"The Boss" is a 1979 song written and produced by Ashford & Simpson and recorded by American singer Diana Ross, who released it as a single on the Motown label. It was the first release from the album of the same title (1979). The song was released on May 22, 1979, a day before the album release.
The song debuted at number 64 in the UK Singles Chart on July 21, 1979, reaching its highest peak on August 4, 1979.[2][3] The song spent 7 weeks in the top 75 before leaving the chart on September 1, 1979.[4]
Formats
The track was remixed by David Morales in 1993 and included on Ross' album Diana Extended: The Remixes. The track was also remixed by Almighty Records in 2009 and was included on their album "Almighty – We Love Diana Ross". In 2019, a remix by Eric Kupper, entitled "The Boss 2019" went to number one on the Billboard, US Dance Club Songs chart.[5]
Personnel
Lead vocals by Diana Ross
Background vocals by Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Maxine and Julia Waters
American R&B group the Braxtons released a cover of "The Boss" in 1997. The song was written by Ashford & Simpson and produced by Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez, "Little" Louie Vega. It was released on March 17, 1997 as the third single from their first studio album, So Many Ways (1996).
Critical reception
In his review of the So Many Ways album, Peter Miro from Cash Box wrote, "Can't say "The Boss" by Diana Ross belongs on the collection, unless it's there to appeal to a techno-oriented dance crowd. Its straight-up hip-hop intro would have made a nice tune if it was fleshed out, but the rest of it sounds incongruous on this otherwise tranquil, luxuriant disc."[11] Jeremy Newall from Music Week's RM Dance Update praised the track, rating it five out of five. He added, "Live bass, real strings and disco drums capture the lush feeling of the original in breathtaking style."[12]
Commercial performance
On February 1, 1997 the Masters At Work version topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart for one week a #1 in the United States.[13] The song stayed in the chart for 14 weeks.[14]
On March 29, 1997, the song debuted at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart.[15] The song spent a total of three weeks on the chart at numbers 50 and 69 respectively before leaving the Top 75 on April 12, 1997, becoming their second top 40 in the UK.[16][17]
Music video
A music video was produced to promote the single, featuring The Braxtons Trina, Towanda and Tamar with a length of the video at 4 minutes and 27 seconds. The video starts with Towanda kissing goodbye her lover as he rushes off to work. Then the video brings you to a living room where Towanda, Trina, and Tamar are singing and dancing.
The video also shows them talking on the phone to each other and also singing by a tree. The plot of the video revolves around Towanda acquiring photos of her husband with another woman, and after he leaves for work, the sisters have a garage sale clearing out the entire house. The video ends with Towanda's husband coming home to an empty house with the pictures left in an envelope on the floor.[18]
Credits
Producer, Mixed by – Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez, "Little" Louie Vega*
On February 12, 2008, Americandance-pop singer Kristine W released a cover of this song as the first single off her album The Power of Music. Kristine's version also hit number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart[33] in March 2008, becoming her eleventh US dance chart-topper and the third version of the song to top this survey.
The song was covered by Ashford and Simpson during a televised live concert special in 1982, and by Whitney Houston during her live shows in 1997/98.
Korean pop singer J covered the song on her 2001 special English album Chocolate.
"Someday We'll Be Together" is a song written by Johnny Bristol, Jackey Beavers, and Harvey Fuqua. It was the last of twelve American number-one pop singles for Diana Ross & the Supremes on the Motown label. Although it was released as the final Supremes song featuring Diana Ross, who left the group for a solo career in January 1970, it was recorded as Ross' first solo single and Supremes members Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong do not sing on the recording. Both appear on the B-side, "He's My Sunny Boy".
Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting, production, recording duo composed of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson.
"I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" is a soul song most popularly released as a joint single performed by Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations for the Motown label. This version peaked for two weeks at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in the United States, selling 900,000 copies in its first two weeks, and at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1969.
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is a song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla label, a division of Motown. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and became a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes frontwoman Diana Ross. The song became Ross's first solo number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
"Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" is the debut solo single of singer Diana Ross, released in April 1970 as the first single from her solo self-titled debut 1970 album by Motown Records.
"Love Hangover" is a song by the Motown singer Diana Ross, recorded in 1975 and released as a single on March 16, 1976. It rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot-Selling Soul Singles. It also hit number one on the Record World disco charts. * The original single peaked just 3 months before the first publication of Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart, yet, in an ironic twist of fate, a remixed version by Eric Kupper, known as "Love Hangover 2020", was the last song to hit number one on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart in March 2020 before the chart was suspended.
Diana Ross is the debut studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released on June 19, 1970 by Motown Records. The ultimate test to see if the former Supremes frontwoman could make it as a solo act, the album was overseen by the songwriting-producing team of Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, who had Ross re-record several of the songs the duo had recorded on other Motown acts. Johnny Bristol, producer of her final single with The Supremes, contributed on The Velvelettes cover "These Things Will Keep Me Loving You."
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Diana is the eleventh studio album by American R&B singer Diana Ross, released on May 22, 1980, by Motown Records. The album is the best-selling studio album of Ross's career, spawning three international hit singles, including the number-one hit "Upside Down".
Love Child is the fifteenth studio album released by Diana Ross & the Supremes for the Motown label in 1968. The LP was the group's first studio LP not to include any songs written or produced by any member of the Holland–Dozier–Holland production team, who had previously overseen most of the Supremes' releases.
A Public Affair is the fifth studio album by American pop singer Jessica Simpson. The album was released on August 26, 2006 in the United States by Epic Records. The album is Simpson's first effort following her divorce from Nick Lachey.
The discography of American singer Diana Ross, the former lead singer of the Supremes, consists of 25 studio albums and 116 singles. Throughout her career, Ross has sold over 100 million records worldwide. Billboard ranked her as the 47th Greatest Artist of all time and the 11th Greatest Hot 100 Female Artist of all time. In 1993, Guinness World Records crowned Ross as the "most successful female artist in music history". Her 11th studio album "Diana" remains the best-selling album of her career, selling more than 10 million copies around the world.
"Band of Gold" is a song written and composed by former Motown producers Holland–Dozier–Holland and Ron Dunbar. It was a major hit when first recorded by Freda Payne in 1970 for the Invictus label, owned by H-D-H. The song has been recorded by numerous artists, notably competing 1986 versions by contrasting pop singers Belinda Carlisle and Bonnie Tyler, and a 2007 version by Kimberley Locke.
The Boss is the tenth studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released on May 23, 1979 by Motown Records.
Ross is the ninth studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released on September 3, 1978 by Motown Records. The album served as a new album and a compilation, as it was a mixture of old and new songs. Side A consisting of four new tracks recorded in 1978, and Side B of material recorded by Ross between 1971 and 1975, but remixed and/or extended by Motown in-house producer Russ Terrana specifically for the Ross album. Ross peaked at number 49 on the US Pop Albums chart, and number 32 on Black Albums. The album failed to chart in the UK. Its final US sales figures stood at around 150,000 copies. The cover illustration was by Rickey Ricardo Gaskins. A different album also titled Ross was released on the RCA label in 1983.
"These Things Will Keep Me Loving You" is a Motown song written by Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol and Sylvia Moy, and recorded, most notably, by The Velvelettes and Diana Ross.
"It's My House" is a ballad composed by the rhythm and blues writing team of Ashford and Simpson, recorded by Motown icon Diana Ross for her 1979 album release The Boss, from which it was issued as the second single on 20 October 1979.
"Remember Me" is a 1970 single recorded and released by singer Diana Ross on the Motown label and was included on her 1971 album Surrender. The song was released as the album's first single on December 8, 1970 by the label. It was written and produced by Ashford & Simpson. In the US, the song was Ross' third top forty pop hit within a year, peaking at number 16 on the Hot 100 chart and number 10 on the soul chart. It was also Diana Ross' third entry on the Easy Listening chart, where it went to number 20. It gave Diana her third gold single in a year and her third top 10 charting single in Cash Box, peaking at number eight. Overseas, "Remember Me" reached the top ten in the UK, where it reached number seven. It was the lead single from Ross' 1971 album, Surrender.
"Surrender" is a song composed and produced by Ashford & Simpson and sung from singer Diana Ross' album of the same name in 1971 on the Motown label. It was released as the album's third single on July 6, 1971.
"Found a Cure" is a 1979 single by Ashford & Simpson, from their album, Stay Free. Along with the title track and the song, "Nobody Knows", "Found a Cure" hit number one on the dance/disco chart for two weeks. The tracks replaced Diana Ross's album, The Boss, which was produced by Ashford & Simpson. "Found a Cure" also crossed over to the soul singles chart where it stayed at number two for three weeks, as well as crossing over to the pop singles chart where it made the Top 40 peaking at number 36.
References
↑ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
↑ "1979 Talent in Action – Year End Charts: Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol.91, no.51. December 22, 1979. p.TIA-10.
↑ Miro, Peter (August 24, 1996). "Urban"(PDF). Cash Box. p.11. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
↑ Newall, Jeremy (December 21, 1996). "Hot Vinyl"(PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p.9. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
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