My World Is Empty Without You
"My World Is Empty Without You" is a 1965 song recorded and released as a single by The Supremes for the Motown label.
| "My World Is Empty Without You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Supremes | ||||
| from the album I Hear a Symphony | ||||
| B-side | "Everything Is Good About You" | |||
| Released | December 29, 1965 | |||
| Format | Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM) | |||
| Recorded | Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A); 1965 | |||
| Genre | Baroque pop, soul | |||
| Length | 2:33 (original release) 3:26 (remastered) | |||
| Label | Motown M 1089 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Holland–Dozier–Holland | |||
| Producer(s) | Brian Holland Lamont Dozier | |||
| The Supremes singles chronology | ||||
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| I Hear a Symphony track listing | ||||
12 tracks
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History
Overview
Written and produced by Motown's main production team of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song's fast tempo accompanies a somber lyric which delves into the feelings of depression which can set in after a breakup; instrumentally, this is showcased with a Storm and Stress musical arrangement, in tow with the trend of baroque pop during the mid-1960s.
"My World Is Empty Without You" was one of the few songs written by the team for The Supremes to not reach number one, peaking at number five on the US pop chart for two weeks in February 1966[1] and at number 10 on the R&B chart; the single failed to chart on the UK Singles Chart. The group performed the song on the CBS hit variety program The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday, February 20, 1966.[2]
Personnel
- Lead vocals by Diana Ross
- Background vocals by Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard
- Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers:
- Andrew "Mike" Terry – baritone saxophone solo
- Joe Messina – guitar
- Earl Van Dyke – keyboards
- James Jamerson – bass guitar
- Benny Benjamin – drums
- Jack Ashford – percussion, vibes
- Detroit Symphony Orchestra – strings
Chart history
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Cover versions and other uses
The song has been covered and reused by a number of different artists, including:
- Stevie Wonder on his 1966 album Down to Earth.
- Jose Feliciano on the B-side of his 1968 album Souled and single reach at nr. 87 in US Billboard and nr 47 on Cashbox
- Barbara McNair on her 1967 album Here I Am: the track served as B-side for the single "Here I Am".
- Della Reese on her 1968 album I Gotta Be Me...This Time Out.
- Smokey Robinson & the Miracles on their 1969 album Four in Blue
- Trúbrot on their 1969 self titled debut album. The song was translated into Icelandic by Þorsteinn Eggertsson and is called Án þín (Without you).
- Blackjack on their 1980 album Worlds Apart (featuring Michael Bolton (who was performing under his real name, Michael Bolotin), Bruce Kulick, Sandy Gennaro and Jimmy Haslip).[3]
- Vanilla Fudge on their 1984 album Mystery.
- MC Lyte sampled the song on her 1991 socially conscious rap ballad "Poor Georgie", from the album Act Like You Know.
- The Afghan Whigs released the song as a single in 1991.[4][5]
- Diamanda Galas on her 1998 album Malediction and Prayer
- Lee Fields & the Expressions covered the song in 2009. This version was then sampled on J. Cole's "World is Empty" on his The Warm Up mixtape.
References
- "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Company. 78 (10): 18. 1966. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- "The Supremes, Dave Clark Five, Richard Kiley". The Ed Sullivan Show. Season 19. Episode 23. New York City. 20 February 1966. CBS. WCBS.
- Worlds Apart at AllMusic. Retrieved September 06, 2018.
- "My World Is Empty Without You". summerskiss. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- "My World Is Empty Without You". allmusic. Retrieved 2010-08-30.
External links
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
- List of "My World Is Empty Without You" cover versions at SecondHandSongs.com
