Diana
Studio album by
Diana Ross
ReleasedMay 22, 1980 (1980-05-22)
RecordedDecember 1979 – March 1980
StudioPower Station, New York City
Genre
Length34:17
LabelMotown
Producer
Diana Ross chronology
20 Golden Greats
(1979) 		Diana
(1980) 		To Love Again
(1981)
Singles from Diana
  1. "Upside Down"
    Released: June 18, 1980
  2. "I'm Coming Out"
    Released: August 22, 1980
  3. "My Old Piano"
    Released: September 19, 1980

Diana (stylized on the cover as diana) is the eleventh studio album by American R&B singer Diana Ross, released on May 22, 1980, by Motown Records. The album is the best-selling studio album of Ross's career, spawning three international hit singles, including the number-one hit "Upside Down".

In 2020, Rolling Stone named Diana the 394th greatest album of all time.[2]

Conception

Following the US success of her 1979 album The Boss, Ross wanted a fresher, more modern sound. Having heard Nile Rodgers of Chic's work in the famous Manhattan disco club Studio 54, Ross approached him about creating a new album of material for her that stated where she felt she was in her life and career at the period.

On an episode of TV One's Unsung, Nile Rodgers said that the majority of the songs were crafted after direct conversations with Ross. She had reportedly said to Rodgers and Bernard Edwards that she wanted to turn her career “upside down” and wanted to “have fun again.” As a result, Rodgers and Edwards wrote the songs "Upside Down" and "Have Fun (Again)". After running into several drag queens in a club dressed as Ross, Rodgers wrote "I'm Coming Out". Only "My Old Piano" came from their normal songwriting processes.

Initially, Ross was not pleased with the album's results. Following a preview of the record to be released in the aftermath of the anti-disco backlash, Frankie Crocker, an influential New York City disc jockey, warned Ross that releasing the album in its original state would even lead to the end of her career. Ross remixed the entire album, assisted by Motown engineer Russ Terrana, removing extended instrumental passages and speeding up the tracks' tempos. Ross also re-recorded and remixed all her lead vocals so that they were front and center and not overshadowed by the music.[3]

The remixing of the master tapes was performed without the knowledge or approval of Rodgers and Edwards. When they were presented with the "official" version of diana, the producers publicly objected and, at one point, even considered removing their names from the album's list of credits. Motown and Ross persisted, and the version released was Terrana's more commercial mix of the album.

Rodgers and Edwards were contracted by Motown to produce a follow-up album, but, as Ross left the label, it was never created. Rodgers and Edwards sued Motown, unsuccessfully claiming that they were owed monies for creating and recording the original version of the album. In 1989, Rodgers and Ross collaborated on Workin' Overtime (No. 3 US R&B), released upon Ross's return to Motown. Edwards produced the 1984 single, "Telephone" (No. 13 US R&B), from Ross' Swept Away album, released on the RCA label. Rodgers played guitar on the new wave song, "It's Your Move", from the same album.

The cover art was photographed by famed photographer Francesco Scavullo. For the shoot, she borrowed jeans from supermodel Gia Carangi.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Robert ChristgauA−[5]
Pitchfork9.5/10[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]
Smash Hits5/10[8]
Tom Hull – on the WebA−[9]

Robert Christgau, writing for The Village Voice, gave the album an A− rating. He remarked that "not since Lady Sings the Blues has Ms. R. been forced into such a becoming straitjacket. Her perky angularity and fit-to-burst verve could have been designed for Rodgers & Edwards's synergy – you'd swear she was as great a singer as Alfa Anderson herself. And Nile is showing off more axemanship than any rhythm guitarist in history."[5]

In a retrospecive review, Charity Stafford from AllMusic called the album "Ross' best solo record." She found that "Ross sounds more forceful than she had in years. The helium-toned style of her early hits with the Supremes is worlds away from the assertive way she rips into the funky hit "Upside Down." [...] The glossy Chic production might sound a bit dated to some ears, but it's matured much better than many similar albums of the era."[4]

In her 2003 review of Diana's deluxe edition, Daryl Easlea from BBC Music wrote: "Diana is an artistic portrayal of complete freedom; Rodgers and Edwards' writing symbolises Ross' breaking free of the shackles of Motown on one level, but moreover, the work has a universality; celebrating gayness, blackness, equality; an album of challenging ideas, friendship and freedom."[10]

Rolling Stone ranked the album No. 394 on its 2020 edition of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

Chart performance

Partly due to the controversy between Ross, Motown, and Nile Rodgers/Bernard Edwards, Motown released the album without a lead single. This was unheard of, especially for a label like Motown. However, by its 4th week leading into summer, the album was already nearing the top 10. "Upside Down" eventually was chosen by the label and radio programmers. "Upside Down" made a rare vaulted move in its third week from number 49 to number 10. By the middle of summer 1980, Ross chalked up her fifth number one single.

The album spent 17 weeks at the top of Billboard's R&B/Dance chart. Reaching number two on the Billboard 200 chart and number one on the Billboard Soul Albums Chart for 8 consecutive weeks, as well as yielding two top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including the number-one single "Upside Down", the album would sell over one million copies in the United States and be certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In the UK it went Gold and spun off three successful singles; "Upside Down" (No. 2), "My Old Piano" (No. 5) and "I'm Coming Out" (No. 13). A fourth single, "Tenderness", was also released in certain territories, reaching the top 40 in the Netherlands, and was later included on several greatest hits compilations.

"I'm Coming Out" has since become an anthem for the LGBT movement.[11]

Some thirty years after its release, Diana remains Ross's best-selling studio album to date having sold a total of over 10 million copies worldwide, according to music critic Graham Reid.[12]

Diana was one of four albums written and produced by Edwards and Rodgers in 1980, the other three being Sister Sledge's Love Somebody Today, Sheila and B. Devotion's King of the World including European hit single "Spacer", and Chic's fourth studio album Real People.

Following the release of two more singles, the duet "Endless Love" with Lionel Richie and "It's My Turn", both worldwide hits, Ross left Motown and signed a then-record breaking $20 million recording deal with RCA Records. The first album for the label was 1981's self-produced Why Do Fools Fall in Love, which went platinum and spawned two Top 10 hits in the US. Diana was remastered and released as a double CD in 2003 containing the original Chic mixes and the Motown final mixes, unremixed versions, together with a selection of other Motown dance tracks from the same period.

Track listing

All songs written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers.[13]

Original release

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Upside Down"4:05
2."Tenderness"3:52
3."Friend to Friend"3:19
4."I'm Coming Out"5:24
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Have Fun (Again)"5:57
2."My Old Piano"3:55
3."Now That You're Gone"3:59
4."Give Up"3:45

2001 (UK) / 2003 (US) deluxe edition

CD 1
No.TitleLength
1."Upside Down"4:05
2."Tenderness"3:52
3."Friend to Friend"3:19
4."I'm Coming Out"5:24
5."Have Fun (Again)"5:57
6."My Old Piano"3:55
7."Now That You're Gone"3:59
8."Give Up"3:45
9."Upside Down" (Original Chic Mix)4:17
10."Tenderness" (Original Chic Mix)5:10
11."Friend to Friend" (Original Chic Mix)3:20
12."I'm Coming Out" (Original Chic Mix)6:01
13."Have Fun (Again)" (Original Chic Mix)7:09
14."My Old Piano" (Original Chic Mix)4:52
15."Now That You're Gone" (Original Chic Mix)3:40
16."Give Up" (Original Chic Mix)3:59
CD 2
No.TitleLength
1."Love Hangover" (Extended Alternate Mix)10:25
2."Your Love Is So Good for Me" (12-Inch Version)6:36
3."Top of the World"3:09
4."Lovin', Livin' and Givin'" (Ross Album Remix)5:12
5."What You Gave Me" (12-Inch Version)6:08
6."You Were the One"4:04
7."The Diana Ross & the Supremes Medley of Hits" (12-inch Mix)9:59
8."No One Gets the Prize"/"The Boss" (12-Inch Re-Edit)9:41
9."I Ain't Been Licked" (12-inch Mix)5:18
10."Fire Don't Burn"3:26
11."We Can Never Light That Old Flame Again" (Alternate Mix)4:38
12."You Build Me Up to Tear Me Down"5:42
13."Sweet Summertime Livin'"4:25

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the Diana liner notes.[14]

Musicians

Production

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[33] Platinum 100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[34] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[36] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ^ Breihan, Tom (April 10, 2020). "The Number Ones: Barbra Streisand's "Woman In Love"". Stereogum. Retrieved July 15, 2023. But Diana is a giddy dance-pop album, and Guilty is not.
  2. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2020-09-22. Archived from the original on 2020-09-23. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  3. ^ "Soul Train Licensing Info". soultrain.com. Archived from the original on 2016-01-03. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  4. ^ a b Ruhlmann, William. diana > review at AllMusic. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
  5. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "diana > review". Robert Christgau. Archived from the original on June 23, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  6. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (January 1, 2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 703. ISBN 9780743201698 – via Internet Archive. diana ross the rolling stone album guide.
  7. ^ Torres, Eric (November 28, 2021). "Diana Ross: Diana Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  8. ^ Hillier, Bev. "Albums". Smash Hits (June 26 – July 9, 1980): 31.
  9. ^ Hull, Tom (May 24, 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  10. ^ Kellman, Daryl. "Diana Ross Diana - Deluxe Edition Review". BBC Music. Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  11. ^ Reynolds, Daniel (May 22, 2022). "Diana Ross Didn't Understand Why I'm Coming Out Was Gay Anthem". Advocate. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  12. ^ Reid, Graham (March 2, 2012). "Diana Ross, coming out in '80: From soul-pop princess to Chic dancefloor diva". Elsewhere. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2019. To date the album has sold more than 10 million copies.
  13. ^ Diana (liner notes). Diana Ross. Motown Records. 1980.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Diana (CD booklet). Diana Ross. Motown. 1980.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ "Microsoft OneDrive - Access files anywhere. Create docs with free Office Online".[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 259. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  17. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Diana Ross – Diana" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  18. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0261a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  19. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Diana Ross – Diana" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  20. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Diana Ross". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 219. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Diana Ross – Diana" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  22. ^ Racca, Guido (2019). M&D Borsa Album 1964–2019 (in Italian). ISBN 978-1094705002.
  23. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Diana Ross – Diana". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  24. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. November 22, 1980. p. 87. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  25. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Diana Ross – Diana". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  26. ^ "Diana Ross | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  27. ^ "Diana Ross Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  28. ^ "Diana Ross Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  29. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1980". dutchcharts.nl. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  30. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  31. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1980". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  32. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1980". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  33. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Diana Ross – Diana". Music Canada.
  34. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Diana Ross – Diana" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Diana in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1980 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  35. ^ "British album certifications – Diana Ross – Diana". British Phonographic Industry.
  36. ^ "American album certifications – Diana Ross – Diana". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

Diana Ross
Chic
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