My Mistake (Was to Love You)

"My Mistake (Was to Love You)" is a song recorded as a duet by Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye which was the second single released off the singers' duet album Diana & Marvin in February 1974. One of the original songs featured on that album, "My Mistake (Was to Love You)" was written by Gloria Jones and Pam Sawyer, the team responsible for the Gladys Knight & the Pips' classic "If I Were Your Woman". Pam Sawyer was also the co-writer (with Michael Masser) of the Diana Ross hit "Last Time I Saw Him" which dropped out of the Top 40 just prior to the Top 40 debut of "My Mistake (Was to Love You)" in March 1974: Sawyer would subsequently co-write (with Marilyn Mcleod) Diana Ross' 1976 #1 hit "Love Hangover". The narrative of "My Mistake (Was to Love You)" outlines how two lovers' relationship fell apart because the man, according to the woman, felt as if "a girl loves you, you only call them weak", while the man admits that he let his lover "slip through, like grains of sand". The song peaked at #15 on the Billboard R&B singles chart and #19 on the Billboard Pop singles chart.

Personnel

All vocals by Marvin Gaye & Diana Ross
Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
Produced by Hal Davis

Diana Ross

Studio albums	Diana Ross (1970) Everything Is Everything (1970) Surrender (1971) Touch Me in the Morning (1973) Last Time I Saw Him (1973) Diana Ross (1976) Baby It's Me (1977) Ross (1978) The Boss (1979) diana (1980) Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1981) Silk Electric (1982) Ross (1983) Swept Away (1984) Eaten Alive (1985) Red Hot Rhythm & Blues (1987) Workin' Overtime (1989) The Force Behind the Power (1991) Take Me Higher (1995) Every Day Is a New Day (1999) Blue (2006) I Love You (2006)

Compilations	Greatest Hits (1972) Diana Ross' Greatest Hits (1976) 20 Golden Greats (1979) To Love Again (1981) All the Great Hits (1981) Forever Diana: Musical Memoirs (1993) One Woman: The Ultimate Collection (1993) Diana Extended: The Remixes (1994) Voice of Love (1996) Love & Life: The Very Best of Diana Ross (2001) The Definitive Collection (2006) The Greatest (2011) Upside Down: The Collection (2012)

Live albums	Live at Caesars Palace (1974) An Evening with Diana Ross (1977) Greatest Hits Live (1989) Live: Stolen Moments: The Lady Sings... Jazz and Blues (1992)

Soundtrack albums	Diana! (1971) Lady Sings the Blues (1972) Mahogany (1975) The Wiz (1978) Endless Love (1981)

Other albums	Diana & Marvin (1973) Christmas in Vienna (with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras) (1993) A Very Special Season (1994)

Singles (US/UK Top Ten singles)	"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" "Remember Me" "Surrender" "I'm Still Waiting" "Touch Me in the Morning" "All of My Life" "You Are Everything" "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" "Love Hangover" "Upside Down" "I'm Coming Out" "My Old Piano" "It's My Turn" "Endless Love" "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" "Mirror, Mirror" "Work That Body" "Muscles" "Missing You" "Chain Reaction" "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" "One Shining Moment" "Not Over You Yet"

Tours	Return to Love Tour (2000) I Love You Tour (2007-08) More Today Than Yesterday: The Greatest Hits Tour (2010-12) In the Name of Love Tour (2014)

Related topics	Discography The Supremes Berry Gordy Rhonda Ross Kendrick Tracee Ellis Ross Chudney Ross Ross Næss Evan Ross Arne Næss, Jr. Arthur "T-Boy" Ross List of awards and nominations received by Diana Ross Diana Ross Playground

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Diana Ross singles discography

1970s	1970 "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" "Remember Me" 1971 "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" "Surrender" "I'm Still Waiting" 1973 "Good Morning Heartache" "Touch Me in the Morning" "You're a Special Part of Me" (with Marvin Gaye) 1974 "Last Time I Saw Him" "My Mistake (Was to Love You)" (with Marvin Gaye) "You Are Everything" "Don't Knock My Love" (with Marvin Gaye) "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" (with Marvin Gaye) 1975 "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" 1976 "Love Hangover" 1978 "Ease on Down the Road" (with Michael Jackson) "A Brand New Day" (with Michael Jackson) "Pops, We Love You (A Tribute to Father)" (with Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder & Smokey Robinson) 1979 "What You Gave Me" "The Boss" "It's My House"

1980s	1980 "Upside Down" "I'm Coming Out" "My Old Piano" "It's My Turn" 1981 "Endless Love" (with Lionel Richie) "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" 1982 "Mirror, Mirror" "Muscles" 1983 "Pieces of Ice" 1984 "All of You" (with Julio Iglesias) "Swept Away" "Missing You" 1985 "Eaten Alive" "Chain Reaction"

1990s	1990 "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" 1994 "Someday We'll Be Together" (re-mix) "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (re-issue)/"I'm Coming Out" (re-mix) 1996 "I Will Survive" 1999 "Not Over You Yet"

2000s	2001 "Goin' Back" 2005 "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" (with Westlife) 2006 "I've Got a Crush on You" (with Rod Stewart)

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Marvin Gaye

Studio albums	The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye (1961) That Stubborn Kinda Fellow (1962) When I'm Alone I Cry (1964) Hello Broadway (1964) How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You (1965) A Tribute to the Great Nat "King" Cole (1965) Moods of Marvin Gaye (1966) In the Groove/I Heard It Through the Grapevine! (1968) M.P.G. (1969) That's the Way Love Is (1970) What's Going On (1971) Trouble Man (1972) Let's Get It On (1973) I Want You (1976) Here, My Dear (1978) In Our Lifetime (1981) Midnight Love (1982)

Posthumous compilations	Dream of a Lifetime (1985) Romantically Yours (1986) Vulnerable (1997)

Duet albums	Together (with Mary Wells, 1964) Take Two (with Kim Weston, 1966) United (with Tammi Terrell, 1967) You're All I Need (with Tammi Terrell, 1968) Easy (with Tammi Terrell, 1969) Diana & Marvin (with Diana Ross, 1973)

Compilations	Greatest Hits (1964) Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (1967) Marvin Gaye and His Girls (1969) Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's Greatest Hits (1970) Super Hits (1970) Anthology (1974) Marvin Gaye's Greatest Hits (1976) Motown Remembers Marvin Gaye: Never Before Released Masters (1986) The Marvin Gaye Collection (1990) The Norman Whitfield Sessions (1994) Love Starved Heart: Rare and Unreleased (1994) The Very Best of Marvin Gaye (1994) The Master (1961–1984) (1995) Marvin Gaye: The Love Songs (2000) The Complete Duets (2001) The Very Best of Marvin Gaye (2001)

Live albums	Marvin Gaye Recorded Live on Stage (1963) Marvin Gaye Live! (1974) Live at the London Palladium (1977) Marvin Gaye at the Copa (2005)

Video albums	Greatest Hits Live (Live in Holland 1976) (2000) Live In Montreux 1980 (2003) The Real Thing: In Performance (1964–1981) (2006) Live In Belgium 1981 (2006)

US/UK Top Ten singles	"Pride and Joy" "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" "I'll Be Doggone" "Ain't That Peculiar" "Your Precious Love" "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You" "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" "You're All I Need to Get By" "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" "That's the Way Love Is" "Abraham, Martin & John" "The Onion Song" "What's Going On" "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" "Trouble Man" "Let's Get It On" "You Are Everything" "Got to Give It Up" "Sexual Healing"

Family	Marvin Gay Sr. (father) Alberta Gay (mother) Anna Gordy Gaye (first wife) Denise Gordy (son's birth mother) Nona Gaye (daughter) Frankie Gaye (brother) Gordon Banks (brother-in-law)

Related topics	Discography Songs Albums Songs by Marvin Gaye Albums produced by Marvin Gaye Songs in memory Songs produced by Marvin Gaye Personal life Death Tributes Harvey Fuqua Tammi Terrell Leon Ware Marvin's Room Marvin Is 60: A Tribute Album

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Marvin Gaye singles discography

1960s: (Tamla)	1961 "Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide" 1962 "Sandman" "Soldier's Plea" "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" "Hitch Hike" 1963 "Pride and Joy" "Can I Get a Witness" 1964 "You're a Wonderful One" "Once Upon a Time" "What's the Matter with You Baby" "Try It Baby" "Baby Don't You Do It" "What Good Am I Without You" "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" 1965 "I'll Be Doggone" "Pretty Little Baby" "Ain't That Peculiar" 1966 "One More Heartache" "Take This Heart of Mine" "Little Darling (I Need You)" "It Takes Two" 1967 "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" "Your Unchanging Love" "Your Precious Love" "You" "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You"/"If This World Were Mine" 1968 "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" "You're All I Need to Get By" "Chained" "Keep On Lovin' Me Honey" "You Ain't Livin' till You're Lovin'" "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" 1969 "Good Lovin' Ain't Easy to Come By" "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" "That's the Way Love Is" "Abraham, Martin and John" "What You Gave Me" "How Can I Forget"

1970s: (Tamla)	1970 "Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got" "The Onion Song" "California Soul" "The End of Our Road" 1971 "What's Going On" "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" "Save the Children" 1972 "You're the Man" "Trouble Man" "I Want to Come Home for Christmas" 1973 "Let's Get It On" "You're a Special Part of Me" "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" "Come Get to This" 1974 "You Sure Love to Ball" "My Mistake (Was to Love You)" "Don't Knock My Love" "You Are Everything" "Distant Lover" 1976 "I Want You" "After the Dance" " Since I Had You" 1977 "Got to Give It Up" 1978 "Pops, We Love You (A Tribute to Father)" 1979 "A Funky Space Reincarnation" "Anger" "Ego Tripping Out"

1980s: (Tamla/ Columbia)	1981 "Praise" "Heavy Love Affair" 1982 "Sexual Healing" 1983 "My Love Is Waiting" "'Til Tomorrow" "Joy"

Posthumous	1985 "Sanctified Lady" "It's Madness" "Just Like" 1986 "The World Is Rated X" 1991 "My Last Chance" 1994 "Lucky, Lucky Me" 2001 "Music" 2005 "Let's Get It On (The M.P.G. Groove Remix)"

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