Otis Williams Particulars How The Temptations Made ‘My Woman’ (Unique)

The Temptations knew they may sing “something” in 1964.

So when Smokey Robinson approached them with what’s now thought-about one of many biggest songs ever recorded, they did not hesitate to step into the sales space.

Talking with PEOPLE in honor of the sixtieth anniversary of the group’s 1964 debut album Meet the Temptations final month, The Temptations’ sole surviving founding member Otis Williams additionally broke down the signature music that quickly adopted months later: “My Woman.”

And as Williams now displays, he knew the “simple” hit had potential… however had “no concept” it might flip into what it is since change into.

“Smokey got here to see The Temps at a preferred membership in Detroit referred to as The 20 Grand. Him and his [now former] spouse Claudette, it was packed. Smokey was ranting and raving about how nice the present was, ‘You guys regarded good, you moved good, the choreography,'” Williams, now 82, says. “After which through the course of him working that down, he stopped and he checked out David [Ruffin], he stated, ‘I’ve received a music for you.'”

“So us being younger and cocky males, [we said], ‘Convey it on. We are able to sing something,'” Williams remembers telling Robinson, now 84.

In fact, that “something” was “My Woman” — The Temps’ first No. 1 single and a music that is now a part of the Nationwide Recording Registry. It even earned the group a congratulatory telegram from The Beatles, as Williams beforehand shared.

However earlier than they may report the monitor, The Temptations wanted to listen to it first. “And when he performed it for us, we wasn’t going to show down Smokey after ‘The Manner You Do the Issues and You Do.'”

“We went to Detroit and recorded ‘My Woman’ and stated, ‘OK, sound good.’ However that music took on a whole-nother daylight when [Motown arranger] Paul Riser added the strings and the horns on it,” Williams stated of the music, which was additionally co-written with Ronald White of The Miracles. “I am sitting there within the studio and I am listening, I am sitting there. I stated, ‘Oh, this music has taken on a whole-nother fervor.'”

Williams reveals he had some phrases — and a little bit of a prediction — for Robinson when moving into the management room.

“I stated, ‘Smoke. I do not know the way huge a report that is going to change into, however that is going to be a report.’ Motown launched ‘My Woman’ on the finish of December ’64. “I by no means would’ve imagined it might be that huge of a success, however all over the place we might go, even as we speak, individuals love that music,” Williams says.

“As a result of it is now utilized in numerous totally different aspects within the sense of a father giving his daughter away, that is one of many songs that they might play,” Williams provides. “So it has taken on a whole-nother life as a result of I knew it was going to be a success. At [one point], I began to [say], ‘Come on y’all. We have got different data, play one thing else.’ I had that sort of perspective, however ‘My Woman’ is simply simple.”

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Williams additionally mirrored on a second when The Temptations tried to chop “My Woman” from their stay performances, when group member Paul Williams was “lining up the present” and taking good care of setlists.

“So after ‘My Woman’ went up excessive and laid up there [on the charts] for a number of weeks, then it got here down. Paul stated, ‘Nicely, ‘My Woman’ has performed all it’ll do. We are able to take it out now as a result of that is it.’ We went out on the stage and we carried out. We didn’t do ‘My Woman,'” Williams says.

“The viewers nearly referred to as us each title besides ‘the kid of God.’ So that’s one music that may by no means ever come out of the line-up.”

He provides: “‘My Woman’ has since turned customary. It is now not checked out upon — it is not solely a preferred report. I heard some time again, the late nice Tony Bennett was singing ‘My Woman.’ I stated, ‘Oh my God, we’ve arrived.'”