Top Ten Temptations Tunes

Growing up I was exposed to a lot of old music, mainly Motown. As a result, some of my favorite songs and groups are from that time period but my absolute favorite is The Temptations, which also happens to be my father's favorite group. Almost every song they sang was gold and catchy and everyone enjoyed it. They were originally called The Elgins when the group was founded in the year 1960 and were known for their choreography (i.e., the "Temptation Walk" featured in archive footage in Rick James "Superfreak" video) as well as their infectious music. Here is a list of the songs that are my favorites in the Temptations musical history.

10) "Get Ready" (1966)--this is a fun song. It's line comes from the child's game Hide and Seek (ready or not, here I come) and it's just a fun song to dance to. It's about a guy who's telling the woman he cares about to get ready to depth of love he's going to bring her way, because he's bringing "a love that's true". This song wasn't as big of hit for the Temptations as was anticipated or wanted, and as a result it was the last song Smokey Robinson wrote for them. But it is still one of my favorites. It starts off with the horn, and just gets funky the rest of the song; it was sampled by Fergie for her album The Duchess, and even has the same title as the Temptations hit.

9) "Run Away Child, Running Wild" (1969)--this is what some would call a serious song because it's about a child running away from home because he got punished for playing hooky. I like this song because it seems to have been a warning from the band to the children of the time that it came out, letting them known that although everything that parents do seem unfair now it's for their own good. It also portrays how the world is a scary place when you don't know what you're doing and you're all alone out there, trying to pretend that you are a grown up when you really aren't. It is even said that Otis Williams hears from fans that this song kept them from running away since it portrays the scariness of being somewhere you don't know with no one you know around you. With lines like "You better go back home, where you belong" it is easy to see how this song can be used as a warning to not run away.

8) "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (1964)--I first remember hearing this song, interestingly enough, in the Stephen King made for TV movie, IT during a happy scene with the younger counterparts of the protagonists, which is why I find this to be such a happy song. It was played during a horror movie but it showed that the kids could still be kids even when facing the monster they were facing. And it is such a wonderful love song!! With lyrics like "You could have been anything that you wanted to/and I can tell, the way you do the things you do". This song is so upbeat that it always puts me in a good mood whenever I hear it because it has a light happy sound to it and just makes you smile once you hear it.

7) "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (1966)--a lot of people think of the movie The Big Chill or even Remember the Titans when they hear this song. From the opening line "I know you want to leave me/but I refuse to let you go", sung masterfully by David Ruffins, this song shows how far the guy will go to show the woman that he really does love her and wants this relationship to work. This is a song people can't help to dance to because it's got a beat you can groove to. Plus it's just a song that puts you in a good mood.

6) "I Wish it Would Rain" (1967)--this is a perfect song to listen to when you're feeling down, whether it's from a failed relationship or just having a bad day. It has a melancholy tone to it that shows how a bad mood can encompass you and you don't want anything bright or happy around you; you want to stay in your funk. An endearing quality about this song is it admits that it's not a normal feeling with the line "I know to you/it might sound strange/but I wish it would rain", but it's honesty in its desire. As a side note, according to Wikipedia.com, this song was actually inspired by Roger Penzabene's discovery his wife was cheating on him with another man. Penzabene went on to write another song for the group I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You), before committing suicide on New Year's Eve 1967.

5) "(I Know) I'm Losing You" (1966)-- I like the music to this song a lot; with the strong instruments behind the lyrics this song is powerful about a relationship that is starting to fail and that the guy involved can tell that it's going sour. You can tell the helplessness in the lyrics because it's like a traffic accident; you can see the end coming but there is nothing you can do to stop or change what the outcome will be. It's just another example of the wonderful music that the band was known for.

4) "Cloud Nine" (1968)-- if you actually listen to the lyrics, this is actually not a child friendly song as it appears to appear about some type of drug use, even though that has been denied. But it's about someone who had a hard life and who had problems here and then out of nowhere all the he's "doing fine on Cloud Nine". This is most noted because it was a departure from the Temptations typical strings and piano to a more beat driven sound. It won the 1969 Grammy for Best R&B Group Performance and many say started the groups foray into a psychedelia, politically driven music.

3) "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today)" (1970)-- this song is perfect for the world no matter when you hear it. It's a social/political commentary on how crazy the world is becoming. With lyrics that come at you in rapid fire succession and words such as "Evolution, revolution, gun control, the sound of soul, shooting rockets to the moon, kids growing up too soon", this song, as stated before, is a perfect commentary on how the world is going to hell in a hand basket sometimes, and we are just along for the ride. This song is following the pattern of the Temptations psychedelia kick with songs that are meant to make their listeners wake up and pay attention to what is going on in the world. I first remember hearing this song as a cover in the Whoopi Goldberg movie Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.

2) "I Can't Next To You (1969)"-- This song, sung by all members taking a certain lyric, is a great song because it shows everything this guy says he can do except get to know the woman he is interested in to notice him. I like this song because it gives you a change to hear all the different voices in the group and it's has great instrumentals, starting with a piano solo and then breaking into a funk background music while the singers tell about how futile everything they can do is pointless when they can't do the simple task of getting to know the woman they want to.

1) "My Girl" (1965)-- COME ON! Who DOESN'T like My Girl? I love this song it is recognizable from the opening piano chords and everyone belts out "I got sunshine" when it begins. It's a beautiful song that can be used to either explain a man's love for his woman or even his daughter. It was their first hit, it is considered their signature song and has been covered and used in TV shows, movies, and much more. This song is the Temptations. One of the reasons I love this song so much is it was my parent's song and it was also the song that played at my wedding during the Father/Daughter dance. This is just a great, great song.

Of course there are many more great Temptations songs because they are a great group that continues to perform even today and probably will for years to come.