The Motown Series - 3

The Temptations - Just my imagination (running away with me)

No series about Motown would be complete without a few tracks from The Temptations.
This song was my introduction to The Temptations many many years ago and has remained one of my favourites from the group.

Released in 1971, this song was the 3rd of 4 songs to get to number 1 on the Billboard 100 list .
I intend to do a back story on the artists and acts of Motown because their stories are a big part of the legacy of the label. That should pop up once a week here but I mention this because this song has a back story. It is the last song by the group to include founding members Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams. Kendricks left to start a solo career and Williams had to retire for health reasons. (As a side note, did you know that Dennis Edwards of Don’t Look Any Further fame was one of the founding members of The Temptations?)

Like most Motown songs, the lyrics are simple but relatable. Its about a young man who is too shy to approach the woman he loves and spends his time fantasizing about having a relationship with her. It’s a bittersweet song because the young man realizes that his fantasies will remain just that – unlikely to come true. I know in the days of infatuation and crushes, I had a lot of fantasy relationships including one with Joe and Gary Dourdan. LOL

What is so interesting about this song as well is the fact that this young man is afraid to approach his dream woman because he was hurt pretty badly in the past and he doesn’t think he can handle another breakup. Again, I am sure we can all relate.

The usual suspects are behind this song, Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield and The Funk Brothers. Getting this song released was a war on its own. Psychedelic sound had been pushed on The Temptations by Whitfield since it was what was hot at the time. The group didn’t like this too much but the producers had all the power back then so all they could do was sing what they were ordered to. after one of psychedelic songs failed to be a hit, Whitfied went into the archives and dusted off this song which had been written and shelved over a year before.

Like all good songs, Just My Imagination has been covered by a few artists including The Rolling Stones (their version is interesting – more uptempo, lots of electic guitars), Bette Midler and Larry Carlton.