In and out of Love (The Supremes song)

Infobox Single
Name = In and out of Love


Artist = Diana Ross & the Supremes
from Album = Reflections
B-side = "I Guess I'll Always Love You"
Format = 7" single
Released = October 25 1967
Recorded = Los Angeles: April 20 1967 (instrumentation)
Hitsville USA (Studio A): June 12–June 13 1967 (Supremes)
Hitsville USA (Studio A): July 7 1967 (Andantes)
Genre = Psychedelic pop
Label = Motown
M 1116
Writer = Holland-Dozier-Holland
Producer = Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland
Last single = "Reflections"
(1967)
This single = "In and out of Love"
(1967)
Next single = "Forever Came Today"
(1968)

"In and out of Love" is a 1967 single recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label. It was the second single issued with the group's new billing of "Diana Ross & the Supremes", and the penultimate Supremes single written and produced by Motown songwriting/production team Holland-Dozier-Holland. In addition, "In and out of Love" is the final Supremes single to feature founding member Florence Ballard, the group's original lead singer.

Overview

Recording

By the time of the recording of "In and out of Love", the Supremes had become the most successful black music group of all time, with ten number-one singles on the "Billboard" Hot 100 to their credit. In the midst of their success, conflicts between Supremes members Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson arose. Ballard was uneasy by the way the group's direction was going ,and felt she was being shunned from the group she helped found.

"In and out of Love", recorded by the Supremes in April 1967, was one of the final sessions Ballard recorded with the group. Songwriters/producers Holland-Dozier-Holland recorded the track for "In and out of Love" in Los Angeles, as opposed to using Motown's session band The Funk Brothers at the company's main Detroit studio. [Chin, Brian and Nathan, David (2000). "Reflections Of..." The Supremes [CD boxed set liner notes] . New York: Motown Record Co./Universal Music.] By mid-1967, Holland-Dozier-Holland were also unhappy with their position at Motown. Lyricist Eddie Holland convinced his brother Brian Holland and their partner Lamont Dozier to stage a work slowdown, and for much of 1967 the trio turned out virtually no product. cite book |authorlink=Gerald Posner |last=Posner |first=Gerald |year=2002 |title=Motown: Music, Money, Sex, and Power |location=New York |publisher=Random House |isbn=0-375-50062-6 |page=205-206] cite book |authorlink=Nelson George |last=George |first=Nelson |year=1985 |title=Where Did Our Love Go: The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound |location=New York |publisher=St. Martin's |isbn=0-312-01109-1 |page=152- 154] After one last Supremes single, "Forever Came Today", in early 1968, Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown, prompting a series of lawsuits between the label and the songwriters that last over a decade.

By July 1967, Motown CEO Berry Gordy, Jr. had fired Ballard, replacing her with Cindy Birdsong of Patti LaBelle & the Blue Belles. A week after Ballard's departure, Motown session singers The Andantes overdubbed Ballard and Mary Wilson's background vocals. cite video | people = Historic Music, Inc. | title = Reflections: The Definitive Performances 1964-1969 | medium = DVD | publisher = Universal Music | location = Santa Monica, California | year2 = 2006 ]

Reception

The release of "In and out of Love" was successful, reaching number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, Number sixteen on the R&B Singles chart, and number thirteen on the UK Singles Chart.

Credits

*Lead vocals by Diana Ross
*Background vocals by Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson and The Andantes: Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow and Louvain Demps
*Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers and assorted musicians

Footnotes