Diana Ross and The Supremes was the new name used by The Supremes from 1967… Read Full Bio ↴Diana Ross and The Supremes was the new name used by The Supremes from 1967 to 1970. It was Motown boss Berry Gordy's idea to explicitly make Diana Ross the group's front woman.

The Supremes were a hugely successful Motown all-female singing group active from 1959 until 1977, performing at various times doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway showtunes, psychedelia and disco. Second only to The Beatles in terms of records sales and chart success, The Supremes were the most successful American musical act of the 1960s, delivering twelve #1 hits between 1964 and 1969, many of them written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team, Holland-Dozier-Holland.

Founded in Detroit, Michigan in 1959, The Supremes began as a quartet called The Primettes. Founding members Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross, and Betty McGlown, all from the Brewster-Douglas public housing project in Detroit, were the sister act to The Primes (later The Temptations). In 1960, Barbara Martin replaced McGlown, and the group signed with Motown in 1961 as The Supremes.

Martin left at the end of 1961, and Ross, Ballard, and Wilson carried on as a trio. After they achieved success in 1964 with Ross as the lead singer, Motown president Berry Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross and the Supremes in 1967. Ballard left the group that same year because of personal differences and was replaced by Cindy Birdsong.

Diana Ross left the group for a history-making solo career in 1970 and was replaced by Jean Terrell. After 1972, the lineup of The Supremes changed frequently, with Lynda Laurence, Scherrie Payne, and Susaye Greene all becoming members before the group ended its eighteen-year existence in 1977.

The Shadow Of Your Smile
Diana Ross and the Supremes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The shadow of your smile
When you have gone
Will color all my dreams
And light the dawn

Look into my eyes my love and see
All the lovely things you are to me

Our wistful little star
It was far, too high
A teardrop kissed your lips
And so did I

Now when I remember spring
All the joys that love can bring

I will be remembering
The shadow of your smile

Overall Meaning

The Shadow Of Your Smile is a heartfelt ballad that talks about how the memory of a loved one stays with you, even when they're gone. The opening line - "the shadow of your smile, when you have gone, will color all my dreams and light the dawn" - sets the tone for the rest of the song. It's a melancholic description of the after-effects of losing someone, but it also speaks to the powerful impact that person had on the singer. The following lines are an invitation to really see the other person, to understand all the good things they bring to the singer's life, and to take mental snapshots of those qualities that will last beyond the physical presence of the loved one.

The second stanza adds a deeper layer of emotion to the song. "Our wistful little star, it was far too high" evokes a feeling of lost potential, of something that could have been but wasn't. The image of a teardrop kissing someone's lips is one of poignant tenderness, and underscores that the relationships we have in life can be both beautiful and fleeting. The final stanza brings the focus back to the present moment, and how the memory of the loved one's smile will be forever intertwined with the singer's own memories of happy moments, of love and joy.

Line by Line Meaning

The shadow of your smile
The lingering impression left by your grin

When you have gone
After you've departed from my life

Will color all my dreams
Will cast a tint on all of my aspirations

And light the dawn
And illuminate the start of a new day

Look into my eyes my love and see
Gaze into my pupils, my beloved one, and behold

All the lovely things you are to me
All the beautiful qualities that you embody in my heart

Our wistful little star
The object of our yearning, shining star

It was far, too high
It was distant and unattainable

A teardrop kissed your lips
A droplet of sorrow caressed your mouth

And so did I
And I bestowed a similar gesture of love and sympathy

Now when I remember spring
Now when I reminisce about the season of rebirth and growth