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 (1965-07-16)
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(s)
The Supremes singles chronology
"Back in My Arms Again"
(1965)
"Nothing but Heartaches"
(1965)
---
"Mother Dear"
(1965) (withdrawn)
"I Hear a Symphony"
(1965)
More Hits by The Supremes track listing
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.

Confident that they had finally found a successful formula, Berry Gordy had Holland–Dozier–Holland created 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

The lukewarm response to "Nothing but Heartaches" was not what Gordy had 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

Chart history

Weekly charts

Chart (1965) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 11
U.S. Billboard R&B 6
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [3] 8

Year-end charts

Chart (1965) Rank
U.S. Cash Box [4] 100

References

  1. Steel, Bert (20 August 1965). "Bob Dylan's Lyrics Catchy on New Disc". Windsor Star. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
  2. "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Company. 77 (36): 36. 1965. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
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