THE TEMPTATIONS - PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE

Publicació: 28 de setembre de 1972

Llistes: Regne Unit: #14   EUA: #1 (1 setmana)

"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" va ser escrita per Norman Whitfield i Barrett Strong el 1971. Va ser gravada per primera vegada per The Undisputed Truth, però Whitfield també va fer que The Temptations l'enregistressin amb molt més èxit.

La cançó "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" parla d'un pare que va viure una vida errant i mai es va establir en un sol lloc. El cantant, que és fill del pare en qüestió, no el va conèixer mai abans de la seva mort. Busca respostes de la seva mare sobre l'estil de vida del seu pare i per què mai el va conèixer. La mare confirma que el pare no va ser mai del tipus d’establir-se en un lloc i que va tenir una altra dona. A més, mai no va tenir feina i es passava el temps bevent i perseguint dones amb les que va tenir molts fills. El pare també afirmava estar implicat en la predicació i la salvació d'ànimes, però tot era una façana. Les accions del pare no van deixar a la família més que problemes i solitud. La lletra transmet una sensació de decepció i dolor cap al pare, que mai va estar allà per a la seva família.

Una història que es difon sovint i que es relata a la minisèrie de 2001 The Temptations tracta els versos d'aquesta cançó:

It was the 3rd of September

That day I'll always remember

'cause that was the day

That my daddy died’.

(Era el 3 de setembre

Aquell dia sempre el recordaré

perquè aquell era el dia

Que el meu pare va morir’)

La història diu que el cantant principal Dennis Edwards odiava la cançó i es va indignar quan va escoltar aquesta frase, ja que el seu pare va morir en aquella data i va pensar que Norman Whitfield va posar-ho per incitar-lo. Aquest relat donaria per a un bon drama, si no s’hagués exagerat considerablement. El pare d'Edwards va morir el 3 d'octubre, i ell era qualsevol cosa menys un Rolling Stone com el de la cançó. L'ancià Edwards va ser un ministre que va donar al seu fill una bona educació. Whitfield va triar la data simplement perquè encaixava bé a la cançó i no tenia ni idea de quan havia mort el pare d'Edwards.

La versió de l'àlbum dura 11:46. El senzill va ser llançat amb la cançó dividida en dues parts: la cara A és la versió vocal i dura 6:58; la cara B és l'instrumental i s’allarga fins 4:49. Fins i tot retallada per al llançament en single, la cara A era excepcionalment llarga i segueix sent un dels numero 1 més llargs de la història del Billboard Hot 100. No va ser, però, el número 1 més llarg de 1972, aquest va ser "American Pie" de Don McLean, que va arribar a una durada de 8:33. Les dues cares del senzill van ser premis Grammy. La cara A va guanyar el premi a la millor interpretació vocal de R&B per un duo, grup o coral, i la cara B va guanyar el premi a la millor interpretació instrumental de R&B.

THE TEMPTATIONS - PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE

Released : September 28, 1972

Charted:  UK: #14    US: #1 (1 week)

"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1971. It was first recorded by The Undisputed Truth, but Whitfield also had The Temptations record it, with much greater success.

The song "Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone" is about a father who lived a life of wandering and never settling down in one place. The singer, who is the son of the father in question, never got to meet him before his passing. He seeks answers from his mother about his father's lifestyle and why he never knew him. The mother confirms that the father was never the type to settle down in one place and he had many outside children and another wife. Additionally, he never held down a job and spent his time drinking and chasing women. The father also claimed to be involved in preaching and saving souls, but it was all a façade for his leeching and stealing. The father's actions left the family with nothing except loneliness. The lyrics convey a sense of disappointment and hurt towards the father, who was never there for his family.

A story that is often circulated and is recounted in the 2001 miniseries The Temptations deals with the lines of this song:

It was the 3rd of September

That day I'll always remember

'cause that was the day

That my daddy died’.

The story goes that lead singer Dennis Edwards hated the song and was incensed when he heard this line, since his father died on that date and he thought Norman Whitfield put that in to goad him. This tale made for good drama, but was considerably overblown. Edwards' father actually died on October third, and he was anything but a rolling stone. The elder Edwards was a minister who gave his son a good upbringing. Whitfield chose the date simply because it fit well in the song; he had no idea when Edwards' father had died.

The album version of this song runs 11:46. The single was released with the song split into two parts: the A-side was the vocal version and runs 6:58; the B-side is the instrumental and goes 4:49. Even truncated for single release, the A-side was exceptionally long and remains one of the longest chart-toppers in Hot 100 history. It was not, however, the longest #1 of 1972 - that was Don McLean's "American Pie", which clocked in at 8:33. Both sides of the single was Grammy awards. The A-side won for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus, and the B-side took the award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance.