The Supremes needed just two takes to finish the version of “Baby Love” that became a Motown landmark. However, that quick session came after an earlier recording failed to satisfy label founder Berry Gordy.
On October 31, 1964, the single reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for four weeks. Today, 62 years later, its studio history reveals how a small change helped shape a hit.
Diana Ross Added the Opening Berry Gordy Wanted
Initially, the group recorded “Baby Love” on July 24, with Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland behind the song. Yet Gordy felt their first attempt lacked something that would catch listeners immediately.
Meanwhile, Brian Holland remembered a simpler problem with the original performance.
“When we cut ‘Baby Love’ the first time, it was a little too slow,” he said.
“We wanted to add a little more pep to it.”
So, the team returned to the studio three weeks later and gave the recording a faster pace.
Crucially, Diana Ross added the opening “ooh” that helped distinguish the new version. According to uDiscoverMusic, the singers completed that revised recording in two takes, rather than finishing the song from scratch so quickly.
The Supremes Turned One Breakthrough Into a Winning Run
Before this release, Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard had scored their first chart-topper with “Where Did Our Love Go.” Consequently, their writers faced the pressure of proving that success was more than a lucky break.
Instead of abandoning the earlier sound, Holland-Dozier-Holland built on its beat and pleading vocal style.
As Lamont Dozier recalled on NPR, “And that’s when we started doing more baby stuff.”
Beyond America, “Baby Love” reached No. 1 in Britain, extending the trio’s audience across the Atlantic. More so, the recording earned a Grammy nomination for best rhythm and blues recording, adding recognition to its chart success.
