"Going Down For the Third Time" is a song written and composed by

Holland–Dozier–Holland Holland–Dozier–Holland was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the Motown sound in the 1960s. Du ...

, and recorded by Motown singing group

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

in 1967. The song was issued as the b-side to the popular " Reflections".

Background

The song features a fierce-sounding Diana Ross telling herself that she's "going down for the third time" in a relationship that has her "drowning in tears". Throughout the song, the narrator aches over the hardship of the relationship. Ross' band mates

Florence Ballard Florence Glenda Chapman (''née'' Ballard; June 30, 1943 – February 22, 1976) was an American singer and a founding member of the Motown vocal female group the Supremes. She sang on 16 top 40 singles with the group, including ten number-o ...

and Mary Wilson egged her on in the chorus.

Song information

The song is prominent for being one of the last songs to feature Ballard as a member of the Supremes. A few months after this was recorded, Ballard was replaced by Cindy Birdsong.

Credits

*Lead vocals by Diana Ross *Backing vocals by

and Mary Wilson *Additional backing vocals by

The Andantes The Andantes were an American female session group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by Ma ...

(album version only) *Instrumentation by

The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

Cover versions

*Phoebe Snow covered this song on her album “Second Childhood,” released in January, 1976.

References

1967 songs The Supremes songs Songs written by Holland–Dozier–Holland Motown singles Song recordings produced by Brian Holland Song recordings produced by Lamont Dozier {{1960s-song-stub