Touch Me in the Morning

"Touch Me in the Morning"
Single by Diana Ross
from the album Touch Me in the Morning
B-side "I Won't Last a Day Without You"
Released May 3, 1973
Recorded 1973
Genre Pop, R&B
Length 3:26 (single version)
Label Motown
Writer(s) Ron Miller, Michael Masser
Producer(s) Michael Masser, Tom Baird
Diana Ross singles chronology
"Good Morning Heartache"
(1972)
"Touch Me in the Morning"
(1973)
"You're a Special Part of Me"
(1973)

"Touch Me in the Morning" is a popular song recorded by Diana Ross on the Motown label. In 1973 it became her second solo No. 1 single (and 14th over her career) on the Billboard Hot 100 .

It was conceived by then-unproven songwriter and producer Michael Masser. He had been recruited by Motown CEO Berry Gordy and A&R chief Suzanne de Passe. Masser teamed up with the proven ballad lyricist Ron Miller to write it.

According to Masser, in a video documentary about Ross, she "always tried to push hard to get the vocals right for this particular song", calling it a "draining experience" that resulted in several near-emotional breakdowns when she wasn't up to her abilities. It was recorded in the early morning hours, as was her custom after she began raising her children. In a Barbara Walters Mother's Day interview special, her second-oldest daughter, Tracee Ellis Ross, said Diana would put them to bed and record all night, in order to wake her children and send them to school the next morning.

Motown released the song as a single and it hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, becoming her longest-charting record until 1980, remaining on the chart for 21 weeks. It also spent a week at No. 1 on the adult contemporary chart, her first No. 1 on that chart. Sherlie Matthews, Clydie King and Venetta Fields sang background vocals.

It marked a turning point in the career of Diana Ross, reinvigorating her singing career, coming immediately after her Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in her acting debut, Lady Sings the Blues.

Chart performance

Weekly singles charts

Chart (1973) Peak
position
Australia KMR [1] 5
Canadian RPM 6
UK 9
US Billboard Hot 100 1
US Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles 5
US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 1
US Cash Box Top 100 [2] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1973) Position
Australia [1] 38
Canada [3] 66
US Billboard Hot 100 [4] 10
US Cash Box [5] 5

Cover versions

References

  1. 1 2 Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2014-12-23.
  3. "Top 100 Singles of '73". RPM. December 29, 1973. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  4. "Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-01-11. Retrieved 2016-06-25.

Bibliography

Preceded by
"Yesterday Once More" by The Carpenters
Billboard Easy Listening Singles number-one single
July 28, 1973 (one week)
Succeeded by
"Delta Dawn" by Helen Reddy
Preceded by
"The Morning After" by Maureen McGovern
Billboard Hot 100 number one single
August 18, 1973 (one week)
Succeeded by
"Brother Louie" by Stories


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