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.
Where Did Our Love Go?
Diana Ross Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ooh, please don't leave me all by myself
I've got this burning, burning, yearning feelin' inside me
Ooh, deep inside me and it hurts so bad
You came into my heart (baby, baby) so tenderly
With a burning love (baby, baby)
That stings like a bee (baby, baby)
You now want to leave (baby, baby)
Ooh, you wanna leave me (baby, baby)
Ooh (baby, baby)
Baby, baby, where did our love go?
Ooh, don't you want me?
Don't you want me no more (baby, baby)?
Ooh, baby
Baby, baby, where did our love go?
And all your promises of a love forevermore!
I've got this burning, burning, yearning feelin' inside me
Ooh, deep inside me, and it hurts so bad
Before you won my heart (baby, baby)
You were a perfect guy
But now that you got me
You wanna leave me behind (baby, baby)
Ooh, baby
Baby, baby, baby don't leave me
Ooh, please don't leave me all by myself (baby, baby)
Ooh baby, baby, baby
The lyrics to Diana Ross's "Where Did Our Love Go" explore the pain and confusion of a broken relationship. The opening lines feature a desperate plea from the singer to her partner, begging them not to leave her alone with the intense emotions she is feeling. She describes a burning, yearning feeling deep within her that hurts so bad she can barely function. The second stanza explores how this pain is exacerbated by the fact that the couple had promised each other a love forevermore, but now those promises seem hollow and empty. The third stanza reveals that the singer had initially thought of her partner as a perfect guy, but now that they have won her heart, they want to leave her behind. The overall message seems to be one of betrayal and confusion in the face of a love that was once passionate but has now faded away, leaving the singer alone and hurting.
In terms of interesting facts about the song, "Where Did Our Love Go" was written by the iconic Motown songwriting team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland. It was originally intended for another Motown act, the Marvelettes, but they ended up passing on the song. When the Supremes recorded it in 1964, it became their first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It went on to sell over a million copies and helped establish the Supremes as one of the most successful Motown acts of all time.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, baby, baby don't leave me
I don't want you to leave me, baby
Ooh, please don't leave me all by myself
I don't want to be alone without you, baby
I've got this burning, burning, yearning feelin' inside me
I feel a strong desire for you deep inside my heart
Ooh, deep inside me and it hurts so bad
This desire is painful for me to bear
You came into my heart (baby, baby) so tenderly
You entered my heart in a loving and gentle way
With a burning love (baby, baby) that stings like a bee (baby, baby)
Your passionate love for me is intense and often causes pain
Now that I surrender (baby, baby) so helplessly
Now that I have given in to my feelings for you without resistance
You now want to leave (baby, baby)
You are now expressing a desire to end our relationship
Ooh, you wanna leave me (baby, baby) Ooh (baby, baby)
You want to break up with me and it hurts so much
Baby, baby, where did our love go?
I wonder where our love disappeared to
Ooh, don't you want me?
Don't you still desire me?
Don't you want me no more (baby, baby)?
Have you stopped wanting me, baby?
And all your promises of a love forevermore!
You made promises of a love that would last forever, what happened to those?
Before you won my heart (baby, baby) you were a perfect guy
You were flawless in my eyes before you won my heart
But now that you got me you wanna leave me behind (baby, baby) Ooh, baby
But now that we're together, you want to abandon me, which is so painful for me, baby
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Edward Jr. Holland, Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind