Diana, Florence and Mary really did reign supreme exactly 50
years ago. After three American No. 1s in a row, with ‘Where Did Our
Love Go,’ ‘Baby Love’ and ‘Come See About Me’ — achieved inside four
months in 1964 — Motown queens
the Supremes
continued their incredible run as ‘Stop! In The Name Of Love’ entered
the Hot 100 on February 20, 1965. Within five weeks, it was their next
chart-topper.
‘Come See About Me’ dropped out of the chart that same week, after a
14-week run, but by now Motown knew exactly when to unveil a follow-up
single at just the right moment to keep the hits continuous. ‘Stop!
debuted at No. 80, as Gary Lewis and the Playboys moved to No. 1 with
‘This Diamond Ring.’ Motown was already represented in the top ten by
the Temptations’ ‘My Girl,’ which climbed 5-4.
A week later, the Supremes single was at No. 41, then soared to No.
13, then 3, 2 and then No. 1 at the end of March. It became their second
gold-certified 45, after ‘Baby Love,’ later entering the Grammy and
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Among all of the group’s spectacular chart achievements, including
their famous run of 12 US No. 1s in a space of five years and four
months, one from that 1964-65 season is reported less often. Thanks to
Motown’s brilliant production process, not only choosing the right
singles but unleashing each one at the right time, the Supremes spent
exactly one year on the Hot 100 without a break.
From the point that ‘Where Did Our Love Go’ started its run in the
week of July 11, 1964, they were on the chart every single week, across
five singles, all of them No. 1s, until ‘Back In My Arms Again’ finished
its run on July 10, 1965.
Listen to ‘Stop! In The Name Of Love’ on the album ‘Motown Gold’ on Spotify
Download the Supremes from Google Play
Download the Supremes’ ‘Ultimate Collection’ from iTunes, or buy it on Amazon
Explore our dedicated Diana Ross & the Supremes Artist Page
