"You Keep Me Hangin' On" is a 1966 number-one hit song
originally recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label.
Musicians such as Wilson Pickett, Rod Stewart, Melanie
Safka, The Box Tops, Gov't Mule, Colourbox, Madness, Glee and
Dead On Arrival have all recorded versions of the song, but the
three most successful remakes were recorded by the late-1960s
rock band Vanilla Fudge, 1980s pop singer Kim Wilde, and 1990s
country singer Reba McEntire.
Written and produced by Motown's main production team
Holland–Dozier–Holland (H-D-H), the single is very-much rooted
in proto-funk and rhythm and blues, compared to the Supremes'
previous single, "You Can't Hurry Love," which utilizes the
call and response elements akin to gospel. The song's signature
guitar bassline originated from a Morse code-like radio signal
heard by Lamont Dozier, who collaborated with Brian and Eddie
Holland to integrate the idea into single.
Many elements of the recording, including the guitars, the
drums, and Ross's vocals, were multitracked, a production
technique which was established and popularized concurrently by
H-D-H and other premier producers of the 1960s such as Phil
Spector (see
Wall of Sound) and George Martin. H-D-H recorded the
song in nine sessions with The Supremes and session band The
Funk Brothers before settling on a version deemed suitable for
the final release.
Becoming The Supremes' eighth number-one single, "You Keep
Me Hangin' On" topped the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart
for two weeks in November 1966 and the magazine's soul chart
for four weeks.. The track is one of the more oft-covered songs
in the Supremes canon. They performed the song on the ABC
variety program
The Hollywood Palaceon Saturday, October 29, 1966.
"You Keep Me Hangin' On" was the first single from the
Supremes' 1967 album
The Supremes Sing Holland–Dozier–Holland. The original
version was #339 on
Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Vanilla Fudge's 1967 psychedelic/hard rock remake of "You
Keep Me Hangin' On" reached #6 on the Hot 100 chart two years
after the release of the Supremes' recording. While the version
released on 45 RPM single was under three minutes long, the
album version was extended to six minutes and forty-five
seconds. The recording, done in one take, was Vanilla Fudge's
first single.
"You Keep Me Hangin' On" was covered in an updated version
by British singer Kim Wilde in 1986. It was released as the
second single from Wilde's
Another Stepalbum (although "You Keep Me Hangin' On" was
the LP's first worldwide single, as the first single had been
released only in selected countries).
Wilde's version was a total re-working of the original,
completely transforming the Supremes' Motown Sound into a 1980s
power pop song. She and her brother, producer Ricki Wilde, had
not heard "You Keep Me Hangin' On" for several years when they
decided to record it. The song was not a track they knew well,
so they treated it as a new song, even slightly changing the
original lyrics. It became the biggest hit of Wilde's career,
reaching #2 in her home country as well as hitting the top spot
in Europe and Australia. It also became Wilde's only major hit
in the US, spending a week at number one in 1987.
Incidentally, since Wilde's recording was popular during the
evolution of sample-based hip hop, a short drum break in her
version has become one of the most sampled pieces of audio
ever. In 2006, she performed a new version of the song with the
German singer Nena for her
Never Say Neveralbum.
Country music singer Reba McEntire covered the song on her
1996 album
Starting Over. Although not released to country radio,
McEntire's rendition was her only dance hit, reaching #2 on Hot
Dance Club Play.
Meet The Supremes(1962)
·
Where Did Our Love Go(1964)
·
More Hits by The Supremes(1965)
·
I Hear a Symphony(1966)
·
Merry Christmas(1965)
·
The Supremes A' Go-Go(1966)
·
The Supremes Sing Holland–Dozier–Holland(1967)
·
Reflections(1968)
·
Love Child(1968)
·
Let the Sunshine In(1969)
·
Cream of the Crop(1969)
·
Right On(1970)
·
New Ways but Love Stays(1970)
·
Touch(1971)
·
Floy Joy(1972)
·
The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb(1972)
·
The Supremes(1975)
·
High Energy(1976)
·
Mary, Scherrie & Susaye(1976)
Diana Ross & the Supremes Join The Temptations(1968)
·
Together(1969)
·
The Magnificent 7(1970)
·
The Return of the Magnificent 7(1971)
·
Dynamite!(1971)
The Supremes at the Copa(1965)
·
Live at London's Talk of the Town(1968)
·
TCB(1968)
·
On Broadway(1969)
·
Farewell(1970)
·
The Supremes Live! In Japan(1973)
A Bit of Liverpool(1964)
·
The Supremes Sing Country, Western and Pop(1965)
·
We Remember Sam Cooke(1965)
·
The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart(1967)
·
Diana Ross & the Supremes Sing and Perform "Funny
Girl"(1968)
"Where Did Our Love Go"
·"Baby Love"
·"Come See About
Me"
·"Stop! In the
Name of Love"
·"Back in My Arms
Again"
·"I Hear a
Symphony"
·"My World Is
Empty Without You"
·"Love Is Like an
Itching in My Heart"
·"You Can't Hurry
Love"
·"
You Keep Me Hangin' On
"
·"Love Is Here and
Now You're Gone"
·"The Happening"
·"Reflections"
·"In and out of
Love"
·"Love Child"
·"I'm Gonna Make
You Love Me"
·"I'm Livin' in
Shame"
·"Someday We'll Be
Together"
·"Up the Ladder to
the Roof"
·"Stoned Love"
·"River Deep –
Mountain High"
·"Nathan Jones"
·"Floy Joy"
·"Automatically
Sunshine"
The T.A.M.I. Show
·
Greatest Hits: Live in Amsterdam
·
Reflections: The Definitive Performances (1964–1969)
·
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever
Discography
·Timeline
·Chronology
·Members
·(Broadway
musical)
·(film)
·Berry Gordy
·Holland–Dozier–Holland
·FLOS