Love Child by Diana Ross & the Supremes
Artist: Diana Ross & the Supremes Weeks at #1: 2 weeks Chart dates: November 30, 1968 – December 7, 1968
About
Diana Ross & The Supremes’ 1968 hit “Love Child” tells the story of a mother giving birth to a child out of wedlock. “Love Child” was the Supremes’ 11th #1 single in the United States—it was their first #1 not written by legendary Motown songwriting and production team Holland-Dozier Holland. After Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown in 1968 in a dispute over royalties, label founder Berry Gordy scrambled to assemble a team that could write another hit for the Supremes. To make a hit, Gordy brought together British songwriter Pam Sawyer, guitarist Deke Richards, R. Dean Taylor, and Frank Wilson—he dubbed them “the Clan.” Diana Ross sang lead vocals on “Love Child,” while backing vocals were done by Motown session singers the Andantes. The Supremes’ Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong, both in the group at the time, do not sing on the record. They claimed Berry Gordy was trying to maintain power over the girls by making them feel expendable. When the Supremes performed “Love Child” on the Ed Sullivan Show, they wore drab sweatpants and stood barefoot to match the subject matter of the song.
