"You Keep Me Hangin' On" is a song written and composed by

Holland–Dozier–Holland Holland–Dozier–Holland, often abbreviated as H-D-H, 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 ...

. It was first recorded in 1966 by American Motown group

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

, reaching number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song has since been interpreted by many performers. American rock band Vanilla Fudge released a cover version in June the following year, which reached number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Wilson Pickett recorded it in 1969. English singer

Kim Wilde Kim Wilde (born Kim Smith, 18 November 1960) is an English pop singer. She first gained success in 1981 with her debut single "Kids in America", which peaked at no. 2 in the UK. In 1983, she received the Brit Award for Best British Female solo ...

covered "You Keep Me Hangin' On" in 1986, reaching number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in June 1987. In 1996, a version recorded by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

singer

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire ( ; born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music, country singer and actress. Dubbed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Sin ...

reached number two on the US ''Billboard''

Hot Dance Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart. In the first 32 years of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 rock era, "You Keep Me Hangin' On" became one of the six songs to reach number one by two different musical acts, for the Supremes and Wilde versions. The

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

ranked the Supremes' original song at number 78 on ''The Top 100 Digital Motown Chart'', which ranks

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

releases by their all-time UK downloads and streams.

The Supremes original version

Background

"You Keep Me Hangin' On" was originally recorded in 1966 by

for the

label. The single is rooted in proto-

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

and

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

, compared to the Supremes' previous single, "

You Can't Hurry Love "You Can't Hurry Love" is a song originally recorded by the Supremes on the Motown label. It was released on July 25, 1966 as the second single (music), single from their studio album ''The Supremes A' Go-Go''. Written and produced by Motown p ...

", which uses the

call and response Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...

elements akin to

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

. The song's signature guitar part is said to have originated from a

Morse code Morse code is a telecommunications method which Character encoding, encodes Written language, text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code i ...

-like radio sound effect, typically used before a news announcement, heard by Lamont Dozier. Dozier collaborated with

Brian Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan (given name), Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish language, Irish and Breton language, Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan language, Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. ...

and Eddie Holland to integrate the idea into a single. Many elements of the recording, including the guitars, the drums, and

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

's vocals were multitracked, a production technique which was established and popularized concurrently by

(H–D–H) and other premier producers of the 1960s such as

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

(see ''

Wall of Sound The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...

'') and

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...

. H–D–H recorded the song in eight sessions with the Supremes and session band

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 ...

before settling on a version deemed suitable for the final release.

Reception

"You Keep Me Hangin' On" was the first single taken from the Supremes' 1967 album ''

The Supremes Sing Holland–Dozier–Holland ''The Supremes Sing Holland–Dozier–Holland'' (issued in Europe as ''The Supremes Sing Motown'') is the tenth studio album released by the Supremes for Motown in 1967. It includes the number-one hit singles "You Keep Me Hangin' On" and "Lov ...

''. The song became the group's eighth number-one single when it topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop singles chart for two weeks in the United States from November 19 to 26, 1966. It peaked at number eight in the UK Singles Chart. The Supremes original version was ranked number 339 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''s

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring song ranking compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2 ...

. It was voted number 43 on Detroit's 100 Greatest Songs, a ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

'' poll in 2016. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' described the song as a "pulsating rocker with the trio in top form" with an "interesting, driving guitar figure throughout." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that it is "another in he Supremes'long-line of strong 'Detroit' offerings" that "is bound to follow in footsteps of the group’s previous winners." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' described it as "a driving nifty with distinctive sound." The track is one of the most often covered songs in the Supremes canon. The group performed the song on the ABC variety program ''

The Hollywood Palace ''The Hollywood Palace'' was an hourlong American television variety show broadcast Saturday nights (except September 1967 to January 1968, when it aired on Tuesday nights) on ABC from January 4, 1964, to February 7, 1970. Titled ''The Satur ...

'' on October 29, 1966. In 1999, the 1966 original recording by the Supremes was inducted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

Personnel

– lead vocals *

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- ...

– backing vocals * Mary Wilson – backing vocals *

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 ...

– instrumental accompaniment

Charts

Weekly charts

Sales

Vanilla Fudge version

Background

Vanilla Fudge's 1967

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

remake titled "You Keep Me Hanging On" reached number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart a year after the release of the Supremes' recording. While the edited version released on the 45 RPM single was under three minutes long, the album version was 7:26 and features a markedly slower and more aggressive interpretation of the song. The recording, done in one take, was Vanilla Fudge's first single. Vanilla Fudge drummer Carmine Appice talked about the band's decision to record the song in a 2014 interview: The Vanilla Fudge version appears in the

series finale A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, ...

of the television show ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'' (2007), at the conclusion of episode 1 of season 7 of the television series ''

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American historical drama, period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on cable network AMC (TV channel), AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, with seven seasons ...

'' (2015), the film '' War Dogs'' (2016), the video game '' Mafia III'' (2016), the film ''

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ''Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood'' is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Bona Film Group, Heyday Films, and Visiona Romantica, and distributed by Sony Pict ...

'' (2019) and its

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

, and over the closing credits of the "Intervention" (2022) episode of '' That Damn Michael Che''. It Also appears in the snowboarding film by Burton "One World" (2020).

Personnel

* Carmine Appice – drums, vocals * Tim Bogert – bass, vocals * Vince Martell – guitar, vocals * Mark Stein – lead vocals, keyboards

Charts

Kim Wilde version

Background

"You Keep Me Hangin' On" was covered by English singer

in 1986. Wilde's version was a total re-working of the original, completely transforming the Supremes' Motown Sound into a

hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by its fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the four-on-the-flo ...

song.

Reception

It was released as the second single from Wilde's fifth studio album, '' Another Step'' (although "You Keep Me Hangin' On" was the LP's first worldwide single, as the first single had been released only in selected countries). The song reached number two in Wilde's native United Kingdom, and number one in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It also became Wilde's second and last top-40 entry in the United States following "

Kids in America "Kids in America" is a song recorded by English pop singer Kim Wilde. It was released in the United Kingdom as her debut single in January 1981, and in the United States in spring 1982, later appearing on her Kim Wilde (album), self-titled de ...

" (1981), as well as her most successful song in that country to date, reaching number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for one week in June 1987. It later ranked as the 34th best-selling song of 1987 on ''Billboard''s Hot 100 year-end chart that year. "You Keep Me Hangin' On" was certified

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

by the

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

(BPI) for UK sales in excess of 250,000 copies. In 2006, Wilde performed a new version of the song with German singer

Nena Gabriele Susanne Kerner (born 24 March 1960), better known by her stage name Nena, is a German singer who rose to international fame in 1983 as the lead vocalist of the band Nena (band), Nena with the Neue Deutsche Welle song "99 Luftballons". I ...

for her '' Never Say Never'' album.

Music video

Wilde filmed a music video to promote the song. Directed by Greg Masuak, the video shows Wilde in a dark room lying on a large bed. She then rises from the bed as she sings the song and finds herself being "threatened" by a strange man who is breaking down the walls around her.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

France Gold + 250.000

Reba McEntire version

American

singer

covered "You Keep Me Hangin' On" in 1995 for her twenty-second studio album, '' Starting Over'' (1996). Released as the album's fourth single in 1996 on

MCA Nashville Records Music Corporation of America, formerly known as Universal Music Group Nashville, is Universal Music Group's country music subsidiary. It was officially opened in 1945 as MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville which opened on New Year's Day 1950 a ...

, it was co-produced by Tony Brown and Michael Omartian. Although not released to country radio, McEntire's rendition was her only dance hit, reaching number two on the US ''

chart.

Reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

'' wrote, "A Reba McEntire

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

record? On paper, such an idea seems frighteningly incongruous. But in the hands of British production team Love To Infinity, the concept works like gangbusters. Playfully digging into the Supremes' pop classic, McEntire has a saucy style that is well-suited to the track's storm of bright pop/house percussion and sugary synths. Her country base may find this a tad hard to swallow, but it is so darn good that you'll be wishing for another romp in the

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

round ASAP." Dan Glaister from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' said songs like "You Keep Me Hanging On" are "safe, solid, and destined for a marketing megablitz. They're huge, but hardly country."

Track listing

* 12-inch vinyl, 1996 (US) :A1. "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (Classic Paradise Mix) – 7:46 :A2. "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (Classic Paradise Instrumental) – 7:47 :B1. "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (Deep Love Mix) – 8:55 :B2. "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (Aphrodisiac Mix) – 7:12 * CD maxi-single, 1996 (US) #"You Keep Me Hangin' On" (Classic Paradise Radio Mix) – 3:44 #"You Keep Me Hangin' On" (Classic Paradise Mix) – 7:46 #"You Keep Me Hangin' On" (Classic Paradise Instrumental) – 7:47 #"You Keep Me Hangin' On" (Deep Love Mix) – 8:55 #"You Keep Me Hangin' On" (Aphrodisiac Mix) – 7:12

Charts

Other versions

In 1969, Mary McCaslin released a cover version. According to ''The New York Times'', it "transforms the tune from an urban teen-oriented lament into a mountain-flavored folk song of quiet, adult desperation." R&B singer

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded more than 50 songs that made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the '' ...

recorded a version of the Vanilla Fudge cover which was released as a single in 1969 and included on his 1970 album '' Right On''. Pickett's version reached number 16 on the US R&B chart and 92 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Dianna Agron Dianna Elise Agron ( ; born April 30, 1986) is an American actress and singer. List of Dianna Agron performances, Her work spans screen and stage, and her accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award and nomination for a Brit Award. Agron bega ...

as Quinn Fabray performed the song in the ''

Glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...

'' episode " Throwdown". Raymund Flandez for ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' was critical of this cover, which he called "thin and jarring", while in 2015 ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' described it as "one of the best numbers in ''Glee'' history" and

Mashable Mashable is a Online newspaper, news website, digital media platform and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005. History Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2004. Early iterations o ...

ranked it in the show's top 50 songs. The version peaked at number 166 on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending February 27, 2010.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1966 songs 1966 singles 1967 debut singles 1986 singles 1987 singles 1996 singles The Supremes songs Vanilla Fudge songs Kim Wilde songs Reba McEntire songs Atco Records singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients MCA Nashville Records singles MCA Records singles Motown singles Music videos directed by Greg Masuak Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Norway RPM Top Singles number-one singles Song recordings produced by Brian Holland Song recordings produced by Lamont Dozier Songs written by Holland–Dozier–Holland

The Supremes original version

Background

Reception

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Sales

Vanilla Fudge version

Background

Personnel

Charts

Kim Wilde version

Background

Reception

Music video

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Reba McEntire version

Reception

Track listing

Charts

Other versions

See also

References

External links