The Supremes, I Hear A Symphony | Throwback Vibez

In the 29^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2023), we recollect and reflect on “I Hear A Symphony” by iconic Motown girl group, The Supremes. 

“Whenever you’re near, I hear a symphony.” The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez ! Throwback Vibez is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ancient – no fossils ! All genres of music are welcome. In the 29^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2023), we recollect and reflect on “I Hear A Symphony”, performed by iconic Motown girl group, The Supremes. 

“You’ve given me a true love / And every day, I thank you, love.” Oh, how sweet! The Supremes delivered a surefire, soul classic with “I Hear A Symphony” ( I Hear A Symphony, 1966).  “I Hear A Symphony” was sweet music to the ears of pop and soul enthusiasts alike in the mid-1960s.  The exuberant, 1965 record about true love spent two weeks at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The iconic Motown girl group, consisting of Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, and Mary Wilson, continues singing, in the opening section, “For a feeling that’s so new / So inviting, so exciting.” Oh, love, in all its splendor!

Of course, the hook line is that legendary titular lyric: “Whenever you’re near, I hear a symphony.” The Supremes follow it up with numerous poetic lines, such as “A tender melody / Pulling me closer, closer to your arms / Then suddenly (I hear a symphony) / Ooh, your lips are touching mine…”  and later, “I hear a tender rhapsody of love now, baby, baby.” This Motown classic was not only performed by icons but written by the iconic collective, Holland-Dozier-Holland (Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Brian Holland).  Brian and Dozier also produced this catchy gem.  Sure, songs don’t sound like “I Hear A Symphony” anymore but the nostalgia and the innocence of this love-driven number is refreshing in much more blunt and explicit times. It’s sad that Diana Ross and The Supremes have failed to ever win a Grammy.

The Supremes • I Hear A Symphony • Motown • 1966

The Supremes, “I Hear A Symphony”: Throwback Vibez No. 29 (2023) [: Brent Faulkner /  The Musical Hype; Motown; John Alan Sperry, PIRO via Pixabay]