Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)

Ross, having just left The Supremes after a decade of serving as that group's lead singer, went through a difficult situation trying to piece a solo album together. With Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson writing and producing for her, and Paul Riser arranging,^[1] Ross recorded "Reach Out and Touch", which carried a heavy gospel influence, and was one of the few songs the singer recorded to express her social conscience, previously experimented with Supremes singles such as "Love Child" and "I'm Livin' in Shame."^[2]

"Reach Out and Touch" peaked at # 20 on the Billboard Hot 100,^[3] #10 on the Cash Box Top 100,^[4] and #7 on the R&B charts with 500,000 copies sold. While the song's sales fell short of expectations, "Reach Out and Touch" became one of Ross' most popular and notable songs. During her concert performances of the song, Ross often had the whole crowd turn to their neighbors, and "reach out and touch" their hands.

On Saturday, July 28, 1984 Vicki McClure sang "Reach Out and Touch" before an estimated TV audience of 2.5 billion people during the Opening Ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, CA.

Ashford and Simpson would perform the song with Teddy Pendergrass in the Philadelphia portion of Live Aid in 1985. In 2005, Ross would perform the song in closing, Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope.

In 1970, the same year that Diana released "Reach Out and Touch" as her first solo single, ironically the song was also covered by the group that she had just left at the start of that year, The Supremes (now fronted by Jean Terrell, along with other members Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong). The Supremes' version was a duet with fellow Motown Records artists The Four Tops on the two group's joint album "The Magnificent Seven," released by Motown toward the end of 1970. In one of her autobiographies, Mary Wilson mentioned that some fans at the post-Ross Supremes' concerts used to call out requesting that The Supremes would sing this record live, as some fans erroneously recalled that it had been The Supremes' version, and not Ross's, that had charted as a hit Billboard single in early '70.

She also performed this song as the finale for the Nobel Peace Prize Concert held in Oslo, Norway, in 2008.

Personnel

Lead Vocals by Diana Ross
Background Vocals by The Ages: Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Lou van Temps
Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
Written and Produced by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson

References

↑ "Diana Ross' Greatest Hits - Motown LP M-869P1, 1976
↑ Motown 7" single M-1165, 1970
↑ [Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002]
↑ http://50.6.195.142/archives/70s_files/19700530.html

External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

Diana Ross

Studio albums	Diana Ross (1970) Everything Is Everything (1970) Surrender (1971) Touch Me in the Morning (1973) Last Time I Saw Him (1973) Diana Ross (1976) Baby It's Me (1977) Ross (1978) The Boss (1979) diana (1980) Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1981) Silk Electric (1982) Ross (1983) Swept Away (1984) Eaten Alive (1985) Red Hot Rhythm & Blues (1987) Workin' Overtime (1989) The Force Behind the Power (1991) Take Me Higher (1995) Every Day Is a New Day (1999) Blue (2006) I Love You (2006)

Compilations	Greatest Hits (1972) Diana Ross' Greatest Hits (1976) 20 Golden Greats (1979) To Love Again (1981) All the Great Hits (1981) Forever Diana: Musical Memoirs (1993) One Woman: The Ultimate Collection (1993) Diana Extended: The Remixes (1994) Voice of Love (1996) Love & Life: The Very Best of Diana Ross (2001) The Definitive Collection (2006) The Greatest (2011) Upside Down: The Collection (2012)

Live albums	Live at Caesars Palace (1974) An Evening with Diana Ross (1977) Greatest Hits Live (1989) Live: Stolen Moments: The Lady Sings... Jazz and Blues (1992)

Soundtrack albums	Diana! (1971) Lady Sings the Blues (1972) Mahogany (1975) The Wiz (1978) Endless Love (1981)

Other albums	Diana & Marvin (1973) Christmas in Vienna (with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras) (1993) A Very Special Season (1994)

Singles (US/UK Top Ten)	"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" "Remember Me" "Surrender" "I'm Still Waiting" "Touch Me in the Morning" "All of My Life" "You Are Everything" "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" "Love Hangover" "Upside Down" "I'm Coming Out" "My Old Piano" "It's My Turn" "Endless Love" "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" "Mirror, Mirror" "Work That Body" "Muscles" "Missing You" "Chain Reaction" "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" "One Shining Moment" "Not Over You Yet"

Tours	Return to Love Tour (2000) I Love You Tour (2007-08) More Today Than Yesterday: The Greatest Hits Tour (2010-12) In the Name of Love Tour (2014)

Related topics	Discography The Supremes Berry Gordy Rhonda Ross Kendrick Tracee Ellis Ross Chudney Ross Ross Næss Evan Ross Arne Næss, Jr. Arthur "T-Boy" Ross List of awards and nominations received by Diana Ross Diana Ross Playground

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Diana Ross singles discography

1970s	1970 "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" "Remember Me" 1971 "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" "Surrender" "I'm Still Waiting" 1973 "Good Morning Heartache" "Touch Me in the Morning" "You're a Special Part of Me" (with Marvin Gaye) 1974 "Last Time I Saw Him" "My Mistake (Was to Love You)" (with Marvin Gaye) "You Are Everything" "Don't Knock My Love" (with Marvin Gaye) "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" (with Marvin Gaye) 1975 "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" 1976 "Love Hangover" 1978 "Ease on Down the Road" (with Michael Jackson) "A Brand New Day" (with Michael Jackson) "Pops, We Love You (A Tribute to Father)" (with Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder & Smokey Robinson) 1979 "What You Gave Me" "The Boss" "It's My House"

1980s	1980 "Upside Down" "I'm Coming Out" "My Old Piano" "It's My Turn" 1981 "Endless Love" (with Lionel Richie) "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" 1982 "Mirror, Mirror" "Muscles" 1983 "Pieces of Ice" 1984 "All of You" (with Julio Iglesias) "Swept Away" "Missing You" 1985 "Eaten Alive" "Chain Reaction"

1990s	1990 "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" 1994 "Someday We'll Be Together" (re-mix) "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (re-issue)/"I'm Coming Out" (re-mix) 1996 "I Will Survive" 1999 "Not Over You Yet"

2000s	2001 "Goin' Back" 2005 "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" (with Westlife) 2006 "I've Got a Crush on You" (with Rod Stewart)

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