Recorded - September 22, and 28-30, 1965
Released - October 6, 1965
#1 for weeks of November 20 and 27, 1965.
The Supremes had almost the same number of chart topper hits as The Beatles did in the '60's. The Supremes had a string of five number ones in a row. This combo was broken by the release of "Nothing But Heartaches", which only hit #11. Aiming to create a strong song to once again bring the trio back into the top, Holland-Dozier-Holland crafted "I Hear A Symphony", which became The Supremes' sixth number one. But was this song really their best yet?
One thing I am really beginning to notice is just how similar many of the songs of The Supremes' early catalog are. Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting credit? Check. Diana Ross lead vocal with minor backing vocals by Florence and Mary? Check. Romantic lyrics? Definitely. Now don't get me wrong, this isn't an insult, and The Supremes certainly had a winning formula, but as you'll soon find out, this formula has some drawbacks.
"I Hear A Symphony" certainly contains the most ambitious production on a Supremes song yet. This is an incredible music track which rivals Phil Spector in terms of just how much sound hits you at once. I also really like how the song changes keys numerous times as it progresses. Finally, there is a lot more vocals from Mary and Flo, although they are once again mixed much lower than Diana's are.
The downside is that this song highly resembles two of their previous number ones. Namely "Where Did Our Love Go" and "Back In My Arms Again". For the former, we have the numerous "Baby, baby's", not to mention the songs share the exact same tempo. For the latter, we have some similar instrumentation such as the very similar saxophone solo. So while "I Hear A Symphony" is a notch better than both of those previous two songs, I still can't consider it as big of a groundbreaker as it is often made out to be.
Now, if this review came off as a bit too critical, keep in mind that we are only in 1965. The following year happens to contain some of the best Supremes songs, and if you're looking for a fresher sound of theirs, stick around for 1966!
Final Verdict - A bit over-rated, as "I Hear A Symphony" features a few too many stylistic similarities between earlier Supremes songs. However, I do appreciate the innovations used, and the much more impressive music track.
Coming Up Next - "Turn! Turn! Turn!" by The Byrds.
Until Next Time - I'm Dr. Rock, and every good song I review is like a symphony to me -
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