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.

I'm Giving You Your Freedom
The Supremes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You're doing me wrong
Leading me on
I can see there's no need for me
So I'm gonna have to set you free

I'm giving you your freedom
To find somebody new
There's no sense in both of us

Making each other blue

Every time I wanted you around
You were nowhere to be found
The price I pay to love you
Is too much to bear
And it's unfair when you don't really care

I'm giving you your freedom
To find somebody new
There's no sense in both of us
Making each other blue

I tried so hard to make you happy with me
But now I see our love could never be
I can't deny I'm still in love with you
But this is it, I'm callin' it quits

I'm giving you your freedom
To find somebody new
There's no sense in both of us
Making each other blue

There's no sense in the both of us
Making each other blue

There's no sense in the both of us
Making each other blue

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of “I'm Giving You Your Freedom” by The Supremes narrate the story of a relationship that has run its course. The singer has realized that her partner is leading her on and is not invested in the relationship. She acknowledges that it's time to put an end to it. She is not bitter, and instead, she accepts the situation by giving him the freedom to find someone else that he can love in the way that she needs. She understands that there's no point in forcing a relationship that isn't working.

The song's message is one of maturity and self-respect. The singer has the strength to walk away from a relationship that isn't meeting her needs. She's not begging or asking him to change; instead, she's gracefully ending it. The lyrics also imply that she has learned a valuable lesson from this experience, and although she's still in love with him, she has decided to call it quits. The song's tone is empowering and suggests that even though the decision to end things might be difficult, it's worthwhile in the end.

Line by Line Meaning

You're doing me wrong
You are mistreating me

Leading me on
You are giving me false hope

I can see there's no need for me
I can see that I am not wanted

So I'm gonna have to set you free
I am going to end this relationship

I'm giving you your freedom
I am allowing you to be free

To find somebody new
To find someone else to love

There's no sense in both of us
It does not make sense for us

Making each other blue
To make each other unhappy

Every time I wanted you around
Each time I needed you

You were nowhere to be found
You were not there for me

The price I pay to love you
The cost of loving you

Is too much to bear
Is too heavy to carry

And it's unfair when you don't really care
It is not right when you do not truly care

I tried so hard to make you happy with me
I put in a lot of effort to make you happy

But now I see our love could never be
But now I realize our love could never work

I can't deny I'm still in love with you
I cannot deny that I still love you

But this is it, I'm callin' it quits
But this is the end, I am breaking up with 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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