THE TEMPTATIONS - JUST MY IMAGINATION (RUNNING AWAY WITH ME)

Publicació: 14 de gener de 1971

Llistes: Regne Unit: #8   EUA: #1 (2 setmanes)

"Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" és una cançó escrita per Norman Whitfield i Barrett Strong. Publicada pel segell Gordy (Motown), i produïda per Norman Whitfield, apareix a l'àlbum del grup de 1971, "Sky's the Limit". Quan es va llançar com a senzill, "Just My Imagination" es va convertir en la tercera cançó de Temptations en arribar al número 1 del Billboard Hot 100 dels EUA.

La cançó parla d'un noi que està bojament enamorat d'una noia, però només estan junts en la seva imaginació. Cada dia, la veu passar per davant la seva finestra, i en el seu somni imagina la seva vida junts. De fet, ella ni tan sols el coneix.

Els escriptors de Motown Norman Whitfield i Barrett Strong van escriure "Just My Imagination" a finals dels anys 60, però com que les cançons psicodèliques eren populars en aquell moment, van decidir esperar uns quants anys abans de llançar-la. Whitfield la va treure de la naftalina després del fracàs relatiu de "Ungena Za Ulimwengu (Unite the World)" de The Temptations, que va arribar al número 33 el 1970 (inacceptable per als seus estàndards). Whitfield va sentir que necessitaven canviar de direcció per mantenir-se al capdavant, així que va allunyar Temptations de la seva sèrie de cançons socialment rellevants i els va fer gravar aquesta balada. L'estratègia va funcionar i la cançó va arribar al número 1 a Amèrica.

Eddie Kendricks va ser la veu principal en aquest tema, que va acabar sent el seu últim senzill amb el grup. Membre original del grup, Kendricks va deixar The Temptations per a una carrera en solitari poc després de la publicació de la cançó. Amb el seu substitut, Damon Harris, els Temptations van aconseguir el seu últim gran èxit el 1972 amb "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone", que va assolir el número 1 als Estats Units. Kendricks va tenir el seu propi numero 1 el 1973 amb "Keep On Truckin'". "Just My Imagination" també va ser l'última cançó del membre del grup Paul Williams, que és el solista en la frase "Every night on my knees I pray". 

THE TEMPTATIONS - JUST MY IMAGINATION (RUNNING AWAY WITH ME)

Released : January 14, 1971 

Charted:  UK: #8    US: #1 (2 weeks)

"Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" is a song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. Released on the Gordy (Motown) label, and produced by Norman Whitfield, it features on the group's 1971 album, “Sky's the Limit”. When released as a single, "Just My Imagination" became the third Temptations song to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.

The song is about a guy who is madly in love with a girl, but they're only together in his imagination. Every day, he watches her walk by his window, and in his reverie he pictures their life together. In reality, she doesn't even know him.

Motown writers Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong wrote "Just My Imagination" in the late '60s, but since psychedelic songs were popular at the time, they decided to wait a few years before releasing it. Whitfield pulled it out of the mothballs after the relative failure of The Temptations' "Ungena Za Ulimwengu (Unite the World)," which hit #33 in 1970 (unacceptable by their standards). Whitfield felt they needed to change direction to stay on top of the game, so he steered Temptations away from their string of socially relevant songs and had them record this airy ballad. The strategy worked, and the song rose to #1 in America.

Eddie Kendricks took lead vocals on this track, which ended up being his last single with the group. An original member, Kendricks left The Temptations for a solo career soon after the song was released. With his replacement, Damon Harris, the Temps landed their last big hit in 1972 with "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone," which went to #1 in the US. Kendricks had his own chart-topper in 1973 with "Keep On Truckin'." "Just My Imagination" was also the last song for group member Paul Williams, who sings the "Every night on my knees I pray," line.