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.
Little Girl Blue
Diana Ross Lyrics
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The world was younger than I
As merry as a carousel
The circustent was strong
With every star in the sky
Above the ring I loved so well
Gone are the tinsle and gold
Sit there and count your fingers
What can you do?
Oh girl you're through
All you can count on are your fingers
Unlucky little girl blue
Sit there and count the raindrops
Falling on you
It's time you knew
All you can count on are the raindrops
That fall on little girl blue
No use oh girl
You may as well surrender
Your hope is getting slender
Why won't somebody send a tender blue boy
To cheer little girl blue
The song Little Girl Blue by Diana Ross is a poignant and melancholic tune that speaks to the struggles of growing up and facing the harsh realities of life. The lyrics paint a picture of a once blissful and carefree world that has now turned old and jaded, leaving the singer feeling lost and alone. The imagery of a carnival or circus is used as a metaphor for the passing of time, with the tent representing the fleeting nature of childhood and the stars above symbolizing the endless possibilities of youth. The singer longs for a return to that simpler time, but realizes that it is no longer possible, as she is now forced to face the bleakness of reality. The chorus of the song is particularly poignant, with the singer being reduced to counting her fingers and the raindrops falling on her as she struggles to find something to hold onto in a world that seems to have turned against her.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was very young
Back when I was an innocent child
The world was younger than I
The world around me seemed full of life and youth
As merry as a carousel
It was just as joyous as a ride on a carnival carousel
The circustent was strong
I was surrounded by a strong and magical atmosphere of a circus tent
With every star in the sky
The night sky was like a twinkling canvas with numerous stars shining bright
Above the ring I loved so well
Above the ring where I was enamoured with the performers and their acts
Now the young world has grown old
But now that I've grown up, the world seems old and jaded
Gone are the tinsle and gold
All the glitz and glamour of my childhood has faded away
Sit there and count your fingers
You're left with nothing but your fingers to count on
What can you do?
What options do you have?
Oh girl you're through
You've reached the end of the line
All you can count on are your fingers
Your fingers are your only solace
Unlucky little girl blue
You're an unlucky soul, little girl blue
Sit there and count the raindrops
In your despair, you might as well count the raindrops as they fall
Falling on you
As they hit you on their way down
It's time you knew
It's important for you to understand
All you can count on are the raindrops
The only certain thing in your life right now are these raindrops
That fall on little girl blue
Falling upon you, the little girl blue
No use oh girl
There's no point in trying anymore, little girl
You may as well surrender
It's time to give up and accept your fate
Your hope is getting slender
Your chances of hope are becoming thin
Why won't somebody send a tender blue boy
Why can't someone send a kind-hearted, blue-eyed boy
To cheer little girl blue
To bring some happiness to the sad little girl blue
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind