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.

Only Love Can Conquer All
Diana Ross Lyrics

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They tell us it's better
That people should stay with their own kind
Divided by colour, afraid to be hurt by the other (yeah)
What if we try talking
We'll see we're the same on the inside
Can't let it, can't let hatred rule
Let your love in

Only love can conquer all
Only love can break down the walls
Only love can conquer all
Only love (only love)
Only love (only love)
Oh yeah

The wheel keeps, keeps on turning
We pass all our fears to our children
Rule the playground
The lines are all drawn into colours (yes)
What if we, we try harder
What if we reach out to each other (to each other)
Can't let it, can't let hatred rule
Let your love in
Let your love in

Only love can conquer all
Only love can break down the walls
Only love can conquer all
Only love (only love)
Only love (only love)
Oh yeah

Only love can conquer all
Only love can break down these walls

Only love can conquer all
Only love (only love)
Only love (only love)

Only love
(Only love)
Only love
(Only love)
Only only only
Only love
(Only love)
Only love
(Only love)

Only love

Overall Meaning

In Diana Ross's song "Only Love Can Conquer All," the lyrics explore themes of love, acceptance, and unity. The song critiques the societal norms that encourage people to stay within their own racial or ethnic groups out of fear of being hurt by others. Ross challenges these divisions by encouraging conversation and understanding between people of different backgrounds. The lyrics ultimately argue that only love, which sees past these superficial differences, can "conquer all" and break down the walls that separate us.

The song's lyrics further highlight the ways in which fear, hatred, and division are passed down from generation to generation, as children learn to "rule the playground" and draw lines between themselves based on skin color. Ross suggests that we can break this cycle and make progress towards racial unity if we "let [our] love in" and make a conscious effort to "try harder" and "reach out to each other." The repetition of the phrase "only love" throughout the song emphasizes the central message that love is the key to overcoming prejudice and discrimination.

Overall, "Only Love Can Conquer All" is a powerful call for social change that speaks to the importance of empathy, understanding, and unity in our increasingly divided world.

Line by Line Meaning

They tell us it's better
Society suggests it's preferable

That people should stay with their own kind
To stick to one's own race is advised

Divided by colour, afraid to be hurt by the other (yeah)
We segregate ourselves, scared of being hurt by others of a different race

What if we try talking
What if we engage in conversation?

We'll see we're the same on the inside
We'll realize we share the same human characteristics

Can't let it, can't let hatred rule
We can't let hate dictate our actions

Let your love in
Let love influence our behavior

Only love can conquer all
Love is the only solution to overcome all barriers

Only love can break down the walls
Love has the power to demolish walls that society creates

The wheel keeps, keeps on turning
Time continues to move forward despite our efforts to change it

We pass all our fears to our children
Our insecurities are passed on to our future generations