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.
If You're Not Gonna Love Me Right
Diana Ross Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey yeah
Hey baby, hey baby
The phone is ringing
And I'm running late
I've no time to get it
'Cause I'm expecting you at eight
Heard your voice on the message
I'm surprised you called
Said you're all tied up
And you ain't comin' at all
If you're not gonna love me right
Baby don't love me at all
You're just gonna make me crazy
If you're not gonna love me right
Baby don't love me at all
If you're not gonna love me right, oh
(baby don't love, baby don't love me)
At all
(baby don't love, baby don't love me)
At all
Another box of roses outside on my porch
Twelve long excuses none of them stop the hurt
Where's this going, do you really care?
Is this real love, I don't know anymore I swear
If you're not gonna love me right
Baby don't love me at all
Baby don't make me crazy
If you're not gonna love me right
Baby don't love me at all
If you're not gonna love me right, yeah
(baby don't love, baby don't love me)
Oh baby
(baby don't love, baby don't love me)
I really want you, oh baby
(baby don't love, baby don't love me)
If you're not gonna love me right
(baby don't love, baby don't love me)
Baby just make me crazy
Baby, I want you here
If you're not here it makes me feel like
I can't trust you
You make me crazy if you really love me
You see
Oh, I get confused when you hold me next to you
I want to go further, oh baby yes I do
I just can't hold on to something that won't last
So we'd better slow down, and maybe not go so fast
Maybe not go so fast
If you're not gonna love me right
Baby don't love me at all
You're just gonna make me crazy
(If you're not gonna love me right)
If you're not gonna love me
Baby don't love me, baby don't love me, baby don't love me
If you're not gonna love me right
If you're not gonna love me right
Baby, don't love me at all
You're just gonna make me crazy
If you're not gonna love me right
Baby, don't love me at all
You're just gonna make me crazy
(Baby don't love, baby don't love me)
Baby don't love, baby don't love me
(Baby don't love, baby don't love me)
Baby don't love, baby don't love me
(Baby don't love, baby don't love me)
Baby don't love, baby don't love me
(Baby don't love, baby don't love me)
If you're not gonna do it right
(Baby don't love, baby don't love me)
If you're not gonna do it right
(Baby don't love, baby don't love me)
If you're not gonna do it right
(Baby don't love, baby don't love me)
Baby don't love, baby don't love me
(Baby don't love, baby don't love me)
Baby don't love, baby don't love, baby don't love me
The song "If You're Not Gonna Love Me Right" by Diana Ross is a powerful ballad that explores the themes of love, trust, and uncertainty in a relationship. The lyrics talk about the struggles of a woman who is waiting for her lover to come and spend time with her, but he fails to show up.
The first verse of the song describes the situation where the singer is running late for an appointment, and she's expecting her lover to arrive at eight. However, she receives a message from him, 'saying he's all tied up" and can't make it. She expresses her disappointment and frustration with the situation, saying that if her lover is not going to love her right, she'd rather not be loved at all because it would only make her crazy.
In the second verse, the singer receives a box of roses with twelve long excuses, but none of them stops the hurt. She wonders where the relationship is going and whether her lover really cares about her. She questions whether it's real love or not and expresses confusion and uncertainty about the situation.
The chorus repeats the message that if her lover is not going to love her right, she'd rather not be loved at all. The song ends with the singer pleading with her lover to do things right if he really loves her.
Overall, the song is a powerful message about the importance of trust and being loved the right way in a relationship. It's a relatable message that speaks to anyone who has ever experienced the uncertainty and confusion that can come with falling in love.
Line by Line Meaning
The phone is ringing
I'm getting a call
And I'm running late
I'm running behind schedule
I've no time to get it
I can't answer the phone right now
'Cause I'm expecting you at eight
Because I have plans to meet with you later tonight
Heard your voice on the message
I listened to your voicemail
I'm surprised you called
I didn't expect to hear from you
Said you're all tied up
You can't make it
And you ain't comin' at all
You won't be able to make it tonight
If you're not gonna love me right
If you're not willing to love and treat me the way I deserve
Baby don't love me at all
Then don't claim to love me at all
You're just gonna make me crazy
You're going to drive me insane with unrequited and unfulfilled love
Another box of roses outside on my porch
I received another gift from you
Twelve long excuses none of them stop the hurt
The excuses you make for not being able to see me aren't enough to ease the emotional pain I'm experiencing
Where's this going, do you really care?
I'm questioning where our relationship is headed and if you truly care about me
Is this real love, I don't know anymore I swear
I'm unsure if what we have is genuine love anymore
Oh baby
An expression of affection
Baby, I want you here
I desire your physical presence
If you're not here it makes me feel like
Your absence leaves me with the feeling that
I can't trust you
I'm not sure if I can believe what you say or do
Oh, I get confused when you hold me next to you
I'm emotionally conflicted when we're physically intimate
I want to go further, oh baby yes I do
I want to take our relationship to the next level, physically and emotionally
I just can't hold on to something that won't last
I'm not willing to continue a relationship that has no future
So we'd better slow down, and maybe not go so fast
Maybe we should take this relationship slower and not rush into anything
If you're not gonna do it right
If you're not going to put in the effort to love me and treat me well
Baby don't love me, baby don't love me, baby don't love me
Then don't claim to love me
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MONTY SEWARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind