from the album
Otis Blue
"My Girl" is a 1964 song recorded by The Temptations for the
Gordy (Motown) label which became a number one hit in 1965.
Written and produced by The Miracles members Smokey Robinson
and Ronald White, the song became the Temptations' first U.S.
number-one single, and is today their signature song.
Robinson's inspiration for writing this song was his wife,
Miracles member Claudette Rogers Robinson. The song was
featured on the Temptations album
The Temptations Sing Smokey.
The recorded version of "My Girl" was the first Temptations
single to feature David Ruffin on lead vocals. Previously,
Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams had performed most of the
group's lead vocals, and Ruffin had joined the group as a
replacement for former Temptation Elbridge "Al" Bryant. While
on tour as part of the Motortown Revue, a collective tour for
most of the Motown roster, Smokey Robinson caught the
Temptations' part of the show. The group had included a medley
of soul standards in the show, one of which, The Drifters'
"Under the Boardwalk", was a solo spot for Ruffin. Impressed,
Robinson decided to produce a single with Ruffin singing lead.
Robinson saw Ruffin as a "sleeping giant" in the group with a
unique voice that was "mellow" yet "gruff".. Robinson thought
that if he could write just the perfect song for Ruffin's
voice, then he could have a smash hit. The song was to be
something that Ruffin could "belt out" yet something that was
also "melodic and sweet". After some persuasion from Ruffin's
bandmates, Robinson had the Temptations record "My Girl"
instead of The Miracles, and recruited Ruffin to sing the lead
vocals. The signature guitar riff heard during the introduction
and under the verses was played by Robert White of the Funk
Brothers. This part can be heard without vocals on the 2004
Deluxe Edition of the soundtrack from the 2002 documentary
Standing in the Shadows of Motown.
"My Girl" was later sampled for "Stay", a single from the
Temptations' 1998 album
Phoenix Rising.
The single was re-released in 1992. It did not reach the
Billboardcharts, but did reach #2 in the UK Singles
Chart.
"My Girl" climbed to the top of the U.S. pop charts after
its Christmas time 1964 release, making it the Temptations'
first number-one hit. The single was also the first number-one
hit on the reinstated R&B Singles chart, which had gone on
a fifteen-month hiatus from 1963 to 1965.. The success of this
single launched a series of Ruffin-led hits, including "It's
Growing" (1965), "Since I Lost My Baby" (1965), "My Baby"
(1965), "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (1966), "Beauty Is Only Skin
Deep" (1966), "(I Know) I'm Losing You" (1966), "All I Need"
(1967), "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need"
(1967), "I Wish It Would Rain" (1967), and "I Could Never Love
Another (After Loving You)" (1968). The former background
figure quickly became the group's main (and, excepting
irregular leads by Kendricks and Williams, only) lead singer by
the end of 1965. After many Ruffin-led hits, he started to
develop a large ego. He was later fired from the group (see the
Temptations main article for more details).
In 2004, "My Girl" was ranked number 88 on
Rolling Stonemagazine's list of the 500 greatest songs
of all time.
In 1965, Otis Redding brought more of a traditional blues
flavor to the song in his cover of "My Girl". This version,
produced by Steve Cropper, was featured on Redding's critically
acclaimed album
Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul, and was also on John
Lennon's jukebox. Redding's version wasn't released as a single
in the United States, but Atlantic UK released it in England to
capitalize on the relative lack of success by the Temptations'
original version, and Redding's cover eventually peaked at
#11.
A cover version was included on The Rolling Stones
Flowersin 1967. It was recorded two years earlier. The
Mamas & the Papas featured this song on the third album
Deliver(1967), and released it as a single that reached
15 on the U.S. pop charts. Al Green included a cover version on
his 1969 album
Green Is Blues. Michael Jackson covered the song for his
album
Ben. It has also been a hit for Jamaican ska rocksteady
legend, Prince Buster. In 1977, Dolly Parton included a country
version of the song on her album
New Harvest - First Gathering. In 1980, Amii Stewart and
Johnny Bristol recorded it as a duet in a medley with another
Motown classic, "My Guy". In 1988, Suave had a Top 40 Pop hit
& Top 10 R&B hit with the song.