Mary Wilson admits she, Diana Ross, and Florence Ballard weren’t really fond of “Where Did Our Love Go.” The singer tells Billboard.com it “wasn’t like a Martha & the Vandellas song,” and didn’t feature the group’s usual “intricate harmonic patterns.” She explains that she and Ballard “didn’t do anything,” but “just had to sing ‘baby, baby.'” The group got “Where Did Our Love Go” — with no option to refuse it — only after The Marvelettes turned it down. The Supremes had already released several singles with little success, but Mary says they weren’t discouraged — they were desperate. She recalls pleading with songwriter Eddie Holland that if they didn’t have a hit their parents would make them go to college, and he reassured her that “this is going to be a smash.”
And he was right. Friday marks the 50th anniversary of The Supremes’ “Where Did Our Love Go” topping the Billboard Hot 100. The song also went to number one on the Billboard R&B chart and the “Cashbox” chart.
(source–Billboard)
