Diane Ernestine Earle Ross (born March 26, 1944), better known as Diana Ros… Read Full Bio ↴Diane Ernestine Earle Ross (born March 26, 1944), better known as Diana Ross, is an American soul, R&B and pop singer and actress born in Detroit, Michigan. Ross is one of the most successful female artists of her era, both due to her solo work and her role as lead singer of The Supremes during the 1960s.

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.

I Loves Ya Porgy
Diana Ross Lyrics

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(george gershwin/ira gershwin/dubose heyward)

I loves ya porgy
Don't let him take me
Don't let him handle me
And drive me mad

If you can keep me

Porgy, I wanna stay here
With you forever
I got my man

Someday, I know
He's comin' back to call me
He's going to handle me and hold me
It's gonna be like dyin', porgy
But when he calls me
I'll have to go

I loves ya porgy
Don't let him handle me
With his hot hands

If you can keep me
I wanna stay here
With you forever
And ever, ever and ever

Ever and ever
Porgy, I got my man

Overall Meaning

The song "I Loves Ya Porgy" is a love song sung by the character Bess in the opera Porgy and Bess. It conveyed her love for Porgy and her fear of returning to her former life with her abusive lover Crown. The opening lines, "I loves ya Porgy, don't let him take me," demonstrate Bess's love and desire for Porgy to protect her. The repetition of "don't let him handle me" emphasizes Bess's fears of Crown's violent nature.

The lyrics show the internal conflict that Bess is experiencing, torn between her love for Porgy and the inevitability of Crown's return. Bess knows that it will be hard for her to resist Crown's call when he returns to take her back. The line "But when he calls me, I'll have to go" indicates that, in many ways, Bess feels trapped in her own circumstances, with limited opportunities to escape the cycle of abuse and violence.

The song is emotionally powerful, evoking a sense of desperation and longing. It is a testament to the strength of love and the desire for a better life. Ultimately, the importance of the song is in its ability to convey a message of the struggles of black Americans living in a prejudiced society, emphasizing themes of poverty, discrimination, and hardship.

Line by Line Meaning

I loves ya porgy
I am deeply in love with you, Porgy

Don't let him take me
I don't want to be taken away from you by someone else

Don't let him handle me
I don't want anyone else to touch me, only you

And drive me mad
I am afraid that someone else's actions may negatively affect my mental state

If you can keep me
If you are able to protect me from harm and keep me by your side

Porgy, I wanna stay here
I desire to remain with you, Porgy

With you forever
I want to be with you for the rest of my life

I got my man
I am currently in a relationship with someone else

Someday, I know
I am aware that at some point in the future

He's comin' back to call me
My current partner will return to find me

He's going to handle me and hold me
He will physically touch and embrace me