Reflections (The Supremes song)

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

"Reflections"
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 (album/single version)
3:16 (2003 remix)
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)
Audio sample
"Reflections"
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Alternative cover

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 and long, hot summer 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 the beginning of a shift in Motown's sound in the late 1960s.[2] Although it is sometimes cited as one of the first mainstream pop recordings to feature a Moog synthesizer, the electronic sounds on the track were generated with a test oscillator treated with tape echo. Motown did, however, eventually purchase a Moog III synthesizer in December 1967.[3]

Release and reception

"Reflections" peaked during the late summer and early autumn of 1967. Making the highest debut on Billboard Hot 100 on the week ending August 12, 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 would cover for the Reflections album.[4] The single peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart.[5]

Cash Box said that "electronic effects are put to much use on this new outing from the Detroit mill, and the feedback play adds a cute appeal to the steady throbbing blues lament for an old love."[6]

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.[7]

A 2003 remix of the song, running 3:16, features a cold closing as originally recorded instead of a fade-out.

The first part of this song was used in the title sequence of China Beach that ran in the US from 1988 to 1991.[8] It was also sampled in "Uh Huh Oh Yeh," the opening track on Paul Weller's eponymous debut solo album released in 1992.

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 CertificationCertified units/sales
United States — 1,000,000[33]

Other versions

A version was released by American singer Evelyn Thomas in 1985 which reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.[34]

References
  1. "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Vol. 79, no. 36. Nielsen Company. 1967. p. 22. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  2. Lundy, Zeth (17 August 2007). "Reflections: Motown in 1967". PopMatters. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
  3. 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. Billboard Books. p. 980. ISBN 978-0-8230-7677-2.
  5. Feldman, Christopher (2000). Billboard Book of Number 2 Singles. Billboard Books. p. 288. ISBN 0-8230-7695-4.
  6. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 5, 1967. p. 16. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  7. Host: Sammy Davis Jr. (26 September 1967). "Sammy Davis Jr./Diana Ross & the Supremes". The Hollywood Palace. Season 5. Episode 4. Hollywood. ABC. KABC.
  8. "That's Ms. Ross on China Beach," Orlando Sentinel, Sunday, December 5, 1999. Retrieved January 13, 2022
  9. Sexton, Paul (August 12, 2021). "'Reflections': Top Billing For Diana Ross On The Supremes' Soul Psychedelia". UDiscover Music. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  10. "Go-Sets National Top 40". Go-Set. 4 October 1967. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  11. "Every Unique AMR Top 100 Single of the 1967". Top 100 Singles. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  12. "Diana Ross & The Supremes – Reflections" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  13. "Diana Ross & The Supremes – Reflections" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  14. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 10095." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  15. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1967-09-23. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  16. "Vísir - 254. Tölublað (04.11.1967)". Vísir (in Icelandic). 4 November 1967. p. 2. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  17. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Supremes". Irish Singles Chart.
  18. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Supremes The" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  19. "Diana Ross & The Supremes – Reflections" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  20. "Supremes: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  21. "BRITAIN'S TOP R&B SINGLES" (PDF). Record Mirror. November 18, 1967. p. 15. Retrieved December 31, 2021 – via worldradiohistory.com.
  22. "The Supremes Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  23. "The Supremes Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  24. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles". Cashbox. September 9, 1967. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  25. "The CASH BOX Top 50 In R&B Locations". Cashbox. September 16, 1967. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  26. "100 TOP POPS: Week of September 16, 1967" (PDF). Record World. worldradiohistory.com. September 16, 1967. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  27. "TOP 50 R&B: Week of September 16, 1967" (PDF). Record World. worldradiohistory.com. September 16, 1967. p. 38. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  28. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-08-12. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  29. "Top 100 1967". UK Music Charts. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  30. "Top 100 Hits of 1967/Top 100 Songs of 1967". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  31. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1967". Cashbox. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  32. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1967". Cashbox. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  33. Joseph Murrells (1984). "THE SUPREMES". Million Selling Records from the 1900s to the 1980s: An Illustrated Directory. London: B.T. Batsford. pp. 251–252. ISBN 0-7134-3843-6.
  34. "Evelyn Thomas Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
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