My World Is Empty Without You

"My World Is Empty Without You"
Single by the Supremes
from the album I Hear a Symphony
B-side	"Everything Is Good About You"
Released	December 29, 1965
Studio	Hitsville U.S.A., Detroit
Genre	Baroque pop, soul
Length	2:33
Label	Motown
Songwriter(s)	Holland–Dozier–Holland
Producer(s)	Brian Holland Lamont Dozier
The Supremes singles chronology
"I Hear a Symphony" (1965) "My World Is Empty Without You" (1965) "Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart" (1966)
I Hear a Symphony track listing
12 tracks Side one "Stranger in Paradise" "Yesterday" "I Hear a Symphony" "Unchained Melody" "With a Song in My Heart" "Without a Song" Side two "My World Is Empty Without You" "A Lover's Concerto" "Any Girl in Love (Knows What I'm Going Through)" "Wonderful! Wonderful!" "Everything is Good About You" "He's All I Got"

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

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.

"My World Is Empty Without You" was one of the few songs written by the team for the Supremes to not reach number 1, peaking at number 5 on the US pop chart for two weeks in February 1966^[1] 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.^[2]

Billboard described the song as being "right in their pulsating rhythm groove of 'I Hear a Symphony' with even more excitement in the performance".^[3] Cash Box described it as a "throbbing, rhythmic soulful tearjerker about a love-sick girl who spends her days carrying the torch for her ex-boyfriend".^[4]

In the view of pop historian Andrew Grant Jackson, the Rolling Stones' later song "Paint It Black" bears a strong resemblance to "My World Is Empty Without You".^[5]

Personnel

• Lead vocals by Diana Ross
• Background vocals by Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard
• Instrumentation by the Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra:^[6]
  • Earl Van Dyke – organ
  • James Gittens – piano
  • James Jamerson – bass
  • Benny Benjamin – drums
  • Joe Messina – guitar
  • Jack Ashford – vibraphone
  • Mike Terry – baritone saxophone
  • Paul Riser – string arrangements

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1965–1966) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] 88 Canada (Billboard)[8] 1 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] 29 Singapore (Billboard)[8] 7 US Billboard Hot 100[10] 5 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[11] 10 US Cashbox Top 100[12] 5 US Cashbox R&B[13] 7 US Record World 100 Top Pops[14] 4 US Record World Top 40 R&B[15] 12

Year-end charts Chart (1966) Rank US Billboard Hot 100[16] 72 US Cashbox Top 100[17] 55

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States	—	1,000,000[18][19]

References

1. "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Vol. 78, no. 10. 1966. p. 18. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
2. "The Supremes, Dave Clark Five, Richard Kiley". The Ed Sullivan Show. Season 19. Episode 23. New York City. February 20, 1966. CBS. WCBS.
3. "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. January 8, 1966. p. 18. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
4. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. January 15, 1966. p. 20. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
5. Jackson, Andrew Grant (2015). 1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music. New York: Macmillan Publishers. p. 222. ISBN 978-1-250-05962-8. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
6. Liner notes. The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 5: 1965, Hip-O Select – B0006775-02, USA August 4, 2006
7. "Every Unique AMR Top 100 Single of the 1966". Top 100 Singles. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
8. "Billboard Hits of the World". Billboard. March 5, 1966. p. 34.
9. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5703." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
10. "The Supremes Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
11. "The Supremes Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
12. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles". Cashbox. February 26, 1966. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
13. "The Cash Box Top 50 In R&B Locations". Cashbox. March 5, 1966. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
14. "100 TOP POPS: Week of February 19, 1966" (PDF). Record World. worldradiohistory.com. February 19, 1966. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
15. "TOP 40 R&B: Week of February 19, 1966" (PDF). Record World. worldradiohistory.com. February 19, 1966. p. 20. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
16. "Top Records of 1966" (PDF). Billboard. December 24, 1966. p. 34. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 9, 2022.
17. "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1966". Cashbox. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
18. Jay Warner (January 20, 1973). "Announcing Motown's Yesteryear Series: two million-selling singles on one record". Billboard. Vol. 85, no. 3. p. 63. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
19. Joseph Murrells (1984). "The Supremes". Million Selling Records from the 1900s to the 1980s: An Illustrated Directory. London: B.T. Batsford. p. 233. ISBN 0-7134-3843-6.

External links

• List of "My World Is Empty Without You" cover versions at SecondHandSongs.com
• The Supremes: "My World Is Empty Without You" on YouTube