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.

Sweet Surrender
Diana Ross Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(l. stack/c. christensen)

You keep running to me
And I keep running for cover
I'm not gonna give in
You may be my kind of lover

You move closer to me

Give a chance, you can find
I'm right in the thought of you
Overtakin' my mind

But ('cause) when you hold me close
So warm and tender
Oh, sweet surrender

You keep running to me
I keep running for cover
I won't give in to you
Though you're my kind of lover

But ('cause) when you hold me close
So warm and tender
Oh, sweet surrender

You're shaking me up
With just your touch
You know I wanted you so
I wanna give it all up
You can do what you wanna do
I can't resist, I surrender to you

It's gotta be fate
'cause I can't deny you
Can't change the way I feel
No matter how I try to

But ('cause) when you hold me close
So warm and tender
Oh, sweet surrender

Oh, sweet surrender
You shake me up
With just a touch
You know I wanted you so
I'm gonna give it all up
You can do what you wanna do
I can't resist, I surrender to you

It's gotta be fate
'cause I can't deny you
Can't change the way I feel
No matter how I try to

But ('cause) when you hold me close
So warm and tender
Oh, sweet surrender

I can't deny you

Hold me close
Hold me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Diana Ross's "Sweet Surrender" portray an individual who is continuously pursued by their admirer. Although they acknowledge that the pursuer is their type of lover, they keep evading them to maintain a safe distance. They desire to withstand the temptation of their admirer's love and not let them get too close. However, as the song progresses, the singer acknowledges that they cannot deny the chemistry between them and their admirer. They confess that the love of their admirer undeniably seduces them despite their initial resistance. They surrender to their lover's love as they can't resist anymore.

The song's storyline is simple, reflecting the inevitable nature of romantic relationships. The lyrics highlight the emotional wear and tear that comes with running from love and the vulnerability that comes with giving in to it. Despite acknowledging that the pursue is passionate, the singer reveals their reluctance to surrender to their lover's desires. The lyrics depict the emotional turmoil of fighting to maintain distance while yearning to be close, ultimately surrendering to a lover's embrace.

Line by Line Meaning

You keep running to me
You constantly reach out to me

And I keep running for cover
But I keep avoiding and running away from you

I'm not gonna give in
I won't let you have your way

You may be my kind of lover
Even though we have chemistry

You move closer to me
You try to get closer to me

Give a chance, you can find
But if you try, you may see

I'm right in the thought of you
That I can't get you out of my head

Overtakin' my mind
You're always on my mind

But ('cause) when you hold me close
But then when you embrace me

So warm and tender
With your warm and gentle touch

Oh, sweet surrender
I can't resist anymore