When it comes to quintessential covers of traditional holiday songs, arguably one of the best – and definitely 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 that set the mold for the quintet’s legendary career: “My Girl.”
Written and produced by fellow Motown legends and Miracles founding members Smokey Robinson and Ronnie White, “My Girl” was released through Motown subsidiary Gordy on Dec. 21, 1964. Three months later, in March 1965, the song had ascended to the top of Billboard’s pop and R&B charts, giving the Temptations their first No. 1 hit. “My Girl” also marked another milestone: the first Temptations single with David Ruffin as lead singer. Succeeding former original member Elbridge “Al” Bryant, Ruffin rounded out what became the group’s storied lineup alongside Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, Otis Williams and Paul Williams.
Now co-founder and last original member Otis Williams and The Temptations are celebrating the 60th anniversary of their mega-hit, which has now crossed the 1 billion streams mark on Spotify.
“I don’t think it gets any greater than that,” Williams tells Billboard on the eve of an anniversary run that kicked off with a performance of “My Girl” on the Today show Monday (Dec. 16) and includes visits to The View Tuesday (Dec. 17), Sherri and ABC News’ Nightline Wednesday (Dec. 18). Back in October during Game 5 of the National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, the group performed the hit, which New York shortstop Francisco Lindor had adopted as his walk-up music. The ensuing stadium-wide singalong at Citi Field is what happens every time The Temptations perform their signature song that’s known worldwide.
And there’s no wiggle room when it comes to not performing “My Girl.” Willams remembers a concert that happened years ago when the group, for whatever reason, didn’t sing the song. “They called us almost every name except child of God,” recalls Williams with a laugh. “And I said, ‘Paul, that’s one song we can never ever take out of our lineup.’ Here it is 2024 and when we perform it, the audience stands up like it’s the national anthem.”
So what is it about “My Girl” that resonates so strongly 64 years after its release? People invariably mention the love ode’s instantly recognizable opening bass notes and romantic sentiments expressed in the lyrics (“I don’t need no money, fortune, or fame/ I’ve got all the riches, baby, one man can claim”) brought to life by Ruffin’s indelible vocals and The Temptations’ sweet harmonies.
For those who may not know, “My Girl” was the follow-up to another Robinson-written and produced hit that’s also celebrating its own 60th anniversary: Mary Wells’ “My Guy.” Reminiscing about “My Girl” during an episode of his SiriusXM show, Motown’s longtime poet laureate said he was inspired to write the song because of the Temptations.
“I wanted to write something sweet for David Ruffin to sing,” recalled Robinson. “David had that great voice. I used to tell him that he demanded the girls to love him because he had that oh, come on, baby kind of voice. But I want him to sing something … that the girls could just swoon over. So I wrote ‘My Girl’ for his voice and for The Temptations to sing. And it has done what I set out to do when I wrote the song or what I set out to do anytime I write a song: it has stood the test of time.”
In the years since its release, “My Girl” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. Then the Library of Congress chose it for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2017, calling the song “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
The Temptations
During NBC’s holiday special A Motown Christmas, which aired Dec. 11, Williams and The Temptations – whose current lineup also features Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks, Tony Grant and Jawan M. Jackson – performed a three-song set of hits that included “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Get Ready” and, of course, “My Girl.”
“When we finished putting the vocals down on the song, I said to Smokey in the control room, ‘Man, I don’t know how big a record this is going to be. But this is going to be a record,” remarks Williams, whose own career accolades include an honorary doctorate from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Ala. “I still can’t believe that here we are, some 60 years later and we’re still going strong. Most groups don’t get that kind of break. It was God’s timing for Motown to start when it did. And here we are a part of something that will outlive all of us.”
