The Temptations – “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”

"Papa Was A Rolling Stone" (Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong) Copyright 1972 Stone Diamond Music Corp.

Norman Whitfield turned The Temptations from a typical Motown vocal group into Psychedelic Soul pioneers. Their collaboration reached its zenith with “Papa Was A Rolling Stone“, a dark, atmospheric, orchestral showcase for both the Temptations and Whitfield’s genius. This would be the last #1 hit for The Temptations, and they would stop working with Norman Whitfield soon after. But they left behind this monumental masterpiece.

“Papa Was A Rolling Stone” (Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong) Copyright 1972 Stone Diamond Music Corp.

If you enjoyed this episode, here’s a previous episode that featured another classic Temptations song:
lovethatsongpodcast.com/the-temptations-i-cant-get-next-to-you/

— And remember to follow this show, so you never miss an episode.

TRANSCRIPT:

You have managed to find your way to the “I’m In Love With That Song Podcast, one of the many shows on the Pantheon Podcast Network dedicated to bringing you the best music-related podcasts. I’m your host Brad Page, and each episode of this show, I pick one of my favorite songs and we attempt to discover what makes it a great song. Musical knowledge or experience is not a prerequisite here, we don’t get technical. This show is for anybody who loves music.

On this edition, we’re taking a look at one of the most epic songs to ever hit Number One, and probably the most unconventional track that Motown ever released. This is the Temptations with “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”.

Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield were one of Motown’s most successful songwriting teams. Whitfield was also their most adventurous producer. He was the man credited with creating the sound of “psychedelic soul”. Whitfield and Strong wrote “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” sometime in 1971. Whitfield had composed the music and recorded a basic track, and gave the tape to Strong with the suggestion that he come up with some lyrics that were fun. But as Strong listened to the tape over and over, he heard it differently. In particular, he thought that the bass part sounded like someone struggling to make sense out of confusion. He started to think about kids he knew who had been abandoned by their fathers. When they asked their mother what happened to their dad, what would they say? So Strong ran with that idea, finished up the lyrics and presented them to Whitfield, who liked them.

So they completed the song and then set about recording it with a band called The Undisputed Truth. It was this version that was released as a single in early 1972.

[Music]

That’s actually a pretty cool production, but it wasn’t a hit. Whitfield still believed in the song though, and he convinced Barry Gordy to let him have another crack at it. So Whitfield completely reworked the song and went back into the studio with Motown’s legendary Funk brothers and rerecorded it. They turned it into an epic twelve-minute instrumental, a track full of atmosphere. Whitfield brought in Paul Riser to arrange the strings. Riser thought the track was full of mystery and suspense, and he treated his arrangement like he was scoring a movie. The soundtrack to “Shaft” had come out a year before, and Reiser was definitely inspired by that.

Now here’s where the Temptations come in. By 1971, The Temptations had gone through some major changes. Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks had left, leaving Otis Williams, Dennis Edwards and Melvin Franklin to carry on with two new members, Richard Street and Damon Harris.

The Temptations had had quite a few hits with Norman Whitfield producing, including two number ones. One of them, “I Can’t Get Next To You”, we covered here back in episode number 45.

But the Temptations were growing tired of Whitfield’s experimentations, which made the guys feel more like bit-players on their own records. They wanted to return to the romantic numbers like “My Girl” that they used to do. So, when Whitfield brought them into the studio and played them the twelve-minute track to “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”, they said, “No way, we are not doing that”. They argued for about 20 minutes when the group’s leader, Otis Williams, finally said, “Okay, we’ll give it a try”.

So let’s get into the track. Now, usually my preference is to go with the album version rather than the single, but this time we’re going to go with the single. The album version, at twelve minutes long, is a bit much for this podcast, and considering that the single itself is seven minutes, that gives us plenty to work with.

Here’s how the track begins. Just bass and hi-hat. Let’s hear just the bass, because that’s really the heart of the song.

The next thing you hear are the strings arranged by Paul Reiser. They add some real drama to the song. You can hear how Reiser was orchestrating this like a soundtrack to a movie, rather than just a pop song.

Here come the guitars, played by Paul Warren and Wah-Wah Watson. The two guitar parts play off each other and all the other instruments throughout the whole song. They’re always doing something interesting.

Added here, a trumpet played by Maurice Davis. Davis had already finished recording his part and was on his way out when Norman Whitfield called him back into the studio. He wanted to try recording it with a heavy echo on it. So, Davis re-recorded his whole part using the echo, which adds another layer of spookiness to the song.

Hand claps on the off beats. Notice how the hand claps stop there? The wah-wah guitar flutters and then the harp comes back in. All these parts flowing in and out. The wah-wah guitar drops out, the strings build and then drop out, too.

We are 1 minute and 55 seconds into the song, and here is where the vocals finally come in. On the album version, it’s almost four minutes before the vocals come in. You can see why The Temptations felt like they were being sidelined, but that intro really sets a mood, doesn’t it?

We’ll take a look at the vocals in a minute, but first, let’s just listen to what those guitars are doing in the background.

The Motown guitar players were usually relegated to just playing rhythm, but here they get to stretch out a bit.

Now the vocals. The first voice we hear is Dennis Edwards. Edwards and Whitfield clashed from the start about this song. Edwards kept trying to put more into his vocal performance, but Whitfield kept telling him to hold back, to tone it down. Edwards did not like to be restrained, but Whitfield wanted it dialed way down. That was making Edwards pretty mad. But Whitfield got the take he wanted.

Edwards was also upset because he was taking the lyrics a little personally. This verse about the 3rd of September being the day that Daddy died hit a little close to home. Now, the legend has it that Edward’s own father died on September 3, but that’s not actually true. His dad died on October 3. Still, it was close enough for Edwards to be concerned about it. And Whitfield had to convince him that it wasn’t personal. Barrett Strong had only written the lyrics that way because he liked the way it sounded–the date was purely a coincidence.

Let’s hear more of the guitars behind this verse.

Here come those hand claps again.

Maurice Davis’s trumpet, saturated with echo, appears again. The strings are going to take over for a few measures. Let’s hear what they’re doing. Reiser used nine violins, four violas, three cellos, and that harp for the string section.

In classic Temptations fashion, the lead vocals are shared by different singers. This works particularly well on this song, because it sounds like multiple children telling their stories. It’s not just the story of one boy, it’s the voices of all those kids who were let down by their fathers.

This next verse features Richard Street, who replaced Paul Williams in 1971, as well as Melvin Franklin, whose deep bass voice was the foundation for so many great Temptations songs.

I love that part.

Let’s zero in on Richard street’s vocals.

Wah-wah Watson is getting in some licks behind this verse. Let’s hear some of that.

And here’s the second chorus.

I like that guitar lick there. The final verse features Damon Harris, who replaced Eddie Kendricks when he quit in ‘71. Harris was the youngest member of the band, and while Kendrick’s falsetto was one of the Temptation’s trademarks, Damon sounds great here.

Damon gets the last word.

Let’s listen a little more to that backing track.

“Papa Was a Rolling Stone”. During their career, The Temptations had four number one hits on the top 100: “My Girl”, “I Can’t Get Next To You”, “Just My Imagination” and “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”. Three of those four were written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, and produced by Whitfield.

That was a magic combination, but it didn’t last. Within a few years, Whitfield and The Temptations would stop working together, and Whitfield would leave Motown. “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” would be the last number one hit for The Temptations, but it was their crowning achievement.

Thanks for listening to this edition of the “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast. New episodes are released on the 1st and the 15th of every month, so we’ll be back soon with another show. You can find all of our previous shows on our website, lovethatsongpodcast.com, as well as on Spotify, Apple, Podcasts, Google, Amazon, wherever you can find podcasts. And if you’re looking for more music podcasts, check out the other great shows on the Pantheon Network.

Drop us a line on Facebook, Podchaser, or send email to lovethatsongpodcast@gmail.com.

Don’t forget to support the artists you love by buying their music. And thanks for joining me for this episode on “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” by The Temptations.

Marvin Gaye – “What’s Going On”

"What's Going On" (Marvin Gaye, Al Cleveland and Renaldo Benson) Copyright 1970, 1971, 1972 Jobette Music Co, Inc.

Few albums in history have had the cultural impact as Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On”. Universally loved by music fans around the world, it’s an album like none before it. Few records have captured the zeitgeist and remained as relevant as this album — Marvin’s crowning achievement. On this episode, we take a deep dive into the title cut to discover the elements that make up this masterpiece.

“What’s Going On” (Marvin Gaye, Al Cleveland and Renaldo Benson) Copyright 1970, 1971, 1972 Jobette Music Co, Inc.

If you liked this episode, check out our previous episode featuring the great Marvin Gaye:
lovethatsongpodcast.com/marvin-gaye-i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine/

TRANSCRIPT:

Before you were even born, you were listening. In the womb, you can’t see the world, you can’t smell it or touch it, but you can hear it. Sound is your first connection to the world that awaits you.  My name is Brad Page, and this is the “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast on the Pantheon Podcast Network. On this show, we use our ears to explore the world of music together, on our mission to discover how songs are put together and what makes a great song work.

On this episode, we’ll explore one of the most important records ever made. There are very few albums you can say that truly changed music history. This is one of them. The title song from Marvin Gaye’s classic album, “What’s Going On”.

[Music]

Marvin Gaye seemed like a guy who had it all together. By 1970, he was Motown’s number one male solo artist, the Prince of Motown. He was smooth, he was cool, but underneath that cool exterior, he was a tortured soul. He was racked with self-doubt and shame, raised by a violent, abusive father who was a preacher, a so-called “Man of God” who was a total hypocrite that beat his wife and kids. And Marvin received the worst of the beatings. Thanks to music, Marvin was able to escape from the mistreatment, but I think he always carried some guilt about abandoning the rest of his family.

Marvin’s first taste of success came when he hooked up with Harvey Fuqua from The Moonglows, and Marvin kind of became his protege. But then Fuqua linked up with the Gordy family, and basically sold Marvin’s contract to Barry Gordy and Motown. Marvin was essentially traded for money. That’s a simplification, but you get the gist of it. And that whole experience left Marvin with a sense of disillusionment with the music business, before he even cut his first song for Motown.

But he established himself, had a string of hits as a solo artist, along with duets with Mary Wells, Kim Weston, and most successfully, with Tammi Terrell. The two of them recorded a bunch of classic duets together, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”.

[Music]

And “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing”.

Then on October 14, 1967, Tammi collapsed into Marvin’s arms on-stage during a performance of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”. She was eventually diagnosed with a brain tumor; she would die a few years later.

But the Motown machine had to keep churning out those hits, and Marvin was even forced into recording some fake duets with Valerie Simpson pretending to be Tammi Terrell. This just made Marvin even more disillusioned and depressed.

To make matters worse, along the way, Marvin had married Barry Gordy’s sister, Anna, and their marriage was tumultuous, to say the least.

In 1968, Marvin had a huge hit with “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”. We covered that song in-depth, back in episode number 62 of this podcast. If you haven’t heard that one, go check it out. It’s a good one.

“I Heard It Through The Grapevine” was not only a number one smash hit, it also became the biggest selling hit in Motown’s history. And it was a record that Barry Gordy didn’t even want to release. In fact, he fought against it.

In the end, Marvin was ambivalent about his success with “Grapevine”, but one thing it did prove to him was that Barry Gordy and his Motown machine could be wrong. They could make mistakes. Their judgment wasn’t always right. And that empowered Marvin to start making the album that he really wanted to make.

The reverberations from the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King were still being felt in 1970, along with the riot at the Democratic National Convention and the ongoing effects of the war in Vietnam.  Tammi Terrell had died in March 1970; Marvin spoke at the funeral very emotionally. Then, in June 1970, Marvin headed into the studio to record “What’s Going On”.

Obie Benson was a member of the Four Tops, and when they were in California in May of ‘69, he had witnessed the police attacking protesters in Berkeley, and that inspired him to start writing “What’s Going On” with his songwriting partner, Al Cleveland. Now, the Four Tops were not interested in recording what they saw as a “protest song”, so Cleveland and Benson brought the song to Marvin, and Marvin refined the melody and added to the lyrics.

Marvin’s brother Frankie had served in Vietnam and brought home some horrific stories that he shared with Marvin. Those emotions work their way into “What’s Going On”. Marvin was able to channel his feelings about his brother’s pain, his own sadness over the loss of Tammi Terrell, and his frustrations over his career. All of it was poured into “What’s Going On”.

Marvin Gaye, Obi Benson and Al Cleveland share writing credit on “What’s Going On”. The musicians on the track include members from the legendary Motown session players called the Funk Brothers, including bass player James Jamerson. But Marvin wanted to mix it up, too, so he brought in some outside musicians. Rather than use the regular Funk Brothers drummers, he brought in a drummer with big band experience, Chet Forrest.

The song opens with the sound of a small crowd, like we’ve just joined some friends at a party.

[Music]

Those voices include some of the Funk Brothers and two members of the Detroit Lions, Mel Farr and Lim Barley, friends of Marvin’s, who he invited into Motown Studio, the “Hitsville” studio. The voice you can hear loudly proclaiming, “Hey, man, what’s happening?” Is LG Stover, a Motown employee and a trusted friend of Marvin’s.

Now that saxophone part that opens the song is one of the most recognizable in history. Marvin worked hard with the arranger and the musicians to refine the tracks exactly as he imagined them, but he also knew magic when he heard it. And there are two key features of this song that were completely accidental, but so perfect that Marvin kept them and they became essential elements of the song:

Eli Fontaine was an alto sax player that Marvin brought in to play on the song. Eli listened to the track and then played a little bit on his saxophone just to warm up. Then he told Marvin he was ready to record. Marvin said, “Nope, you can go home. We got what we needed.” What Eli had played for his warm up, just noodling around, was perfect. What was captured on tape and became part of music history isn’t even a first take– it’s a rehearsal. That part is so memorable, it’s one of the main hooks of the song, and that is the only time that that part appears in the song, just right there at the very beginning. Let’s listen to the whole intro again into the first verse.

[Music]

OK, let’s spend some time on how these tracks were put together, because there’s a lot of layers here. There are two guitar parts. I’m going to play them together, but pan them left and right so that you can differentiate them, but also see how they work together.

[Music]

There’s a few tracks of drums and percussion. Here’s the drum part.

[Music]

There’s a conga part

[Music]

And also this percussion part.

[Music]

There’s a piano part, which I believe was played by Marvin himself.

[Music]

And there’s vibes, played by Jack Brokensha

[Music]

There’s more saxophone on there, too

[Music]

And of course, the bass played by James Jameson.

[Music]

There are also background vocals that are present through the whole song

[Music]

So now that we’ve heard those parts in isolation, let’s go back and listen to that verse again and see how all those parts come together.

[Music]

I’m just curious if any of those parts jump out at you now, now that you know what they sound like individually, let’s hear the second verse.

[Music]

I mentioned before that there were two serendipitous events that ended up becoming a big part of the song. One was that saxophone introduction. The other was a mistake by engineer Ken Sands. Marvin had recorded two different takes for the lead vocal, and he wanted to hear them separately and decide which one to keep. But Ken Sands accidentally played them both back at the same time, and when Marvin heard them together, he liked the way that sounded, the way the two parts weaved around each other. And he decided to keep both vocal parts. This multi layered vocal style became a sound that Marvin would return to throughout his career.

[Music]

That multi-layered vocal style became a technique that Marvin would return to on many songs throughout the rest of his career. Now we’re heading towards the chorus and there’s a couple of new elements added here. There are some finger snaps:

[Music]

And a string section, arranged by David Van De Pitte, whose arrangements were a critical part of dozens and dozens of Motown hits.

[Music]

Let’s listen to it all together now.

[Music]

In a song full of great moments, this may be my favorite part. The way Marvin syncopates the phrases “picket lines and picket signs”, the sensitivity in his voice when he sings “don’t punish me with brutality”, something he had plenty of personal experience with. And the way his voice just soars when he hits that chorus, it’s total perfection.

[Music]

And barely audible in the mix, you can hear Marvin add this:

[Music]

The next section is an instrumental break where you’d normally hear something like a sax solo. But here, Marvin fills the space with his own voice.

[Music]

And let’s just take a minute to appreciate the groove that the bass, drums and percussion are laying down behind this party.

[Music]

And here’s the last verse.

[Music]

Notice right there that Marvin says, “I’ll tell you what’s going on”.

[Music]

One small little detail that I actually think is important: most people probably interpret the title of this song as a question “What’s going on?”, question mark. But in the actual song title, there is no question mark. In fact, I’ve heard that in the original lyrics, there was a question mark, but by the time they finished the song, Marvin removed it intentionally. The song, and the album, isn’t phrased as a question. There’s no punctuation. So the song can be read as a question and a statement. Marvin is asking us what’s happening, but he’s also telling you what he’s seeing and feeling. He’s being a reporter, a journalist in song, documenting the world around him.

[Music]

And if you ever wondered what the crowd was talking about in the background there, well, here you go.

[Music]

At one point, you can hear a voice refer to someone as “Gates”. That was Marvin’s nickname, Gates. Let’s hear that final passage one more time.

[Music]

And let’s listen to James Jameson’s bass one more time.

[Music]

Marvin Gaye – “What’s Going On”

As the legend goes, when Berry Gordy first heard the song, he said it was the worst thing he’d ever heard and refused to release it. Well, Marvin told them that he wouldn’t record a single thing for Motown until they released this song. He even decided that he’d just quit music and play football for the Detroit Lions. He’d never actually played football before, but that didn’t seem to deter him.

Eventually, Marvin won out. There was just too much demand for a new Marvin Gaye single, and Marvin wasn’t going to give them anything else. “What’s Going On” was their only option. So they released it.

By then, Berry Gordy had pretty much relocated to California, so it was easier for other people to get the single out without Gordy’s approval. Story goes that Gordy was furious that they released the song, until he discovered that it had sold a hundred thousand copies on the first day… then he changed his tune.

Both the single and the album have sold millions of copies and they frequently topped the list of greatest songs and greatest albums of all time. But beyond the charts and the stats, this album endures because it touches people, it moves people, it inspires people. It’s bigger than Motown, it’s bigger than Marvin.

Marvin Gaye would lead a troubled life that ended in tragedy. But this album that he created is a singular perfect piece of art. Nobody can do better than that.

I used a number of sources to research this episode, but my main resource was a book called “What’s Going On” by Ben Edmonds. I think it’s out of print now, might be a little tough to find, but it’s a fantastic book. Highly recommended.

Thanks for listening and for being a part of this journey. The adventure continues in two weeks when we’re back with another new episode. Until then, visit us on Facebook or on Podchaser, where you can leave comments and feedback. And if you enjoyed the show, share it with your friends and follow the show so that you never miss an episode.

We are but one show on the Pantheon Podcast network. Be sure to check out some of their other great shows. And remember to support the artists and the music you love.

Only love can conquer hate. That was Marvin Gaye and “What’s Going On”.

Rare Earth – “I Just Want To Celebrate”

"I Just Want To Celebrate" (Nick Zesses, Dino Fekaris) Copyright 1971 Jobette Music Co., Inc (BMI)

Rare Earth’s sound was equal parts funky soul and straight-up rock. For decades, when there’s cause for celebration, folks have been crankin’ up this chunk of funk rock. Let’s take a closer look at how Rare Earth carved their place in history with this track.

“I Just Want To Celebrate” (Nick Zesses, Dino Fekaris) Copyright 1971 Jobette Music Co., Inc (BMI)

— This show is one of many great music-related podcasts on the Pantheon network. You should check them out! And don’t forget to subscribe to the show — that way, you’ll never miss an episode, they’ll be delivered right to you.

Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”

"I Heard It Through The Grapevine" (Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong) Copyright 1966 Jobette Music Co, Inc., BMI

Hard to believe now, but Motown resisted releasing this song as a single. Marvin’s version sat on a shelf for months before being relegated to an album track– until some DJ’s discovered it, and the rest is history. It became Motown’s biggest selling hit at that time. And it’s a true classic. In this episode, we’ll look at how the track was put together and marvel at Marvin’s performance. One of the greats.

“I Heard It Through The Grapevine” (Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong) Copyright 1966 Jobette Music Co, Inc., BMI

— This show is one of the many great podcasts on the Pantheon Podcasts network. Check ’em all out!

Edwin Starr – “War”

"War" (Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong) Copyright 1970 Jobette Music Co, Inc.

“War” was originally written for The Temptations, but when Motown was too squeamish to have one of their top acts release an overtly anti-Vietnam song, Edwin Starr stepped up and secured his place in history. His no-holds-barred delivery of “War” resulted in one of the most commercially successful protest songs ever recorded. Though Edwin Starr never reached these heights again, he left his mark with a song that transcended its Vietnam-era roots: It was one of the songs on Clear Channel’s no-play list after September 11, 2001.

“War” (Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong) Copyright 1970 Jobette Music Co, Inc.

The Temptations – “I Can’t Get Next To You”

"I Can't Get Next To You" (Barret Strong & Norman Whitfield) Copyright 1969 Jobette Music Co., Inc. All rights controlled and administered by EMI Blackwood Music Inc. on behalf of Stone Agate Music (A division of Jobette Music Co., Inc.)

The Temptations’ first #1 Hit on the Billboard “Hot 100” chart was “My Girl” in 1965. 4 years later, they had their 2nd #1 with “I Can’t Get Next To You”, and the difference between these 2 songs tells you a lot about the 1960’s. “I Can’t Get Next To You” features a different lead vocalist, a more aggressive, funky beat and a trippy vibe courtesy of producer & songwriter Norman Whitfield. The early Temptations songs are great, but for my money, they were never better than when they teamed up with Whitfield and created “psychedelic soul”. Let’s listen to each piece of the puzzle that created this masterpiece.

“I Can’t Get Next To You” (Barret Strong & Norman Whitfield) Copyright 1969 Jobette Music Co., Inc. All rights controlled and administered by EMI Blackwood Music Inc. on behalf of Stone Agate Music (A division of Jobette Music Co., Inc.)

Aretha Franklin – “A Change Is Gonna Come”

"A Change Is Gonna Come" (Sam Cooke) Copyright Kags, BMI

Aretha Franklin recorded over 40 albums during her career; this episode, we revisit a song from her breakthrough album, “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You” from 1967. This was actually her 11th album (!), but it was the first one recorded for Atlantic Records and it’s the one that made her a legend. Aretha Franklin was probably the single most influential singer of our time– just listen to any episode of American Idol for proof.

Aretha was not only a great vocalist, she was one of the greatest interpreters of songs in history. She didn’t just cover a song, she made it her own. “A Change Is Gonna Come” was Sam Cooke’s finest moment, but Aretha strips it down to its purest form and imbues it with pain, world-weariness, and hope – one of the greatest emotionally cathartic moments on record.

“A Change Is Gonna Come” (Sam Cooke) Copyright Kags, BMI