In 1984, Diana Ross released “Missing You”. The heartbreaking song, written by her good friend, Lionel Richie, is on her Swept Away record.
“Missing You” says in part, “I’ve been thinking of you / Trying to understand / The reason you left me / What were you going through? / I’m missing you / Tell me why the road turns.”
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“Missing You” was inspired by a deeply personal loss, when Marvin Gaye was shot and killed on April 1, 1984.
“[The song] actually came out of a conversation that Smokey Robinson and I had one evening about how we were missing Marvin and what he meant to us, as well as to music,” Ross remembers. “Then Lionel and I got to talking about how we need to tell people that we love them while they’re still alive. Lionel used all this to write that beautiful and special song.”
Ross and Gaye were not only good friends, but they were also musical partners. In 1973, the two released Diana & Marvin, a record of duets. Diana & Marvin includes “You’re A Special Part Of Me”, “My Mistake (Was To Love You)”, and “Don’t Knock My Love”, all hit singles for the pair.
After “Missing You”, Ross had just one more Top 10 single, with “Eaten Alive”. That song came out in 1985.
The Success of “Missing You” by Diana Ross
“Missing You” is Ross’s final No.1 single. The song hit the top of Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, where it stayed for three weeks. “Missing You” also hit the Top 5 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and the Top 10 on the Hot 100 chart.
In addition to chart success, “Missing You” also made history on television. On January 1, 1985, Marvin Gaye singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” became the first music video played on VH1. That was followed by Ross’s “Missing You”.
Ironically, Ross could have had a longer run at the No. 1 spot if not for The Commodores. Ross’s “Missing You” was bumped from the top spot by The Commodores and their “Nightshift” single. That song was written by Walter Orange, Dennis Lambert, and Franne Golde. It spent four weeks in the top spot on the charts.
“Nightshift” is a tribute to Gaye and Jackie Wilson, who both passed away in 1984. Even more interesting, “Nightshift” is The Commodores’ first big hit after Richie left the group to embark on his solo career.
Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
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