Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

My World Is Empty Without You

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Released
  
December 29, 1965

Genre
  
Baroque pop, soul

B-side
  
"Everything Is Good About You"

Format
  
Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM)

Recorded
  
Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A); 1965

Length
  
2:33 (original release)3:26 (remastered)

"My World Is Empty Without You" is a 1965 song recorded and released as a single by The Supremes for the Motown label.

Contents

Overview

Written and produced by Motown's main production team of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song's fast tempo accompanies a somber lyric which delves into the feelings of depression which can set in after a breakup; instrumentally, this is showcased with a gothic and dramatic musical arrangement, prominently featuring Earl Van Dyke's Hammond organ shrilly configured to sound like a liturgical pipe organ, in tow with the trend of baroque pop during the mid-1960s.

"My World Is Empty Without You" was one of the few songs written by the team for The Supremes that didn't go to number one, peaking at number five on the US pop chart for two weeks in February 1966 and at number 10 on the R&B chart; the single failed to chart on the UK Singles Chart. The group performed the song on the CBS hit variety program The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday, February 20, 1966.

Personnel

  • Lead vocals by Diana Ross
  • Background vocals by Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard
  • Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers

    • Cover versions and other uses

    The song has been covered and reused by a number of different artists, including:

  • Stevie Wonder on his album Down to Earth.
  • Jose Feliciano on the B-side of his 1968 album Souled and single reach at nr.87 in US Billboard and nr 47 on Cashbox
  • Smokey Robinson & the Miracles on their 1969 album Four in Blue
  • Diamanda Galas on her album Malediction and Prayer
  • Vanilla Fudge on their 1984 album Mystery.
  • MC Lyte sampled the song on her 1991 socially conscious rap ballad "Poor Georgie," from the album Act Like You Know.
  • Lee Fields & the Expressions covered the song in 2009. This version was then sampled on J. Cole's "World is Empty" on his The Warm Up mixtape.
  • The Afghan Whigs released the song as a single.

    • References

    My World Is Empty Without You Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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