1001 Songs Challenge #431: Love Hangover (1976)

On 11 February 2019 I set myself the challenging of reading 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery (ed.) and following the book’s advice to the letter. I’ve previously read 1001 Films… and started 1001 Albums… but felt 1001 Songs… would be a sensible place to start for what I have in mind here.

My challenge is to read about one song per day and listen to it (YouTube and Spotify, I need you tonight!) before sharing my own thoughts. Some songs I will love, others I’ll hate, and I’m sure there will be those that leave me perplexed but listen to them I shall.

I’ll also try, and most likely fail, to pinpoint the best song from the 1001 on offer but I’m nothing if not foolhardy. Instead of one song, I’m predicting I’ll have about 100 favourites by the end and may have to resort to a Top 10 so far to maintain any semblance of sanity.

So long as I post everyday (including Christmas) then this challenge should come to an end on Wednesday 8 November 2021. Staying with the Barney Stinson theme I am hoping that the whole experience will prove to be…

 

Diana Ross – Love Hangover (1976)

From New York to Michigan today, dear reader, as we drop in and say hello once more to Diana Ross. We’ve previously seen Ross on this list as a member of The Supremes but also back in 1970 when she had left the group to go solo. Back then, 1001 Songs selected the track, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough for our listening pleasure. Joining Ross in 1976 she is as successful as ever and her latest song, Love Hangover, also reflects a change of direction for the former Supreme.

In Love Hangover, Ross sings of the many wonders and beauty of being in love. The title suggests a negative experience of love but that’s not what the song is about at all. Ross tells us that cures may be offered for her hangover but she doesn’t want them. She is drunk on love and does not want the feeling to end. There’s no need for a doctor, her mother or even the preacher to come over and help Ross. She is head over heels in love with an unnamed man and more than content thank you. This is what you call a pleasant hangover. 

Love Hangover is almost 8 minutes long and goes from a ponderous song to an upbeat disco number. Ross was transitioning in her music here, moving with the changing times and showing herself adaptable. It’s a good song and you can hear Ross clearly losing herself in the music but some might find it overlong. I didn’t personally. It would lead to Ross topping the US charts yet again and proving once more that she was more than just a member of The Supremes.

 

Favourite songs so far:

The Animals – House of the Rising Sun (1964)

Simon & Garfunkel – The Sounds of Silence (1965)

The Doors – The End (1967)

The Beatles – A Day in the Life (1967)

David Bowie – Life on Mars? (1971)

Rod Stewart – Maggie May (1971)

Sparks – This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us (1974)

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody (1975)

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)

Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run (1975)