''Reflections'' is the twelfth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

recorded for

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

Diana Ross & 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 successful ...

. Released in 1968, it was the first regular studio LP to display the new billing of the group formerly known as "The Supremes." It contains the singles " Reflections", " In and Out of Love" and "

Forever Came Today "Forever Came Today" is a 1967 song written and produced by the Motown collective of Holland–Dozier–Holland, and was first made into a hit as a single for Diana Ross & the Supremes in early 1968. A disco version of the song was released as a ...

". Also included are covers of songs made famous by

Martha and the Vandellas Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1972 as Martha Reeves & The Vandellas) were an American vocal girl group formed in Detroit in 1957. The group achieved fame in the 1960s with Motown. An act founded by friends Annette Beard, Rosalind ...

Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Things) "Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Things)" is a 1965 pop ballad by Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. A rare ballad for the group, whose forte was reportedly uptempo soul dance numbers including "Dancing in the Street" and " Nowhere to Run", ...

") and

The 5th 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. Betwee ...

(" Up, Up and Away"). Also present are songs written by other famous names, including "Bah-Bah-Bah" co-written by Motown singer

Brenda Holloway Brenda Holloway (born June 26, 1946) is an American singer and songwriter, who was a recording artist for Motown Records during the 1960s. Her best-known recordings are the soul hits, "Every Little Bit Hurts", " When I'm Gone", and " You've Ma ...

with her younger sister,

Patrice Patrice is a given name meaning '' noble'' or '' patrician'', related to the names Patrick and Patricia. In English, Patrice is often a feminine first name. In French, it is used as a masculine first name. Popularity In the United States, the pop ...

, an original

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...

composition titled "Then", and "

What the World Needs Now Is Love "What the World Needs Now Is Love" is a 1965 popular song with lyrics by Hal David and music composed by Burt Bacharach. First recorded and made popular by Jackie DeShannon, it was released on April 15, 1965, on the Imperial label after a relea ...

" by

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...

and

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David ...

, which Motown planned to release as a single in the spring of 1968, but cancelled. It also contains a cover of

Bobbie Gentry Bobbie Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter; July 27, 1942) is a retired American singer-songwriter, who was one of the first female artists in America to compose and produce her own material. Gentry rose to international fame in 1967 with her Sou ...

's "

Ode to Billie Joe "Ode to Billie Joe" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry released by Capitol Records in July 1967, and later used as the title-track of her debut album. Five weeks after its release, the song topped '' Billboard's'' Pop sin ...

," whose original recording kept the single #2 "Reflections" from peaking at the top spot on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in September 1967, and it hit #2 on '' Cashbox''. The album includes the final songs the Supremes recorded with their main creative team of

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. During ...

before the three writers/producers departed Motown over royalty and title disputes. Although

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 ...

recorded some of this album before being fired from the group in July 1967, her replacement

Cindy Birdsong Cynthia Ann Birdsong (born December 15, 1939) is an American singer who became famous as a member of The Supremes in 1967, when she replaced co-founding member Florence Ballard. Birdsong had previously been a member of Patti LaBelle & The Blueb ...

along with Mary Wilson recorded several songs and appears on the album cover. Initially, the album cover included three photos with Ballard but it was quickly replaced with the cover featuring just Ross, Wilson and Birdsong. A photo of the original album cover can be found on Motown 45 rpm promotional sleeves issued in early 1968. One of the album's singles, "Forever Came Today", was later covered by

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

on their 1975 album ''

Moving Violation A moving violation is any violation of the law committed by the driver of a vehicle while it is in motion. The term "motion" distinguishes it from other motor vehicle violations, such as paperwork violations (which include violations involving a ...

''. " In and Out of Love" was chosen to be the key song for the American Bandstand dance contest that year. Because of that exposure, the single remained #1 on American Bandstand's chart for an impressive four weeks. It outperformed " Reflections" with

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 198 ...

's audience affording the album two top three singles on that pivotal show.

Track listing

Side one

#" Reflections" (

) - 2:50 #"I'm Gonna Make It (I Will Wait for You)" (Debbie Dean, Dennis Lussier) - 2:47 #"

" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) - 3:14 #"I Can't Make It Alone" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) - 3:14 #" In and Out of Love" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) - 2:40 #"Bah-Bah-Bah" (

Patrice Holloway Patrice Yvonne Holloway (March 23, 1951 – October 3, 2006) was an American soul and pop singer, and songwriter. Career Patrice Yvonne Holloway was born on March 23, 1951 in Los Angeles, California, the youngest of three children born to Wade ...

) - 3:18

Side two

" (

) - 2:51 #" Up, Up and Away" (

Jimmy Webb Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including " Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "MacArthur Park", "Wichita Lineman", "Worst ...

) - 2:31 #"

" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) - 2:53 #"Then" (

Robert Rogers Robert Rogers may refer to: Politics * Robert Rogers (Irish politician) (died 1719), Irish politician, MP for Cork City 1692–1699 *Robert Rogers (Manitoba politician) (1864–1936), Canadian politician * Robert Rogers, Baron Lisvane (born 1950), ...

, Warren Moore) - 2:09 #"Misery Makes Its Home in My Heart" (Smokey Robinson, Warren Moore) - 2:54 #"

" (

) - 4:54

Unused Recordings from the Reflections timeframe

#"My Guy" (Robinson) #"It's Going All The Way To True Love" (Fuqua-Bristol-DeMell-Verdi) #"Stay in My Lonely Arms" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) #"Heaven Must Have Sent You" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) #"Treat Me Nice John Henry" (Robinson) #"Am I Asking Too Much" (Richards-Taylor) #"All I Know About You" (Holland-Dozier-Holland-DeVol) (Released only as Motown 1107B (B-side of " The Happening", March 20, 1967)

Personnel

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

* Mary Wilson -

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

(side 1, tracks 1-2 and 5-6; side 2, tracks 1, 4-5) *

- backing vocals (side 1, track 5; side 2, track 1) *

- backing vocals (side 1, tracks 2 and 6; side 2, track 4) *

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 Mar ...

- backing vocals (side 1, tracks 3-5; side 2, tracks 2-3) **Marlene Barrow - backing vocals (side 1, track 1; side 2, track 5) *

Brian Holland Brian Holland (born February 15, 1941) is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown sound, and numerous hit ...

Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...

producers Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

on all tracks unless otherwise noted *

- producer on "Then" and "Misery Makes Its Home in My Heart"

Singles history

*"Reflections" b/w "

Going Down for the Third Time "Going Down For the Third Time" is a song written and composed by Holland–Dozier–Holland, and recorded by Motown singing group The Supremes in 1967. The song was issued as the b-side to the popular " Reflections". Background The song featur ...

" (B-side taken from '' The Supremes Sing Holland–Dozier–Holland'') (Motown 1111, July 24, 1967) *"In and Out of Love" b/w " I Guess I'll Always Love You" (B-side taken from ''The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland'') (Motown 1116, October 25, 1967) *"Forever Came Today" b/w "Time Changes Things" (B-side taken from ''

Meet The Supremes ''Meet the Supremes'' is the debut studio album by The Supremes, released in late 1962 on Motown. Background The LP includes the group's earliest singles: "I Want a Guy", " Buttered Popcorn", "Your Heart Belongs to Me" and " Let Me Go the Right ...

'') (Motown 1122, February 29, 1968)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 1968 albums The Supremes albums Albums produced by Smokey Robinson Albums produced by Brian Holland Albums produced by Lamont Dozier Motown albums