Photo credits: Motown Records
Motown Records released “Back in My Arms Again” as a single on April 15, 1965.
This song was performed by The Supremes, a three-member female singing group that joined Motown in 1959. It was the second single from the legendary group’s sixth full-length album titled, More Hits by the Supremes.
The iconic Diana Ross sang lead on “Back in My Arms Again.” Group members Florence Ballard and Mary Wells were the song’s background singers. It was recorded in Studio A of Hitsville U.S.A., the Motown recording label’s first official headquarters. In December of 1964, The Supremes began work on their soon-to-be hit.
Songwriting and music production duties were handled by Brian Holland, Eddie Holland, and Lamont Dozier. These three musicians served as Motown’s in-house hitmaking squad. The Funk Brothers also provided elements of live instrumentation, which was included in the musical backdrop for “Back in My Arms Again.”
Ultimately, the lovely trio of young ladies generated an overwhelming success. This became evident just a few months later. According to the Music History Calendar, the second single from More Hits by the Supremes blazed quite the trail. By June 12, 1965, “Back in My Arms Again” was sitting firmly on top of Billboard’s Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart. Nearly a week elapsed after the song first reached number one and was still there.
This was the fifth consecutive time The Supremes scored a number one hit in their career at that time. Prior to their April 1965-released offering, back-to-back number one hits came consistently. The foundational “Where Did Our Love Go,” the timeless hit “Baby Love,” the romantically eager “Come See About Me,” and the unforgettable “Stop! In the Name of Love” dominated Billboard first. The second single from the sixth LP by The Supremes sold well.
The song earned the group another platinum plaque to add to its collection. This single eclipsed the one million mark in total copies sold. The third single from More Hits by the Supremes (titled “Nothing But Heartache”) ended the group’s impressive five-song winning streak – scoring a number 11 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles Chart. However, the 11th-ranked single still managed to reel in physical record sales, which totaled over one million.
This earned The Supremes another platinum plaque and secured the group’s status as Motown’s marquee act. To pad the scoreboard, Ross, Ballard, and Wells kept the pressure on their competition by releasing “I ‘Hear a Symphony” in late 1965. Debuting at number one, the single put the trio back on top as if they never dropped. It also became the seventh consecutive single by The Supremes to sell a million units or more.
From August 1964 to November 1965, Ross, Ballard, and Wells navigated one of the longest and strongest hot streaks ever seen in U.S. music history.
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