In 1959, Ross was brought to the attention of Milton Jenkins, the manager of the local doo-wop group The Primes, by Mary Wilson. Primes member Paul Williams convinced Jenkins to enlist Ross in the sister group The Primettes, which included Wilson, Florence Ballard and Betty McGlown.
In 1976, Billboard magazine named her the female entertainer of the century. In 1993, The Guinness Book Of World Records listed her as the most successful female artist ever (the title is now attributed to Madonna), partly due to her combined total of eighteen number-one singles, six of them recorded solo and the remaining dozen from her work with the Supremes.
Ross was also one of the few pop singers to find modest success in the acting world winning an Academy Award nomination for her role as Billie Holiday in the 1972 film, "Lady Sings the Blues" as well as having hits with other film roles such as "Mahogany", "Out of Darkness" and "Double Platinum", not to mention her role in "The Wiz".
Ross has been awarded many lifetime achievement accolades from many organizations and media outlets: she has been featured on BET, Soul Train, and awarded multiple times at the NAACP Image Awards, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007 and given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement in 2011.
Ross' professional vocal collaborators have included the following during her career: Marvin Gaye, Lionel Richie, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Julio Iglesias, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, and Smokey Robinson, among many others.
Give Up
Diana Ross Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give up you're love to me
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
You better listen well
When i tell you
To be on the look out
'Cause i know you inside out
Despite all your hideouts
I'm no great pretender
I'll make you surrender
So come along quietly
Here's a thought to remember
I have not met a man yet
To escape from my drag-net
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
I'll give you just the facts man
And you can draw all your own conclusions
I'll keep your mind surrounded
With chains of love so strong
You can't break through them
My arsenal is stocked
With all kinds of seductive weapons
Although your heart's locked up
My love will assist me
So that you can't resist me
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
No, no, no
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
Give up, give up
Give up you're love to me
The lyrics of Diana Ross's song Give Up seem to be a message from a confident woman to a man who is trying to resist her advances. The song uses a lot of metaphorical language, comparing the singer's love to chains and seductive weapons. She seems to be warning the man that resistance is futile, saying "I have not met a man yet to escape from my drag-net." Despite his efforts to hide, she claims to know him "inside out" and assures him that he cannot escape her grasp.
The repeated refrain of "give up you're love to me" seems to be both a demand and a seduction. The woman is essentially saying, "stop trying to resist and give in to me," but she also seems to be implying that the man's love will be better off in her possession. This possessiveness is further emphasized by the repetition of the phrase "give up" throughout the song.
Overall, the lyrics portray a dynamic in which the woman is in control and the man is powerless to resist her charms. The strong imagery of chains and weapons suggests that the woman sees love as a battle that she is determined to win. Despite this aggressive approach, the song maintains a playful tone, with lines like "I'll give you just the facts man" and "my love will assist me" hinting at a certain winking humor to the song's message.
Line by Line Meaning
Give up, give up
I want you to give up something to me, and I want to emphasize it by repeating myself.
Give up you're love to me
I'm asking you to surrender your love to me, completely and entirely.
You better listen well
It's important that you pay close attention to what I'm saying.
When I tell you
I want you to trust me and take my words seriously.
To be on the look out
I want you to be cautious and watchful.
You can't call for help
You won't be able to escape my approach or ask for assistance.
'Cause I know you inside out
I understand you completely and know how to get to you.
Despite all your hideouts
You can't hide from me, no matter where you go or how well you conceal yourself.
I'm no great pretender
I'm not pretending to be something I'm not; I'm being honest about my intentions.
I'll make you surrender
I will use whatever means necessary to get you to give up and submit to me.
So come along quietly
I want you to cooperate with me without a fuss or struggle.
Here's a thought to remember
I'm sharing some advice that you should keep in mind for the future.
I have not met a man yet
I've encountered many men, but none have been able to resist me.
To escape from my drag-net
No one has been able to avoid getting caught in my trap or net of persuasion.
I'll give you just the facts man
I'm going to be straightforward and honest with you, without any misleading information.
And you can draw all your own conclusions
You can interpret the information I'm sharing with you however you see fit.
I'll keep your mind surrounded
I'll constantly have your thoughts and attention focused on me and my efforts.
With chains of love so strong
I'm using the power of love to hold your attention and affection tightly.
You can't break through them
You won't be able to break free from my grasp or influence.
My arsenal is stocked
I've got a variety of different tactics and approaches ready to use.
With all kinds of seductive weapons
I'm using various approaches and strategies, all designed to charm and appeal to you.
Although your heart's locked up
Even though you might be guarded or hesitant to open up emotionally.
My love will assist me
I firmly believe that my love for you will help me win you over.
So that you can't resist me
I'm confident that you won't be able to say no or resist me in the end.
No, no, no
I'm reiterating my point and my desires, to emphasize their importance.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BERNARD EDWARDS, NILE RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
chama
LYRICS!
give up, give up, give up your love to me (x2)
You better listen well
when I tell you
to be on the lookout
you can't call for help
cause I know you inside out, despite all of your hideouts
I'm no great pretender
I'll make you surrender
so come along quietly
here's a thought to remember
I have not met a man yet to escape from my drag now
give up, give up, give up your love to me (x5)
I'll give you just the facts man
and you can draw, all your own conclusions
I'll keep your mind surrounded
with chains of love so strong you can't break through them
My arsenal is stocked
with all kinds of, seductive weapons
although your hearts locked up
my love will assist me so that you can't resist me
give up, give up, give up your love to me (for rest of song)
Anthony Yusef
This woman had some of the most ICONIC album covers ever!
gmoneyhollywood
Excellent Groove. This is one of Diana's unique jams. The way Rodgers & Edwards collaborated on this arrangement and then to have Diana bring it home, was second to none. Great sound with jazz and upbeat club flair. Only Ross! I must say again, her vocals are sublime on this Joint!
Cryogen2200
@Arthur F. Scaltrito I did too! And have the Chic debut album as well.
Arthur F. Scaltrito
I bought it in 1980.
Lots of good tracks with that "Chic" sound.
Flughafenkaiser
There is no doubt that Diana Ross is timeless in her talent. I remember this song way back in 1981 and loving it more now than even I loved it then. It is a masterpiece. Well done Nile and Diana. Quality meaningful music this is.
jzbass72
What a blazingly great solo by Nile Rodgers, one of his very best.
Brian James
.RIP Bernard Edwards/ Tony Thompson Thanksss RIP
gmoneyhollywood
I agree 💯. However, let's not forget about Bernard Edwards. He was a big instrumental part of Chic as well, and worked hand and hand collaborating and arranging the music and the spoken words for their songs and other artist that they wrote for. In fact, Bernard wrote a smash R&B jam called "Telephone" for Ross off the 1984 "Swept Away" LP. It was played in heavy rotation on R&B stations across the country and reached #12 on the R&B Billboard Charts. The extended version of that cut is on point. I thought it was best song recorded on that album.
Rashy
This has to be my favourite Diana song! The bass is so good
Wilford Fraser
One of those songs that get you started in the morning