"Surrender" is a song composed and produced by

Ashford & Simpson Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, ...

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. The single became Ross' fifth top forty single since she became a solo artist shortly after leaving

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 ...

. The song peaked at number 38 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 16 on the R&B chart. Outside the US, "Surrender" eventually hit the top ten in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, where it peaked at number 10, becoming her fourth consecutive top ten hit in that country.

Chart performance

Personnel

*Lead vocal by Diana Ross *Background vocals by

and

Joshie Armstead Josephine Armstead (born October 8, 1944), also known as "Joshie" Jo Armstead, is an American soul singer and songwriter. Armstead began her career singing backing vocals for blues musician Bobby "Blue" Bland before becoming an Ikette in the Ike ...

*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

*In 1983,

The Fifth Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Between ...

recorded a disco-flavored cover version of this song for Sutra Records, featuring

Florence LaRue Florence LaRue (born February 4, 1942) is an American singer and actress, best known as an original member of the 5th Dimension. Early life LaRue was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, but moved to Glenside, Pennsylvania, when she was young. She ...

on lead vocals. It is virtually the same song but is credited to writers Lenny Stack and Cheryl Christians instead of Ashford & Simpson.

References

{{Authority control 1971 singles Diana Ross songs Songs written by Nickolas Ashford Songs written by Valerie Simpson Song recordings produced by Ashford & Simpson 1971 songs Motown singles