"My Girl" is a

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

song recorded by the Temptations for the Gordy ( Motown) record label. Written and produced by the Miracles members Smokey Robinson and

Ronald White Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse ''Rögnvaldr'', Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234; Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald. or possibly from Old English '' Regenweald''. In some cases ''Ronald'' is an Anglicised form of ...

, it became the Temptations' first U.S. number 1 single, and is currently their signature song. Robinson's inspiration for writing "My Girl" was his wife, Miracles member Claudette Rogers Robinson. The song was included on the Temptations 1965 album '' The Temptations Sing Smokey''. In 2017, the song was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

as being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant".

Recording and release

The recorded version of "My Girl" was the first Temptations single to feature

David Ruffin David Eli Ruffin (born Davis Eli Ruffin;Ribowsky, p. 88 January 18, 1941 – June 1, 1991) was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations (1964–68) during the group's "Clas ...

on lead vocals. Previously,

Eddie Kendricks Edward James Kendrick (December 17, 1939 – October 5, 1992), better known as Eddie Kendricks, was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group the Temptation ...

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 Bryant. While on tour as part of the

Motortown Revue The Motortown Revue was the name given to the package concert tours of Motown artists in the 1960s. Early tours featured Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Mary Wells, The Marvelettes, Barrett Strong, and The Contours as headlining acts, and gave then ...

, a collective tour for most of the Motown roster, Smokey Robinson caught the Temptations' part of the show. For their set, the group had included a medley of soul standards, 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 composition 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, who were originally going to record the song, and recruited Ruffin to sing the lead vocals. According to Robinson, he allowed the group to create their own background vocals "because they were so great at background vocals". Consequently, the Temptations came up with boosts like "hey hey hey" and a series of "my girls" that echo David's vocal." The opening bass notes are recognized around the world. As Smokey Robinson says, "I can be in a foreign country where people don't speak English and the audience will start cheering before I even start singing "My Girl." They know what's coming as soon as they hear the opening bass line. e sings the famous line created by bassist James Jamerson:'Bah bum-bum, bah bum-bum, bah bum-bum.'" 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 ''Standing in the Shadows of Motown'' is a 2002 American documentary film directed by Paul Justman that recounts the story of The Funk Brothers, the uncredited and largely unheralded studio musicians who were the house band that Berry Gordy hand-pi ...

''. "My Girl" was later sampled for "Stay", a single from the Temptations' 1998 album '' Phoenix Rising''. The single was re-released in 1992, following the November 1991 release of the film of the same name, which featured the song. It did not reach the ''Billboard'' charts, but did reach number 2 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Reception

"My Girl" climbed to the top of the U.S. pop charts on January 16, 1965, after its

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

time 1964 release, making it the Temptations' first number 1 hit. The single was also the first number 1 hit on the reinstated ''Billboard'' R&B Singles chart, which had gone on a fifteen-month hiatus from 1963 to 1965. The single also gave the Gordy label its first number 1 on the Hot 100. Over time, "My Girl", with its signature introduction and unrestrained expression of joy, would become one of Motown's best-known and most successful singles. "My Girl" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. '' Cash Box'' described the single as "a pulsating,

shuffle Shuffling is a procedure used to randomize a deck of playing cards to provide an element of chance in card games. Shuffling is often followed by a cut, to help ensure that the shuffler has not manipulated the outcome. __TOC__ Techniques Over ...

-wobble ballad" performed "in very tempting style" and with a "striking arrangement." In 2004, "My Girl" was ranked number 88 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

''s list of "

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

Personnel

– lead vocals *

– backing vocals * Melvin Franklin – backing vocals * Paul Williams – backing vocals * Otis Williams – backing vocals * The Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra – instrumentation ** Robert White – guitar ** Earl Van Dyke – piano **

James Jamerson James Lee Jamerson (January 29, 1936 – August 2, 1983) was an American bass player. He was the uncredited bassist on most of the Motown Records hits in the 1960s and early 1970s (Motown did not list session musician credits on their releases ...

– bass **

Benny Benjamin William "Benny" Benjamin (July 25, 1925 – April 20, 1969), nicknamed Papa Zita, was an American musician, most notable as the primary drummer for the Motown Records studio band The Funk Brothers. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of ...

– drums **

Paul Riser Paul Riser (born September 11, 1943) is an American trombonist and Motown musical arranger who was responsible for co-writing and arranging dozens of top ten hit records. His legacy as one of the " Funk Brothers" is similar to that of most of ...

– horn and string arrangements

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Otis Redding version

In 1965,

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

recorded the song for his album ''

Otis Blue ''Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul'' (often referred to simply as ''Otis Blue'') is the third studio album by American soul singer and songwriter Otis Redding. It was first released on September 15, 1965, as an LP record through the Stax Recor ...

''. Released as a single, it was the first version to be successful in the United Kingdom, reaching No.11 in the

References

External links

* {{authority control 1964 singles 1965 singles 1992 singles The Temptations songs Motown singles Otis Redding songs Atco Records singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Songs written by Smokey Robinson Songs written by Ronald White Song recordings produced by Smokey Robinson Gordy Records singles 1964 songs United States National Recording Registry recordings 1960s ballads