Song #137 - "Back Into My Arms Again" - The Supremes

Recorded - December 1, 1964, & February 24, 1965

Released - April 15, 1965

#1 for week of June 12, 1965. 

    "Back Into My Arms Again" was the fifth Supremes single in a row to go to #1 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100. This song is also the fifth #1 of theirs in a row to be written by the same songwriting trio of Holland-Dozier-Holland. With that being said, there doesn't appear to be as much call for this song as their was for their previous hits. If you don't have this song in your music collection, you're going to have a tricky time finding it on youtube, (For legal reasons, I can't provide a direct link). This is a shame as it's one of their more hidden gems. 

     Much of the already established formula of The Supremes' previous hits is still present. Diana Ross is the prominent vocalist, with Mary and Flo having a much more diminished presence this time around. Lyrically, "Back In My Arms Again", could be considered a sequel to "Stop! In The Name Of Love". In the latter song, the singer pleaded with her lover not to cheat on her. In the former, the two are back together again. It's nothing ground breaking, but in the 1960's pop context, it works. 

     The song is also very brass-heavy with some nice trombone fanfares during the choruses. The pre-chorus melody of the song was later recycled on the song "This Old Heart Of Mine" by The Isley Brothers. This isn't just a coincidence as both songs were written by the H-G-H songwriting team. In fact, the next song on this list shares some musical similarities as well. But it was on "Back In My Arms Again" that the melody first appeared. 

     So this brings up an interesting point. Despite my unwavering love of classic Motown music, is this later re-use of an existing musical melody considered lazy? Or is it meant as a stylistic continuation of the same theme among these different Motown artists as a way of uniting them all? I'll leave that for you to decide. 

Final Verdict - While not as groundbreaking and fresh sounding as some of their first #1 hits, "Back In My Arms Again" is nonetheless a Motown classic by one of the label's most successful groups. If you enjoy everything The Supremes have released so far, you're sure to love this song. 

Coming Up Next - "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" by The Four Tops. 

Until Next Time - I'm Dr. Rock, and I hope you'll keep coming back to this site again -