Diana Ross : Upside Down
In July of 1980 Diana Ross returned to both the UK and US charts by joining forces with Chic to produce "Upside Down". The song, written by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edward and performed by their band, hit #1 in the US and #2 in the UK. Though "Love Hangover" ushered in the disco age in 1976, Ross had gone four years without a #1 hit. Then she caught a Chic concert in Santa Monica, California.
But Ross only wanted to sound like Chic up to a point. When she heard the final mix, she went into the lab with Motown producer Russ Terrana and remixed the whole thing, pushing her vocals further to the front. This pissed off Rodgers and Edwards to the point where they almost had their names taken off of the project.
The single helped sell ten million copies of propel Diana worldwide and introduce a new 80's vibe to the dance club scene.
Well, we can't complain with the final product, but that was a diva move on Ross' part. I think by this point Rodgers should have earned her respect. He has a great ear and knows his way around a studio.
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