Posted on 08/30/2024 5:51:17 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The 1964 Motown classic joins an elite group of megahits on Spotify.
“My Girl,” the 1964 hit from The Temptations, has just crossed a major streaming milestone. Today, the track hit one billion listens on Spotify. By far the group’s most-streamed song, “My Girl” joins the elite group of less than 1,000 high-streamers, and becomes one of the oldest songs on the list.
“My Girl” was the first number-one hit from The Temptations, though many more would follow throughout the 1960s and 70s. Written by Smokey Robinson, a beloved artist in his own right, and singer Ronnie White, “My Girl” was first released as a single before being included on their 1965 album The Temptations Sing Smokey. Within a month of the song’s debut, it topped both the pop and the R&B charts. In 1997, more than three decades after the song was first released, it was certified platinum, having sold more than 1 million copies in the United States.
In 2000, Robinson explained to NPR that he created the song because he wanted to tailor something to lead singer David Ruffin’s voice. “And all I needed was the right song for his voice and I felt like I would have a smash hit record,” Robinson recalled. “So I wanted to make it something that he could belt out, but yet make it melodic and sweet.” The hit proved so popular that founding member Otis Williams recalled in the same interview that when the group grew tired of performing it and tried to leave it out of their sets, the audiences grew furious. “We would never do that again.”
Of course, the popularity of “My Girl” continued throughout the years. A 1991 film starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Aykroyd named itself after the track, and it was memorably performed as “My God” by a group of nuns in the 1992 film Sister Act, starring Whoopi Goldberg.
It’s a good song.
This is because Diddy did not write the song. As you point out, when you perform someone else's song, you are not rewarded as if you wrote it. And the original song writer earns from your cover. That said, Diddy earned money and earns money each time his remake is played.
That is awesome. It is a great tune for either close dancing or “jitterbugging.”
I still remember close dancing to My Girl in the late 60s onboard a ship from NYC to the Netherlands, and the American guy I danced with, whom I would never see again after I got off at the first stop, England.
No cellphones, no internet, no Facebook...
As well he should, at least a large chunk.
Do you know, the man at age 84 is still touring!
And if he had used his given name, Bill Robinson, we might never have heard of him. Great branding! Wikipedia says the name was given to him in childhood by his godfather/favorite uncle.
Too many great ones to list. For pure vocal pyrotechnics, "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" -- the group sang from bass to soprano on that one. Amazing.
High Yellow.
How rude.
IIRC, “My Girl” was written in response to the Mary Wells hit song, “My Guy” written and produced by William “Smokey” Robinson
Half white and half black does not make black, just like the magic negro Obama.
Stop posting to me.
Can’t call a spade..
You posted to me first!
I most certainly did not. You posted a rude racist comment to me in response to my post of Smokey's picture.
Now buzz off.
Whose is being rude now?
I am correcting your mistaken accusation. That’s not rude; that’s factual.
Sorry, I probably should have used “half breed”.
There I fixed it, happy?
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