Track Five : Temptations - Papa Was a Rolling Stone

If there was a standard Motown Sound, then the Temptations were the big-name band who deviated from it most often. This song, a huge hit in 1972, is one example where producer Norman Whitfield took them is a different direction from the standard three minute ballad that had been the Motown stock-in-trade throughout the sixties.

More in keeping with the late period Stax sound of Isaac Hayes than anything Diana Ross, or the Four Tops were involved in, the instrumentation of 'Papa' was unique with a very basic and evocative drum and bass intro and instrumental passages between verses extended beyond anything Motown were doing elsewhere. The shorter, single version still came in at a full seven minutes long and featured an instrumental version on the B side.

The song was not written with the Temptations in mind, producer Norman Whitfield and his songwriting partner Barret Strong first gave the song to the normally harder edged "Undisputed Truth" who barely breached the top 100 of the singles chart. Indeed the Temptations hated the song, complaining that it didn't feature enough of their trademark, close harmony and instead concentrated too much on orchestration with the band members singing single lines one in a sort of in-song conversation. In addition singer Dennis Edwards was furious that he was asked to sing the opening lines of the song:

It was the 3rd of September
That day I'll always remember
Cause that was the day, my Daddy died.

Edwards father had indeed died on 3rd Sept, and he suspected that producer, Normal Whitfield, had written the song with that in mind. Considering the picture of 'papa' as an absentee father presented by the song his upset is not really a surprise. Other members of the band have said that Whitfield used this anger, making Edwards sing the line over and over again until he the got just the right angry and frustrated tone

Despite the band's feelings it was a huge hit for them, winning three Grammy's, for best R&B song, Best instrumental (for the B side) and for best song and ended up being the last single to top the charts for the Group. So upset were the band with Whitfield that they fired him as their producer shortly afterwards. They never achieved this level of sucess again.

I've included the original version of the song, by The Undisputed Truth in the alternate playlist alongside another Temptations cover, Ball of Confusion.