Happy 40th Anniversary to Diana Ross’ tenth solo studio album Diana, originally released May 22, 1980.
There are legends and then there are LEGENDS. Diana Ross is one of the latter and truthfully, she might just be the greatest female artist around today. No, scrap that, she IS the greatest female artist around today. Should you want to dispute this claim, here are a few fast facts that should bring you up to speed.
Diana Ross is the only female act to have had number one singles as a solo artist, as a duet (with Lionel Richie, “Endless Love”), as a member of a trio (The Supremes) and as an ensemble member with the We Are The World (USA) for Africa benefit in 1985. With titles like “The Most Successful Female Artist In History” given by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1993 and amassing a staggering 70 hit singles as one-third of the Supremes and then again as a solo artist, it is safe to say that the paragraph above laying claim to Ross’ status as nothing short of legendary is most definitely true and maybe even a little understated.
In 1970, Ross made the giant leap as lead singer of The Supremes to solo artist and released her first solo album Diana Ross in the same year. The album was made up of mainly covers, but the lead single “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand),” an original written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson allowed Ross to crossover with minimal fuss. The song, rooted in gospel music, didn’t veer to far astray from Ross’ time with The Supremes, but would also go onto govern the type of music she would essentially make for the next nine or so years, something the newly solo artist was so desperate to shake.
That change came in 1979 when Ross’ long-time collaborators Ashford & Simpson presented her with material for what would go on to become her long awaited and insanely overdue return to the top 40 with the studio album The Boss. The album spawned two delicious tracks, the album’s namesake and lead track “The Boss” and the funky “It’s My House,” which both charted well but more importantly, added another dimension to Ross’ musicality.
Nearly a year to the day and fresh from the newfound success Ross achieved with The Boss, Diana was released in May of 1980. For her tenth studio album, she again switched things up by enlisting the help of Chic co-founders Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards after hearing the group perform at Studio 54. Legend has it that in conversation with Rodgers and Edwards, Ms. Ross supposedly wanted to “turn her career upside down and have fun again.” Whether this is true or not, the eight track LP is nothing short of a celebration of artistic freedom and does happen to contain the tracks “Upside Down” and “Have Fun (Again).” You do the math.
“Upside Down” was also the album’s lead single and proved to be a massive smash for Ross, hitting the number one spot around the world in fifteen countries. With Rodgers’ signature guitar and that funked-up bassline that only Edwards could deliver, Ross’ vocals were placed firmly at the front of the flawless disco hit. Given the quality of craftsmanship that is so apparent on this track and to be honest, throughout the entire album, it’s hard to believe that Rodgers and Edwards’ first time working with a big star came in the form of Ross and this album.
The legend(s) surrounding this album are many and varied with diva-esque tantrums and a clash of vision that resulted in Ross supposedly feeling blind sighted and her sound dwarfed in comparison to Rodgers and Edwards’ original concept. This culminated in Ross calling in her long-time engineer from Motown Records, Russ Terrana, to remix the album at the last minute. In 2001 and 2003 a deluxe version of the album was released in the UK and US respectively, with both including the album’s original mixes by Rodgers & Edwards.
Much has been made of the album’s second single “I’m Coming Out” as a kind of “coming out” anthem for the LGBTQ community. In reality, the intention was never this, rather it supposedly signified Ross’ exit from Motown Records and the control she felt Berry Gordy had over her during her time at Motown. Ross was evidently mortified when she learnt of the alternate meaning and felt that Rodgers was trying to sabotage her career. Forty years later and in different times, “I’m Coming Out” has become an anthem for so many and a song that has done nothing but solidify the love that the LGBTQ community continues to have for Ross.
On the album’s third single “My Old Piano,” Ross sings “My baby entertains / The real life of my parties / But still retains / In all the dignity / His international style / Exudes an air of royalties / His eighty eight key smile / Is so pleasant to see.” It’s almost impossible to bypass the sound and feeling of pure joy that resonates as Ross delights in her piano playing, almost as if it were mortal. The last minute of the track is pure heaven for anyone that loves a funky piano solo.
Hindsight, for all its impeded wisdom, truly is a wonderful thing. Taking the chance to work with Rodgers and Edwards also meant that Ross got the cream of the crop when it came to the musicians that would accompany the affair. Members of Chic like The Chic Strings joined in the making of the album, as did backing vocalists Fonzi Thornton, Alfa Anderson, Luci Martin, Michelle Cobbs, all of whom helped in the sonic layering needed for Ross’ new musical direction.
When it comes to describing Diana, it is, on many levels, a pure celebration of so many things; a new sense of self (“Have Fun (Again)”), disco (“Upside Down”), LGBTQ culture (inadvertently) (“I’m Coming Out”), love (“Tenderness”) and identity (“Now That You’re Gone”). Commercially this album has been the strongest in Ross’ career having sold in excess of ten million copies worldwide.
Aside from the commercial success, Diana ushered in a new sound for Ross whilst ensuring her vocals remained front and center. A newfound strength seemed to quietly prevail on this album, something captured perfectly on the cover of Diana which shows a woman in control, staring down the lens with a fearlessness in her eyes.
Diana is a masterpiece and one that still transcends musicality to this very day.
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