(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
Diana Ross - "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)"
Hit Number 1: January 24, 1976
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
I think, undoubtedly, the biggest star to come out of Motown has to be Diana Ross. She had a constant presence on the charts with the Supremes in the '60s, before going solo and having a successful career by herself too. But there was one thing Ross did that she doesn't seem to get enough credit for. She was also an actress who starred in some pretty successful movies in the '70s. Her first taste of acting came in 1972 when she played the jazz-singing legend Billie Holiday in the movie Lady Sings the Blues. Her next film was in 1975, in the movie Mahogany. She plays the part of a woman named Tracy Chambers, who craves fame and all the perks that come with it, and she eventually achieves that by becoming a famous fashion model/designer, going by the name Mahogany. However, just like other real life stories, she can't handle all the fame, and asks herself if this is what she really wanted the whole time. That's where the "Theme from Mahogany," makes sense; it's a song about wondering if you actually like the direction your life is going in.
Believe it or not, the Mahogany theme wasn't originally meant to be in a movie at all. Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin were the songwriters of it, writing it back in 1973, intending it to be a song for Thelma Houston. (Houston will eventually appear in this blog) Houston would record it, but her version was never released. But Motown founder, Berry Gordy, was getting ready to start directing his movie Mahogany (as Mahogany was strictly a Motown-based film) and he wanted to start finding songs that he could use for a soundtrack to the movie, so he asked Masser for help in finding songs he could use. It should be noted that Masser was already familiar with Diana Ross, as he worked with her in the past on songs like "Touch Me in the Morning," a 1973 #1 hit. He also knew what the main story of Mahogany was going to be, and he was really considering revisiting "Do You Know Where You're Going To" for use in the movie. Obviously that's what ended up happening, though some of the lyrics in the verses were changed a little bit from the original to work better with the movie. (Though Goffin is credited as also being a songwriter, I can't seem to find what his contributions to the song were. That tells me that most of the work was done by Masser)
Just like a lot of these other movie themes, I've never seen Mahogany, so I couldn't tell you if the song resembled some big, powerful tune that made people go crazy for it. I know sometimes if a song plays at the right spot, it can turn into something bigger, but I don't know if that's the case for Mahogany. So I'm just limited to thinking about the theme by itself, as its own song without being associated with a movie. And well, the song is okay, but it's also just like a lot of other ballads that I've covered to this point. These kinds of songs just don't stick with me all that much. But I have to give a shoutout to Ross, cause she does give the song some life with her voice and range. Unfortunately her voice is surrounded by gloopy orchestration, and there isn't enough here that makes the song stand out. Obviously, me not caring so much for ballads is a personal taste thing. The Mahogany theme is definitely not a bad song, and there are some good qualities here that I can appreciate or respect. It's just kinda boring. That's the main gist of it.
Mahogany turned Ross into an even bigger megastar, though I still feel like her acting career is sometimes forgotten about. We've not heard the last of her yet in this blog, though. Her music career is what made her famous to begin with, and she wasn't done making hits. So as far as that goes, I think she liked where she was going to, and loved the things that life was showing her. You know?
GRADE: 5/10
10 ALERT!!!:
The O'Jays' dramatic, dance-infused smash "I Love Music (Part 1)" peaked at #5 behind "Theme from Mahogany." I'm enchanted by the things it does. It's a 10.
IN POP CULTURE:
There are many covers of "Theme from Mahogany" (which surprises me for some reason) but anyway, I'm going with a cover by Johnny Mathis, cause that one stays the closest to the original. Here's the audio of his cover:
(Johnny Mathis will eventually appear in this blog)
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