(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please refer to the "Poor Little Fool" post)
The Temptations - "My Girl"
Hit Number 1: March 6, 1965
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
Miracles' member Smokey Robinson was not only a talented musician, but this blog has taught me that he is also one of the better songwriters and producers in music history. The Miracles at this point never had a #1 hit, with the closest they got being "Shop Around" which peaked at #2 in 1961. (Another reminder that "Shop Around" is a 10) However, the Miracles would get a couple moments in this blog later on. But in the mid-60s, Robinson wrote a sweet ode to his wife and fellow Miracles member, Claudette. That song was simply called "My Girl" and it ended up being the song that got another rising Motown act, The Temptations, on the map.
Before hitting it big with this song, the Temptations usually cycled with Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams singing lead vocals, but on "My Girl", David Ruffin is the one singing lead. Ruffin was a replacement for Elbridge Bryant, who was fired from the group after struggling with alcohol addiction and being aggressive with the other members, sometimes even during live shows. Robinson first heard the Temptations at one of their shows, and he was particularly impressed with new member Ruffin's vocals, so he decided he would write a song for the group, specifically with Ruffin singing lead. Robinson would describe how he thought Ruffin was a "sleeping giant" with the group, and had a voice that was "mellow" yet "gruff". Robinson wanted to find the perfect middle ground for Ruffin, with a song that he could "belt out" but also something that was "melodic and sweet".
Ironically enough, after "My Girl" was first written, it looked like the Miracles were just going to go ahead and record it, but it was eventually passed down to the Temptations, after Robinson was convinced this would be the perfect song for Ruffin. I doubt Robinson could've served up a more perfect song for Ruffin. It has everything that Robinson was shooting for: Ruffin could absolutely belt this out if he so chooses, but it's also "melodic and sweet". Just how he drew it up.
Even with some of the greatest songs, you can always find some sort of flaw in them if you dig deep enough. But I'm here to tell you that there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with "My Girl". It truly is the perfect song. For one, the strings are about as lush as they come, sounding like something that would come out of a Phil Spector production. The Temptations do a tremendous job backing up Ruffin's lead voice, as they were one of the greatest to ever supply their own backing vocals. And that chorus, it just blows me away. It's got the hook, the style, and the happiness. The song is so damn happy! I think this song could best be described with the opening lyric: "I've got sunshine on a cloudy day". "My Girl" could lighten up the whole world's mood even on the cloudiest and nastiest days. It's THAT good.
I'll help out my fellow guys here for just a second. If you can sing, at least a little bit, and you and your girl get in a fight over something, if you sing her "My Girl" she will never leave you. This song is the ultimate ode to the girl that you love, making it just another reason to love it. When you reflect on music's past, and you think about some of the "greatest songs of all time", "My Girl" has to be in the conversation. It's right up there with "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "The House of the Rising Sun" as songs that will never die, and left an impact on the music world. "My Girl" has a lasting legacy, where long after you and I are dead, people will still be hearing it, and singing it. Only the real special songs can manage that. We'll hear from the Temptations again.
GRADE: 10/10
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