In and Out of Love

Album: Reflections (1967)
Charted: 13 9
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was written by the songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland. They decided to record the track for this song in Los Angeles rather than at the main studio in Detroit.
  • This song was the last to feature Florence Ballard; like The Supremes previous hit "Reflections," it was released after she was fired from the group for her unprofessional behavior and excessive drinking. One week after Ballard was replaced by Cindy Birdsong, the backup vocals (provided by Ballard and Mary Wilson) for this song were overdubbed by a group of session vocalists called the Andantes.
  • The working title for this song was "Summer Good, Summer Bad." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Jerro - New Alexandria, PA, for all above

Comments: 5

  • Nathan Zane Jones from Fabulous Northernmost New Jersey"In And Out Of Love" was a superb song. It has a certain Kinetic energy that even today, 2020, it still swings. It is, truly joyous, and I privileged to have been on Ed Sullivan when they sang it live. It is one of the very finest Supreme live recordings to sound as good or better live than on record.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn January 12th 1968, the Supremes played a trio of nuns on the 48th episode of the NBC-TV action series 'Tarzan'...
    At the time they did not have a song on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; one month earlier on December 24th, 1967 "In and Out of Love" was at #24 and that was its last day on the chart...
    But at the time their album 'The Supremes' Greatest Hits' was at #4 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn November 19th 1967, the Supremes performed "In and Out of Love" on the CBS-TV program 'The Ed Sullivan Show"...
    At the time the song was at #29 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; and fourteen days later it would peak at #9 {for 2 weeks}...
    {See next post below}.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn November 5th 1967, "In and Out of Love" by Diana Ross & the Supremes entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #65; and 4 weeks later on December 3rd, 1967 it peaked at #9 {for 2 weeks} and spent 8 weeks on the Top 100...
    It reached #16 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart...
    The Andantes also performed on the record, this was one of eight Supreme records that they appeared on.
  • Kristin from Bessemer, AlEven though this song made it to #9 on the Hot 100, it barely got above #20 on the R and B charts in 1967.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie Combination

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real Group

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real GroupSong Writing

The leader of the Modern A Cappella movement talks about the genre.

Jeff Trott

Jeff TrottSongwriter Interviews

Sheryl Crow's longtime songwriting partner/guitarist Jeff Trott reveals the stories behind many of the singer's hits, and what its like to be a producer for Leighton Meester and Max Gomez.

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright IIISongwriter Interviews

"Dead Skunk" became a stinker for Loudon when he felt pressure to make another hit - his latest songs deal with mortality, his son Rufus, and picking up poop.

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."