Going Down for the Third Time of the last songs to feature Ballard as a member of the Supremes. A few months after this was recorded, Ballard was replaced by Cindy Birdsong. Phoebe Snow covered this song on her album “Second Childhood,” released in January, 1976. Going Down for the Third Time "Going Down For The Third Time" is a song written and composed by Holland–Dozier–Holland and recorded by Motown singing group The Supremes in 1967. The song was issued as the b-side to the popular "Reflections". The song features a fierce-sounding Diana Ross telling herself that she's "going down for the third time" in a
Cindy Birdsong to talk to her for years. Later, after the group changed their name to Labelle and embraced funk and rock music, they recorded member Nona Hendryx's composition, "(Can I Speak To You Before You Go To) Hollywood", which was allegedly based on Birdsong. Birdsong and lead singer Patti LaBelle repaired their friendship in the early 1980s after Birdsong appeared at one of LaBelle's sold-out, standing-room concerts. In 1999, Birdsong and the other Blue Belles received a Pioneer Award from the R&B Foundation and were honored by Lauryn Hill. For her first two and a half years as a Supreme, listeners