I’m Coming Out – Diana Ross | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning

Chart Performance: R&B (#6) & Pop (#5); 1980

Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne

The most popular “girl group” in rock ‘n’ roll history is the Supremes, which placed two dozen Top 20 tracks on the Hot 100 between 1964 and 1972. Half of them reached #1, and all of them featured Diana Ross as lead vocalist.

After the final Supremes chart topper – Someday We’ll Be Together – in 1969, Diana stepped out on her own. Her first solo single, Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand), struggled to #20 in 1970, while the Supremes soared to #10 with Up The Ladder To The Roof. However, Diana buried her former group for good when Ain’t No Mountain High Enough took over #1 for three weeks.

Still, all was not easy for Diana who, after two #1’s in 1976, hit a slump that lasted until 1980. That year Chic masterminds Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards worked their magic with Diana; writing and producing her first significant hits in four years, Upside Down and I’m Coming Out, both of which topped the national disco chart.

This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.

Produced by:

  • Nile Rodgers
  • Bernard Edwards

Lyrics Written by:

  • Nile Rodgers
  • Bernard Edwards

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Ed Osborne

Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).