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.

We Couldn't Get Along Without You
Diana Ross and the Supremes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hi Berry,
This is Diane, this is Mary, Florence
And on behalf of everyone at Motown
We also wish to extend our congratulations
We couldn't get along without you
Just couldn't feel the song without you
Without your hand to guide our way
We'd all be lost somewhere in yesterday

We need your strength
We need your courage too
We need your constant faith to see us through
We couldn't get along without you
Just couldn't feel the song without you
You gave us hope when all our hope was gone
With wise and patient hands you kept hangin' on
When things were dark, You brought us shining light
Words cannot express the way we feel tonight
Berry, on behalf of the people at home
And the people all over this country
To whom you are a shining example
Our deepest congratulations
And of course our deepest love
We need you now more than before
Success is one thing, but you taught us much more
We couldn't get along without you
Just couldn't feel the song without you
The world should know the man inside
Who worked with courage and a deep sense of pride
Your strong and guiding hand has shown us the way
From those who love you most we just want to say

We couldn't get along without you
Just couldn't feel the song without you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song "We Couldn't Get Along Without You" by Diana Ross and the Supremes expresses gratitude towards Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records. The song pays tribute to Gordy's leadership and guidance which helped the label to establish a new era of soulful music. The song speaks of how important Gordy was to the label and how without his guidance and love for music, the label wouldn't be what it is without him.

The song speaks from a place of love and admiration for Berry Gordy. The lyrics express the sentiment that Gordy played a crucial part in the success of Motown Records and how the label and the artists couldn't have done it without him. The metaphor of "feeling the song" without Gordy highlights the importance of his guidance and management in shaping the sound that made Motown Records famous.

In summary, the song "We Couldn't Get Along Without You" is a tribute to Berry Gordy and expresses how important he was to the success of Motown Records. The lyrics express a deep sense of gratitude towards Gordy's leadership, love for music, and how without him, the label and the artists wouldn't have accomplished as much as they did.

Line by Line Meaning

Hi Berry, This is Diane, this is Mary, Florence And on behalf of everyone at Motown We also wish to extend our congratulations
We, Diane, Mary, and Florence, representing everyone at Motown, wanted to congratulate you, Berry.

We couldn't get along without you Just couldn't feel the song without you Without your hand to guide our way We'd all be lost somewhere in yesterday
We really need you, Berry. Without you, we wouldn't be as successful or as good at what we do. We rely on your guidance for direction and without you, we'd be stuck in the past.

We need your strength We need your courage too We need your constant faith to see us through We couldn't get along without you Just couldn't feel the song without you
We need not only your guidance but also your strength, courage, and faith in order to keep going. Without you, we wouldn't have the confidence or resilience we need to succeed.

You gave us hope when all our hope was gone With wise and patient hands you kept hangin' on When things were dark, You brought us shining light Words cannot express the way we feel tonight
You have been a source of constant hope for us, Berry. When things were bleak, you guided us through them with patience and wisdom, and like a shining light, you illuminated our path when it was dark. We can't fully express how much we appreciate you.

Berry, on behalf of the people at home And the people all over this country To whom you are a shining example Our deepest congratulations And of course our deepest love
Not just us at Motown, but people all over the country admire you, Berry. You are a role model to many, and we wanted to express our congratulations and love to you on their behalf.

We need you now more than before Success is one thing, but you taught us much more We couldn't get along without you Just couldn't feel the song without you
We need you more than ever, Berry. Your success is great, but beyond that, you have taught us invaluable lessons that have shaped who we are. We genuinely could not do this without you.

The world should know the man inside Who worked with courage and a deep sense of pride Your strong and guiding hand has shown us the way From those who love you most we just want to say
We want the world to know who you truly are, Berry. You work with courage and pride, and your guidance has set us on the right path. Those of us who love you just want you to know how much we admire you.

We couldn't get along without you Just couldn't feel the song without you
We really and truly couldn't do it without you, Berry. You are the driving force behind our success, and we can't imagine doing this without you.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JR., BRIAN HOLLAND, EDWARD HOLLAND, EDWARD, JR. HOLLAND, LAMONT DOZIER, LAMONT HERBERT DOZIER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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