Diana (album)

Diana is the tenth studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released on May 22, 1980, by Motown. The album is the biggest-selling studio album of Ross's career, selling over 10 million copies worldwide and spawning three international hit singles, including the US and international number-one hit "Upside Down".

Diana
Studio album by
Diana Ross
ReleasedMay 22, 1980 (1980-05-22)
RecordedDecember 1979 – March 1980
Genre
Length34:17
LabelMotown
ProducerNile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards
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

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's lead vocals were also re-recorded and remixed so that they were front and center and not overshadowed by the music.[1]

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.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert ChristgauA-[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]
Smash Hits5/10[5]

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."[3] 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."[2] 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."[6]

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. 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. Despite its massive dance and dance radio success, none of the singles from Diana were remixed for promotional and/or commercial use while the album was current.

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

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.[7]

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.[8]

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

Musicians

Production
  • All songs originally recorded at Power Station in New York. Lead vocal re-recordings: Electric Lady, New York; Motown/Hitsville U.S.A. Studios, Hollywood, California.
  • All songs originally mixed at Power Station, New York. Remixed by Russ Terrana and Diana Ross at Artisan Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California.
  • Mastered at Atlantic Studios, N.Y.

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1980) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[10] 8
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[11] 4
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] 5
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[13] 3
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[15] 12
US Billboard 200[16] 2

Year-end charts
Chart (1980) Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] 49

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[18] Platinum 100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[19] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[20] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[21] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

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See also
  • List of number-one R&B albums of 1980 (U.S.)

References
  1. "Soul Train Licensing Info". soultrain.com.
  2. Ruhlmann, William. diana > review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  3. Christgau, Robert. "diana > review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2016-04-18.
  4. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (1 January 2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 703 – via Internet Archive. diana ross the rolling stone album guide.
  5. Hillier, Bev. "Albums". Smash Hits (June 26 – July 9, 1980): 31.
  6. Kellman, Daryl. "Diana Ross Diana - Deluxe Edition Review". BBC Music. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  7. Reid, Graham (March 2, 2012). "DIANA ROSS, COMING OUT IN '80: From soul-pop princess to Chic dancefloor diva". Elsewhere. Retrieved February 3, 2019. To date the album has sold more than 10 million copies.
  8. Diana (liner notes). Diana Ross. Motown Records. 1980.CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. "Microsoft OneDrive - Access files anywhere. Create docs with free Office Online".
  10. "Austriancharts.at – Diana Ross – Diana" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  11. "Dutchcharts.nl – Diana Ross – Diana" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  12. "Offiziellecharts.de – Diana Ross – Diana" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  13. "Norwegiancharts.com – Diana Ross – Diana". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  14. "Swedishcharts.com – Diana Ross – Diana". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  15. "Diana Ross | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  16. "Diana Ross Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  17. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  18. "Canadian album certifications – Diana Ross – diana". Music Canada.
  19. "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.
  20. "British album certifications – Diana Ross – diana". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type diana in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  21. "American album certifications – Diana Ross – diana". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  • Easlea, Daryl (2004). Everybody Dance: Chic and the Politics of Disco. London: Helter Skelter. ISBN 1-900924-56-0
  • Chin, Brian (2003). Diana (Deluxe Edition) [Liner notes]. New York: Motown/Universal.
  • Wangler, Petra. (May 5, 2000). Interview with Aretha Franklin. Musikbyrån. SVT Sweden.
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