The Supremes were a very successful Motown all-female singing group active … Read Full Bio ↴The Supremes were a very successful Motown all-female singing group active from 1959 until 1977, performing at various times doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway showtunes, psychedelia, and disco. One of Motown's signature acts, The Supremes were the most successful African-American musical act of the 1960s, recording twelve #1 hits between 1964 and 1969, many of them written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team, Holland-Dozier-Holland. The crossover success of the Supremes during the mid-1960s paved the way for future black soul and R&B acts to gain mainstream audiences both in the United States and overseas.

Founded in Detroit, Michigan, United States 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 the mid-1960s with Ross as the lead singer, Motown president Berry Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross & the Supremes in 1967, and replaced Ballard with Cindy Birdsong. Ross left the group for a 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.

He's Seventeen
The Supremes Lyrics

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Seventeen
I've got a guy that is seventeen
I don't care because I'm just sixteen
And my guy is seventeen
He's only seventeen

He loves me
And we're as happy as two can be

We have pledged our love eternally
And my guy is seventeen

I don't know what it is
That makes me love him so
I don't know if I shall ever let him go, go, go
Don't you know, know, know

He's seventeen
I've got a guy that is seventeen
I don't care because I'm just sixteen
And my guy is seventeen
He's only seventeen

Guess what girls
My guy is seventeen
Seventeen?
Yeah, guess what else girls
I'm just sixteen
Sixteen?
So come on

Don't you know, you know he's seventeen
I've got a guy that is seventeen
I don't care because I'm just sixteen
And my guy is seventeen
He's only seventeen

He's seventeen
Seventeen
Seventeen
Seventeen
I'm sixteen
Sixteen
Sixteen

Sixteen
He's seventeen

Overall Meaning

The Supremes’s song “He’s Seventeen” is a catchy pop tune that describes a young girl’s infatuation with her older boyfriend who is seventeen years old, while she is only sixteen. The lyrics focus on the naïve and irrational nature of teenage love, portraying it as both sweet and innocent, yet slightly precarious. The girl sings fondly of her boyfriend and their eternal love and seems to be convinced that nothing could ever come between them, even though it is clear that they are still very young and inexperienced.

The song’s chorus emphasizes the fact that the boyfriend is seventeen, which states the obvious age difference between the two and how much younger the girl is. The girl is confident that she and her boyfriend are meant to be together even though she cannot quite explain why she loves him so much. The song captures the essence of teenage love and its fleeting nature, as it seems to suggest that the young couple’s relationship is not going to last forever.

Overall, “He’s Seventeen” is a fun and upbeat pop song that highlights the joys and challenges of teenage love. It reminds us of the excitement and uncertainty of our first romantic experiences, and how they can shape us into who we are today.

He's SeventeenThe Supremes Lyrics

He's Seventeen
The Supremes Lyrics