Nothing but Heartaches

"Nothing but Heartaches"
Single by The Supremes
from the album More Hits by The Supremes
B-side	"He Holds His Own"
Released	July 16, 1965
Format	Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM)
Recorded	Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A); May 13 and May 17, 1965
Genre	Pop, R&B
Length	2:59
Label	Motown M 1080
Writer(s)	Holland–Dozier–Holland
Producer	Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland
The Supremes singles chronology
"Back in My Arms Again" (1965) "Nothing but Heartaches" (1965) --- "Mother Dear" (1965) (withdrawn) "I Hear a Symphony" (1965)
Music sample "Nothing but Heartaches" Alternative cover

"Nothing but Heartaches" is a 1965 song recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label.^[1]

Written and produced by Motown songwriting and producing team Holland–Dozier–Holland, it was notable for breaking the first string of five consecutive number-one pop singles in the United States, peaking at number 11 from August 29, 1965 through September 4, 1965 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.^[2]

Overview

Recording

By the spring of 1965, the Supremes had elevated from regional R&B favorites to an internationally successful pop group thanks to a series of five singles which consecutively topped the United States Billboard pop charts: "Where Did Our Love Go", "Baby Love", "Come See About Me", "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "Back in My Arms Again." Known for creating repetitive follow-ups, Motown at this time was relying on a formula to create songs with a similar sound present in records by The Temptations, The Four Tops and Marvin Gaye among other recording acts.

Sure that they had finally found a successful formula, Berry Gordy had Holland–Dozier–Holland create a song similar to several of their earlier hit singles. As expected, "Nothing but Heartaches" had a similar sound to "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "Back in My Arms Again." Gordy felt confident that the song would become their sixth consecutive number-one hit.

Reception

Response to "Nothing but Heartaches" was less of a success as Gordy predicted, as it peaked at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100. The song's more modest top 20 charting prompted Gordy to circulate a memo around the Motown offices:

“

We will release nothing less than Top Ten product on any artist; and because the Supremes' world-wide acceptance is greater than the other artists, on them we will only release number-one records.

”

After canceling the planned subsequent release of "Mother Dear," Holland-Dozier-Holland produced "I Hear a Symphony."

Personnel

• Lead vocals by Diana Ross
• Background vocals by Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson
• Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers

Chart history

Chart	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	11
U.S. Billboard R&B Singles Chart	6

Gallery

• 

References

1. ^ Steel, Bert (20 August 1965). "Bob Dylan's Lyrics Catchy on New Disc". Windsor Star. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WzU_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=j1EMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3624%2C1887760. Retrieved 26 March 2011. 
2. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard (Nielsen Company) 77 (36): 36. 1965. http://books.google.com/books?id=RCkEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA1&pg=PA36#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 10 May 2011.