Yesterday’s classic song of the day was the Supremes’ very first number-one record, “Where Did Our Love Go.” Today we fast forward a few years to the time when Diana Ross left the group to go solo and her first solo hit, “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand).” Motown released the single in April of 1970 and it went to #20 on the Billboard Hot 100, #10 on the Cash Box Top 100, #18 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, and #7 on Billboard’s Best Selling Soul Singles chart.
“Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” was written by the very talented team of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, who had previously written tunes for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, the 5th Dimension, and Aretha Franklin. Most notably, they’d written “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” a 1967 hit for Marvin and Tammi which would also be the next hit (and first number-one solo single) for Diana Ross when she covered it.
“Reach Out and Touch” was a song (in 3/4!) full of love and hope, given a bit of a gospel edge by Nick and Valerie’s arrangement. Ms. Ross used to end her concerts with this one, bringing the crowd together to hold hands and sing along.
As the lyrics say:
Take a little time out of your busy day
To give encouragement
To someone who’s lost the way
Or would I be talking to a stone
If I asked you
To share a problem that’s not your own
We can change things if we start giving
Why don’t youReach out and touch
Somebody’s hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
Reach out and touch
Somebody’s hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
And here’s your daily bonus video of the day, Diana Ross singing “Reach Out and Touch” to an adoring throng in Central Park back in 1983. You can feel the love in this one.
