Otis Williams’ ‘The Temptations’ celebrates 60th anniversary of ‘My Girl’

When it comes to quintessential covers of traditional holiday songs, arguably the best—and definitely the most soulful—is The Temptations’ 1980 reinterpretation of the classic “Silent Night.” But during another holiday season 60 years ago, Motown Records released another classic song that would set the stage for the quintet’s storied career: “My Girl.”

“My Girl” was written and produced by Motown legends and founding members of the Miracles Smokey Robinson and Ronnie White, and was released on December 21, 1964 through Motown subsidiary Gordy. Months later, in March 1965, the song hit the billboard’‘s pop and R&B charts, giving the Temptations their first number-one single. “My Girl” also marks another milestone: the first Temptations single to feature David Ruffin on vocals. Ruffin replaced former original member Elbridge “Al” Bryant and formed the group along with Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, Otis Williams and Paul Williams The band’s legendary lineup.

Now, co-founder and last remaining original member Otis Williams and The Temptations are celebrating the 60th anniversary of their hit song, which has now surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify close.

“I don’t think there’s anything more important than this,” Williams said advertising billboard Ahead of anniversary run, kicks off with performance of ‘My Girl’ today Performances on Monday (December 16), including tours landscape Tuesday (December 17), Shirley and ABC News nightline Wednesday (December 18). Back in October, the band performed the hit song during Game 5 of the National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, with New York shortstop Francisco Lindor using it as a His accompanying music. Whenever The Temptations perform their world-famous signature songs, the entire Citi Field stadium sings in unison.

There was no wiggle room for not performing “My Girl.” Williams remembers a concert that happened a few years ago where the band didn’t perform the song for some reason. “They called us every name except Son of God,” Williams recalled with a laugh. “I said, ‘Paul, this is a song we can never take off our lineup.’ It’s 2024, and when we play this song, the audience will stand up like it’s the national anthem.

So how is it that “My Girl” still resonates so strongly 64 years after its release? People always refer to the opening bass notes of this love ode and the romantic sentiment expressed in the lyrics (“I don’t need money, fortune or fame/I’ve got all the riches, baby, a man can have”) Ruffin Ruffin’s indelible vocals and The Temptations’ sweet harmonies bring it all to life.

For those who don’t know, “My Girl” is the follow-up to “My Guy,” another hit song written and produced by Robinson, which is also celebrating its 60th anniversary: ​​Mary Wells’ “My Guy”. Motown’s longtime poet laureate recalled “My Girl” on SiriusXM and said he was inspired to write the song by “The Temptations.”

“I wanted to write something sweet and have David Ruffin sing,” Robinson recalled. “David had a great voice. I once told him that he asked girls to love him because he had that oh, come on, baby voice. But I wanted him to sing something that girls would be fascinated by. So I wrote “My Girl” for his voice and The Temptations’ vocals, and it did what I set out to do when I wrote the song, or every time I write a song: it’s stood the test of time.

Since its release, “My Girl” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. .

During the NBC Holiday Special Christmas in the Motor CityOn the Dec. 11 show, Williams and The Temptations (whose current lineup also includes Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks, Tony Grant and Jawan M. Jackson) performed three hit songs, including “Ain ‘t Too Proud to Beg” “Get Ready” and of course “My Girl”.

“When we finished recording the vocals on the song, I said to Smokey in the control room, ‘Man, I don’t know how big this record is going to be. But it’s going to be one said Williams, whose own career honors include an honorary doctorate from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Most groups don’t have such breaks. This was God’s timing for Motown. Here we are part of something that outlives all of us.