The American vocal group The Temptations has become one of the most successful projects of the Motown label. The Grammy-winning band recorded several songs that topped the US hit parade and charts in other countries.
For the first time, the musicians climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with the song My Girl. To this day, it remains the most famous work of The Temptations, without which it is impossible to imagine any concert of The Temps.
The history of the song My Girl – The Temptations
It was written by Smokey Robinson, then Motown’s in-house songwriter and producer. The co-author of the composition is also listed Ronald White (Ronald White).
At that time, Robinson was the vocalist of The Miracles, but initially he was not going to sing My Girl himself (according to another version, this idea did visit him).
Smokey later said:
If My Girl wasn’t meant for The Temptations, I would never have written it…
Oprah’s Master Class 2015
Robinson wrote My Girl while on tour with Motown artists. Every night The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes and other famous performers performed on the same stage. Smokey later recalled:
We played at the Apollo Theater doing four or five shows a day. Between shows, I would gather The Temptations at the piano on stage and work with them on My Girl until they knew her like the back of their hand. I’ve always let the members of The Temptations come up with their backing vocals because they’ve always been great at it. They all sang so well. I would just show David Ruffin how to sing My Girl, or give him a melody and tell him how to interpret it, and they would stand at the piano writing backing vocals.
NPR, 2000
Eddie Kendricks sang many of the band’s early hits, but Robinson had long wanted to write a song for handsome David Ruffin:
I knew that David Ruffin was like the sleeping giant in the group because he had a soft, husky voice. I felt that all I had to do was find a song for his voice and I would have a big hit. I sat down at the piano to write a song with the voice of David Ruffin. I wanted to create something that he could sing loudly, but at the same time melodic and pleasant.
NPR, 2000
The meaning of the song My Girl
Of course, Robinson fans and fans of The Temptations have wondered who My Girl is dedicated to. Many are sure that in the words of the composition Smokey refers to his first wife Claudette. They were married from 1957 to 1986. The author himself claimed that he wrote the track “thinking of all the women in the world.”
Release and achievements
Motown owner Berry Goldie instantly recognized My Girl as a hit. Smokey Robinson recalled:
Berry called me into his office because back then the convention was that if your record went up to number one, you got a thousand dollar bonus as a producer. So he called me into his office and said, “Hey buddy, I want to give you your producer bonus check.” I said, “Wow, why?” He said, “You’ve got a big hit.” I asked, “Which one?” And he: “My Girl with The Temptations. He’s not number one yet, but he’s definitely going up there.”
NPR, 2000
The song My Girl was released as a single on December 21, 1964. She topped the “hot hundred” and also climbed to the top of the Billboard R&B chart.
Later, the composition was included in several prestigious lists, including:
- “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” – Rolling Stone
- “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll” – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,
- Hall of Fame Grammy Awards.
In 2018, the Library of Congress listed it on the National Recording Registry as “culturally, historically, and artistically significant.”
When Otis Williams was asked which song from The Temptations repertoire stands out, the musician replied:
I would, without hesitation, called My Girl. It’s so versatile that we couldn’t… we even kind of tried not to play it live. But they never did it again. We were cursed, we almost ran away from the stage – how much everyone liked it.
NPR
My Girl – The Temptations
The first video for My Girl was this retro video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCcNcHx2DpY
Check out this music video for My Girl – The Temptations.
Cover versions of My Girl
In 1965, Otis Redding recorded My Girl in a blues style. His track was included in the album Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul and was released as a single in the UK.
Rock band The Rolling Stones performed My Girl for the album Flowers (1967).
The Mamas & the Papas also introduced their own version of My Girl, including the track on the album Deliver (1967).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKgnoyxa7kA
In 1979, The Whispers’ version of My Girl hit the UK charts.
Many other artists have also played My Girl, including Dolly Parton, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson.
Interesting Facts
- My Girl performed by The Temptations was featured on the soundtrack of Oliver Stone’s film Born on the Fourth of July.
My Girl Lyrics
I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day
When it’s cold outside I’ve got the month of May
Well I guess you’d say
What can make me feel this way?
my girl
Talkin’ ’bout my girl
I’ve got so much honey the bees envy me
I’ve got a sweeter song than the birds in the trees
Well I guess you’d say
What can make me feel this way?
my girl
Talkin’ ’bout my girl
I don’t need no money, fortune, or fame
I’ve got all the riches baby one man can claim
I guess you’d say
What can make me feel this way?
my girl
Talkin’ ’bout my girl
I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day
With my girl
Talkin’ ’bout my girl my girl
I’ve even got the month of May
With my girl
She’s all I can think
Talkin’ ’bout my girl my girl
Talkin’ ’bout, talkin’ ’bout my girl
My Girl Lyrics
On a cloudy day I’m flooded with sunshine
When it’s cold outside, I have May weather.
I think you will ask:
“Why does it feel like this to me?”
My girl
It’s about my girl.
I have so much honey that bees envy me.
My song is sweeter than the chirping of birds in the trees.
I think you will ask:
“Why does it feel like this to me?”
My girl
It’s about my girl.
I don’t need money or luck or fame
I have every treasure a man can have.
I think you will ask:
“Why does it feel like this to me?”
My girl
It’s about my girl.
On a cloudy day I’m flooded with sunlight
With my girl.
It’s about my girl.
May is in my yard
With my girl.
I can only think of her
It’s about my girl.
It’s about my girl, it’s about my girl.
Song quote
I wrote My Girl with the voice of David Ruffin. The Temptations were so creative when they created the backing vocals… Everything they sing in My Girl, they came up with themselves… No, I don’t regret not keeping it for myself.
Smokey Robinson, Oprah’s Master Class, 2015
