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.
Missing you
Diana Ross Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been down and lonely
Since you've been away
I've been thinking of you
Trying to understand
The reason you left me
What were you going through?
Tell me why the road turns
Ooh ooh
I'm missing you
Tell me why the road turns
As i look around
I see things that remind me
Just to see you smile
Made my heart fill with joy
I'll still recall
All those dreams we shared together
Where did you run to, boy?
I'm missing you
Tell me why the road turns
Ooh ooh
I'm missing you
Tell me why the road turns
Sometimes i've wondered
I didn't understand
Just where you were trying to go
Only you knew the plan
And i tried to be there
But you wouldn't let me in
But now you've gone away boy
I feel so broken hearted
I knew the day we started
That we were meant to be
If only you'd let me!
I've cried so many tears
Gotta face now all my fears
We let time slip away
I need you boy
Here today!
There was so much you gave me
To my heart
To my soul
There was so much of your dreams
That were never told
You had so much hope
For a brighter day
Why were you my flower
Plucked away
I'm missing you
Tell me why the road turns
Ooh ooh
I'm missing you
Tell me why the road turns
Diana Ross’s song Missing You is a tribute to a lost love, and the lyrics are full of heartbreak, longing, and regret. The opening lines, “Since you’ve been away, I’ve been down and lonely”, set the melancholic tone for the rest of the song. Ross sings about how she has been trying to make sense of her lover’s departure and the reasons for it. She asks why the road turns and where her lost love has gone.
Throughout the song, Ross reminisces about their time together and how much she misses him. She sees reminders of him everywhere, and just the memory of his smile used to fill her heart with joy. Ross tells her lost love that she tried to be there for him, but she couldn’t penetrate his plans.
Towards the end of the song, Ross’s heartbreak is palpable as she implores her lost love to return. She needs him, and despite their differences and misunderstandings, she still feels that they were meant to be. Ross seems to regret not having fought harder to keep their relationship alive. In conclusion, the song is a bittersweet reflection on love and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Since you've been away
The time since you left
I've been down and lonely
I feel sad and isolated without you
Since you've been away
The time since you left
I've been thinking of you
You are constantly on my mind
Trying to understand
I am attempting to comprehend
The reason you left me
Why you decided to go away
What were you going through?
What challenges you were facing at the time?
I'm missing you
I long for your presence
Tell me why the road turns
Explain why things took a different direction
Ooh ooh
A vocalization expressing emotional pain
As i look around
When I observe what surrounds me
I see things that remind me
Things that bring back memories of you
Just to see you smile
The happiness your smile brought me
Made my heart fill with joy
Filled me with happiness
I'll still recall
I fondly remember into the present
All those dreams we shared together
The aspirations we had as a unit
Where did you run to, boy?
Where did you flee to?
Sometimes i've wondered
At times, I've been curious
I didn't understand
I couldn't grasp
Just where you were trying to go
The precise place you aimed to reach
Only you knew the plan
You were the only one with the strategy
And i tried to be there
I made an effort to accompany you
But you wouldn't let me in
You refused to let me partake
But now you've gone away boy
You left me all alone, my dear
I feel so broken hearted
I am emotionally hurt
I knew the day we started
From day one, I was certain that we were meant to be
That we were meant to be
Our relationship was predestined
If only you'd let me!
If only you had permitted me
I've cried so many tears
I have shed many tears
Gotta face now all my fears
I must now confront all my fears
We let time slip away
We allowed time to elapse
I need you boy
I require your presence, my love
Here today!
In proximity at present!
There was so much you gave me
You provided me with many gifts
To my heart
To my emotions
To my soul
To my spirit
There was so much of your dreams
You had so many aspirations
That were never told
That you never expressed aloud
You had so much hope
You possessed an abundance of optimism
For a brighter day
A forthcoming lucid period
Why were you my flower
Why were you plucked like a flower?
Plucked away
Taken away from me
I'm missing you
I long for your presence
Tell me why the road turns
Explain why things took a different direction
Ooh ooh
A vocalization expressing emotional pain
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: LIONEL B., JR. RICHIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind