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The Boss (Diana Ross album)

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}}

{{italic title}}

{{Infobox album

| name = The Boss

| type = Album

| artist = Diana Ross

| cover = Diana-boss.jpg

| alt =

| released = May 23, 1979

| recorded = 1979

| venue =

| studio = *Sigma Sound, New York City{{cite web |last1=Wikane |first1=Christian John |title=She's the Boss: From Oz to Eden with Diana Ross and Ashford & Simpson, PopMatters |url=https://www.popmatters.com/diana-ross-boss-40th-anniversary-2634534039.html |website=PopMatters |access-date=3 January 2022 |date=15 April 2019}}

  • Celebration, New York City

| genre = {{flatlist|

}}

| length = 35:33

| label = Motown

| producer = Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson

| prev_title = The Wiz: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

| prev_year = 1978

| next_title = 20 Golden Greats

| next_year = 1979

| misc = {{Singles

| name = The Boss

| type = studio

| single1 = The Boss

| single1date = May 22, 1979

| single2 = No One Gets the Prize

| single2date = September 21, 1979

| single3 = It's My House

| single3date = October 20, 1979

}}

}}

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-boss-mw0000191653|title=Diana Ross: The Boss|author=Andy Kellman|publisher=Allmusic|website=allmusic.com}}

|rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide

|rev2Score = B{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=Ticknor & Fields|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: R|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=R&bk=70|accessdate=March 12, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com}}

| rev3 = The New York Times

| rev3Score = (favorable){{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/08/archives/the-pop-life-four-new-disks-by-established-black-artists.html|title=The Pop Life|date=June 8, 1979|author=Rockwell, John|author-link=John Rockwell|website=The New York Times}}

}}

The Boss is the tenth studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released on May 23, 1979, by Motown Records.

Background

This album was written and produced by longtime Ross collaborators Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson and marked her return to Top 40 radio based on the strength of the title track, which peaked at number 19 on the pop singles chart, and number 12 on the US R&B Chart.{{cite book|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|author-link=Joel Whitburn|year=2004|publisher=Record Research|page=502}} In addition, all the LP tracks went to number one on the dance charts,{{cite book|title=Hot Dance/Disco: 1974–2003|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|author-link=Joel Whitburn|year=2004|publisher=Record Research|page=222}} and the album itself peaked at number 14 on the Billboard 200. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

For its 20th anniversary in 1999, the album was remastered and released on CD with 12" versions of "The Boss" and "It's My House" as extra tracks. The 12" versions of "I Ain't Been Licked" and "No One Gets the Prize"/"The Boss" appear on Diana: Deluxe Edition, and a rare remixed single version of "No One Gets the Prize" on The Motown Anthology – Diana Ross.

Ross also promoted the album on her first HBO special, Standing Room Only. The special was culled from her successful Tour '79 stop at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and the setlist included the title song, "The Boss", plus "It's My House", "No One Gets the Prize", "I Ain't Been Licked" and "All for One".

Track listing

All tracks written and produced by Ashford & Simpson.

Side A

  1. "No One Gets the Prize" – 4:40
  2. "I Ain't Been Licked" – 4:09
  3. "All for One" – 4:20
  4. "The Boss" – 3:52

Side B

  1. "Once in the Morning" – 4:54
  2. "It's My House" – 4:34
  3. "Sparkle" – 5:23
  4. "I'm in the World" – 4:04

1999 Remastered Edition bonus tracks

  2. "The Boss" (Original 12" Remix) – 7:15
  3. "It's My House" (Original Promotion-only 12" Remix) – 6:07

Personnel

Charts

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+Weekly chart performance for The Boss

! scope="col" | Chart (1979)

! scope="col" | Peak
position

scope="row" | Australian Albums (Kent Music Report){{cite book|title=Australian Charts Book 1970–1992|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|isbn=978-0-646-11917-5|year=1993|publisher=Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W.|pages=258–259}}

| 76

{{album chart|Canada|38|chartid=4723a|rowheader=true|access-date=December 19, 2022}}
scope="row" | Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista){{cite book|url=https://musiikkiarkisto.fi/oa/_tiedostot/julkaisut/sisaltaa-hitin.pdf#page=219|first=Timo|last=Pennanen|year=2021|title=Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021|section=Diana Ross|page=219|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava|location=Helsinki|access-date=August 24, 2022|language=fi}}

| 24

{{album chart|Sweden|50|artist=Diana Ross|album=The Boss|refname=Sweden|access-date=May 25, 2020|rowheader=true}}
{{album chart|UK2|52|date=19790812|refname=UK|access-date=May 25, 2020|rowheader=true}}
{{album chart|Billboard200|14|artist=Diana Ross|album=The Boss|refname=bb|access-date=May 25, 2020|rowheader=true}}
{{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|10|artist=Diana Ross|album=The Boss|refname=BillboardRandBHipHop|access-date=May 25, 2020|rowheader=true}}

{{col-2}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Year-end chart performance for The Boss

! scope="col" | Chart (1979)

! scope="col" | Position

scope="row"| US Billboard 200{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1979/top-billboard-200-albums/|title=Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End 1979|magazine=Billboard|access-date=December 19, 2022|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222054932/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1979/top-billboard-200-albums/|archive-date=February 22, 2020}}

| 85

scope="row" | US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1979/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Year-End 1979|magazine=Billboard|access-date=December 19, 2022|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430051022/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1979/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|archive-date=April 30, 2021}}

| 44

{{col-end}}

Certifications

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=The Boss|artist=Diana Ross|award=Gold|accessdate=May 16, 2019}}

{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Diana Ross}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boss}}

Category:1979 albums

Category:Diana Ross albums

Category:Albums arranged by Paul Riser

Category:Albums produced by Ashford & Simpson

Category:Motown albums