Length
  • 2:40 (original)
  • 3:55 (remastered)
Label Motown
M 1083
Writer(s) Holland–Dozier–Holland
Producer(s) Brian Holland
Lamont Dozier
The Supremes singles chronology
"Nothing but Heartaches"
(1965)		 "I Hear a Symphony"
(1965)		 "My World Is Empty Without You"
(1965)
I Hear a Symphony track listing
Music sample
"I Hear a Symphony"
Alternative cover

"I Hear a Symphony" is a 1965 song recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label.

Written and produced by Motown's main production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song became their sixth number-one pop hit on Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in the United States for two weeks from November 14, 1965 through November 27, 1965.[1][2] On the UK pop chart, the single peaked at number thirty-nine.

History

Overview

The Supremes enjoyed a run of hits through 1964 and 1965 under the guidance of writer/producers Holland–Dozier–Holland. In mid-1965, the producers came to realize they had fallen into a rut when the Supremes' "Nothing but Heartaches" failed to make it to the Top Ten, missing it by just one position and breaking the string of number-one Supremes hits initiated with "Where Did Our Love Go." Motown chief Berry Gordy was displeased with the performance of "Nothing but Heartaches," and circulated a memo around the Motown offices that read as follows:

“ We will release nothing less than Top Ten product on any artist; and because the Supremes' world-wide acceptance is greater than the other artists, on them we will only release number-one records. ”

Holland-Dozier-Holland therefore set about breaking their formula and trying something new. The result was "I Hear a Symphony," a song with a more complex musical structure than previous Supremes releases. "Symphony" was released as a single in place of another Holland-Dozier-Holland Supremes song, "Mother Dear", which had been recorded in the same style as their earlier hits.

In a 1968 interview,[3] Diana Ross said that this was one of her favorite songs to perform, even though its key posed some challenges.[4]

"I Hear a Symphony", later issued on an album of the same name, became the Supremes' sixth number-one hit in the United States. After the number-five hit "My World Is Empty Without You" and the number-nine hit "Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart," the Supremes began a run of four more number-one hits: "You Can't Hurry Love," "You Keep Me Hangin' On," "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone," and "The Happening." The group performed the hit song on The Mike Douglas Show on November 3, 1965.[5]

Stevie Wonder recorded the song in 1966.[6]

Michael Jackson recorded the song with the Jackson 5 in 1970 at the Motown Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California.

Canadian pop singer Eria Fachin covered the song on her 1988 album My Name Is Eria Fachin. Her version, titled "Eria's Aria/I Hear a Symphony" on the album but just "I Hear a Symphony" as a single, charted on RPM's dance charts in 1989[7] and received some dance club play internationally, but was not a mainstream chart hit.

Personnel

Chart history

Chart (1965) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 1
U.S. Billboard R&B Singles Chart 2
U.S. Cash Box Pop Singles Chart 1
UK Singles Chart 39

Year-End Charts

Chart (1966) Position
U.S. Cash Box Year End Chart 72
Preceded by
"Get Off of My Cloud" by The Rolling Stones		 Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
November 20, 1965 (two weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" by The Byrds

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard (Nielsen Company) 77 (47): 22. 1965. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  2. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard (Nielsen Company) 77 (48): 20. 1965. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  3. ↑ Gilliland, John (1969). "O-S interview index" (audio). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu.
  4. ↑ Diana Ross interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
  5. ↑ Guest co-host: Zsa Zsa Gabor (3 November 1965). "November 3, 1965". The Mike Douglas Show. Season 4. Episode 43. CBS. KYW-TV.
  6. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXgoSc75VCw
  7. ↑ RPM Top 25 Dance Singles of '89. RPM, December 23, 1989.

External links

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