Today’s classic song of the day is a classic team-up from two of Motown’s hottest groups. The song is “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” by Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations, all together on one tremendous tune. The single, released in November of 1968, peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B Songs charts and #1 on the Cashbox Top 100 and R&B lists. It was a Top Ten hit in Canada, Iceland, Ireland, Sweden, and the UK.
“I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” was written by Jerry Ross and Kenny Gamble; some also add Gamble’s future Philly Soul partner Leon Huff to the songwriting mix. The song was originally recorded by Dee Dee Warwick (Dionne’s little sister) in 1966, reaching #86 on the Hot 100 and #13 on the R&B charts. UK-based soul singer (and friend of Dusty Springfield) Madeline Bell recorded a cover in 1967 with Ms. Springfield singing backup; that version rose to #36 on the Hot 100 and #32 on the R&B chart.
The song’s previous success led Motown producers Frank Wilson (“Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)“) and Nick Ashford (“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough“) to suggest it for the grouping of the Supremes and the Temptations. (The Supremes’ Diana Ross and the Temptations’ Eddie Kendricks shared lead vocal duties.) “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” wasn’t intended as a single, just an album cut, but radio stations picked it up and drove it almost all the way to the top of the charts.
Why pair the Supremes and the Temptations? Because they were the hottest female and male groups on the Motown label. If they were huge on their own, they’d only be huger if you put them together, or so the thinking went. The thinking, of course, was correct. Not only did this one-time pairing result in a Top Ten single, it also produced the Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations album (it hit #2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart) and the accompanying TCB television special for NBC. (Ironically, because “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” wasn’t intended as a single, it wasn’t included on the television special. Indeed, while the two separate groups often performed the song live in their individual concerts, they never performed it live together.)
And here’s today’s bonus video of the day, the Supremes and the Temptations on the November 19, 1967, episode of The Ed Sullivan Show, singing a medley of each others’ hits. Ed really liked Motown artists, these two groups especially, and frequently had them on his show. This is the only instance I know of that the two groups performed together on the Sullivan show; although they didn’t do “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” it’s still an energetic and entertaining hits-filled segment that’s worth watching more than 50 years later.
And here’s your extra special bonus video of the day, the complete TCB special (including commercials!) that aired on the NBC television network on Monday December 9, 1968. It was a joint production of Motown Productions and George Schlatter-Ed Friendly Productions, which was producing Laugh-In at the time. The special was sponsored by Timex, “the world’s largest manufacturer of watches.” It was the first musical special of the rock era to air on American network television and it stands up today.
