Come See About Me

For other uses, see Come See About Me (disambiguation).

"Come See About Me" is a 1964 song recorded by the Supremes for the Motown label. The track opens with a fade-in, marking one of the first times the technique had been used on a studio recording.

"Come See About Me"
Australian single of the Supremes recording
Single by the Supremes
from the album Where Did Our Love Go
B-side	"You're Gone, But Always in My Heart" "Long Gone Lover"
Released	October 27, 1964
Recorded	July 13, 1964
Studio	Hitsville U.S.A., Detroit
Genre	Pop, R&B
Length	2:39
Label	Motown
Songwriter(s)	Holland–Dozier–Holland
Producer(s)	Brian Holland Lamont Dozier
The Supremes singles chronology
"Baby Love" (1964) "Come See About Me" (1964) "Stop! In the Name of Love" (1965)
Videos
"Come See About Me" (The Ed Sullivan Show) on YouTube
"Come See About Me" (lyrics) on YouTube

"Come See About Me"
US single of the Nella Dodds recording
Single by Nella Dodds
from the album This Is a Girl's Life
B-side	"You Don't Love Me Anymore"
Released	October 1964
Length	3:01
Label	Wand
Songwriter(s)	Holland–Dozier–Holland
Producer(s)	Dyno-dynamic
Nella Dodds singles chronology
"Come See About Me" (1964) "Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers" (1964)

The song became third of five consecutively released Supremes songs to top the Billboard pop singles chart in the United States (the others being "Where Did Our Love Go", "Baby Love", "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "Back in My Arms Again"). It topped the chart twice, non-consecutively, being toppled by and later replacing the Beatles' "I Feel Fine" in December 1964 and January 1965.^[1][2] The BBC ranked "Come See About Me" at #94 on The Top 100 Digital Motown Chart, which ranks Motown releases by their all time UK downloads and streams.^[3]

History

Overview

"Come See About Me" was written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland.^[4] It was recorded during a two-week period in which the Supremes also cut "Baby Love", after "Where Did Our Love Go" became their most successful single to date.^[4] It was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two separate weeks: December 13, 1964, to December 18, 1964, and January 10, 1965, to January 16, 1965, and reached #3 on the soul chart.^[4]

Billboard said the song has a "pronounced Detroit beat, steady and exacting" and that the "gals weave silky and controlled vocal through beat."^[5] Cash Box described it as "a pulsating stomp-a-rhythmic… that the gals carve out in ultra-commercial manner" and in which the group was "in top-of-the-chart form."^[6]

The Supremes were the first to record the song, but not the first to issue it as a single. That distinction fell to Nella Dodds: her version climbed to #74 on the Billboard Hot 100, but Motown quickly released the Supremes' version as a single, which killed Dodds' sales. Cash Box described Dodds' version as "an exciting pop-r&b, choral-backed handclap-shuffler about a gal who pleads for her ex-boyfriend to return to her," hailing the singer as "a new talent who promises to be an important wax name in the coming weeks".^[6]

The Supremes made their first of 17 appearances^[7] live on the CBS variety program The Ed Sullivan Show, performing this single on Sunday, December 27, 1964.^[8]

The group also recorded a German version of the song, entitled "Johnny und Joe".

"The words had a real sad weight," observed Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke, "but the music was bouncy. Great!"^[9]

Personnel

• Lead vocals by Diana Ross
• Background vocals by Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson
• All instruments by the Funk Brothers^[10]
  • Earl Van Dyke – piano
  • Joe Messina – guitar
  • James Jamerson – bass
  • Uriel Jones – drums
  • Jack Ashford – vibraphone
  • Hank Cosby – tenor saxophone
  • Andrew "Mike" Terry – baritone saxophone
• Footstomps by Mike Valvano

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1964–1965) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] 78 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] 20 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] 17 New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)[15] 2 Singapore (Billboard)[16] 1 UK Singles (OCC)[17] 27 US Billboard Hot 100[18] 1 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[19] 2 US Cashbox Top 100[20] 1 US Cashbox R&B[21] 2 US Record World 100 Top Pops[22] 1 US Record World Top 40 R&B[23] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1965) Rank Japan Foreign Hits (Billboard)[24] 8 US Cashbox Top 100[25] 8 US Cashbox R&B[26] 21

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom Digital sales and streams only	—	65,000[27]
United States	—	1,000,000[28][29]

Other versions

UK single of the Jr. Walker & the All Stars recording

• The Supremes recorded a German-language version of the song, titled "Jonny und Joe" as the b-side of the 1965 single "Thank You Darling" (also sung in German) in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands. "Jonny und Joe" was later included on two various Motown artists compilation albums Motown Around the World (1987, 1CD) and Motown Around the World: The Classic Singles (2010, 2CD)^[30] and also on Diana Ross & the Supremes compilation 50th Anniversary: The Singles Collection 1961–1969 (2011, 3CD).^[31]
• In 1967, the song was a repeat hit for Motown act Jr. Walker & the All Stars, whose version reached the top 10 on the R&B chart and the top 25 on the pop chart.^{[citation needed]}
• In 1987, Welsh rock and roll singer Shakin' Stevens covered it on his album Let's Boogie, making it a hit in the UK and Ireland. Shakin' Stevens version surpassed the Supremes' original #27 chart placing by reaching #24.^{[citation needed]}
• In 2012, American musical dramedy Glee featured a cover of this song for its fourth season's Thanksgiving episode. The cover was recorded by Dianna Agron as her character Quinn Fabray with Naya Rivera and Heather Morris providing backup vocals.

See also

• List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1964
• List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1965