| "Check Yourself" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Temptations | ||||
| from the album Meet The Temptations | ||||
| B-side | "Your Wonderful Love" | |||
| Released | November 7, 1961 | |||
| Recorded | Hitsville USA; October 28, 1961 | |||
| Genre | Soul, R&B, Doo-wop | |||
| Length | 2:45 | |||
| Label | Miracle M 12 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Berry Gordy, Jr. Elbridge Bryant David English Otis Williams | |||
| Producer(s) | Berry Gordy, Jr. | |||
| The Temptations singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Check Yourself" is a 1961 song that was released as a Miracle label single by Motown singing group The Temptations; and written by Motown president Berry Gordy, and group members Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin and Elbridge Bryant, and produced by Gordy. [1] It was the group's second single, as well as their second and last single for the Miracle label, which was deactivated immediately after this release. [2] Starting with the next single release, the group's future recordings for Motown would be issued under the Gordy label until it was deactivated in 1988.
This is one of the small handful of pre-psychedelic era songs the group recorded that had more than two members singing lead at one point (the second one recorded but the first released). Tenor Otis Williams leads the intro of the song, while the group's bass singer, Melvin Franklin, has a spoken interlude. Baritone Paul Williams, at the time the group's lead singer, leads the rest of the song as the song's narrator; the narrator talks about how after "breaking hearts" the tables have now turned on him as he’s losing his love and now "memories... are all I have".
According to some sources, including Otis Williams autobiography falsetto Eddie Kendricks & Elbridge "Al" Bryant did not record vocal on this single, and that the high notes of the song were done by Brian Holland and/or Eddie Holland. However, this cannot be substantiated by official Motown studio records. As for the label's deactivation, it was said to be due to poor sales (not helped by the slogan "If it’s a hit, it’s a Miracle") and confusion with The Miracles singing group.
The single was a regional hit around the Detroit area, receiving a lot of airplay on local stations, but it would never chart nationally. The group's next single, "Dream Come True", would be led by Kendricks, and would be their first to chart nationally. When that happened their new label would give Kendricks the lead on the group's A-sides, and regulate Paul Williams to B-sides, until 1963. About two years after this single was released, "The Duke of Earl" Gene Chandler would cover the song on one of his singles.
The Temptations are an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1960 as the Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top 10 hit single "Cloud Nine" in October 1968, pioneered psychedelic soul, and was significant in the evolution of R&B and soul music. The group members were known for their choreography, distinct harmonies, and dress style. Having sold tens of millions of albums, the Temptations are among the most successful groups in popular music.
Psychedelic Shack is the twelfth studio album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label released in 1970. Completely written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and produced by Whitfield, Psychedelic Shack almost completely abandoned the "Motown Sound" formula, instead delving fully into psychedelia. Along with the hit title track, the album also features the group's original version of "War", which became a major hit for Edwin Starr later in 1970.
The Temptations is a four-hour television miniseries broadcast in two-hour halves on NBC, based upon the history of one of Motown's longest-lived acts, The Temptations. Executive produced by former Motown executive Suzanne de Passe, produced by Otis Williams and Temptations manager Shelley Berger, and based upon Williams’ Temptations autobiography, the miniseries was originally broadcast on November 1 and November 2, 1998. It was filmed on location in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the spring of 1998. Allan Arkush directed the miniseries.
Meet the Temptations is the debut studio album by the Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label released in 1964. It includes most of the group's early singles, excluding only the first, "Oh Mother of Mine", and its b-side, "Romance Without Finance" ; as well as the single "Mind Over Matter", in which the group is credited as The Pirates. The album consists entirely of previously released singles, including the group's first hit single, "The Way You Do the Things You Do".
Gettin' Ready is the fourth studio album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label released in 1966. It marks the transition of the group from having Smokey Robinson as its main producer, with new producer Norman Whitfield taking over Robinson's position. Two #1 R&B hit singles, one from each producer, are included: "Get Ready" from Robinson with Eddie Kendricks on lead, and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" from Whitfield with David Ruffin on lead. Also included is the original version of "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby," which would be rerecorded as a hit for Marvin Gaye in 1969. The album was also one of the last albums to contain tracks co-authored by members of the group until the release of The Temptations Do The Temptations (1976). As with previous Temptations albums, several songs are written by members of The Miracles: Smokey Robinson, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Marv Tarplin.
The Temptations in a Mellow Mood is the sixth studio album by the Temptations, released in 1967 by Gordy Records. Composed primarily of pop standards such as "Ol' Man River" and "For Once in My Life", and similar songs written by Holland-Dozier-Holland and other Motown staff songwriters, the Mellow Mood album was part of Motown chief Berry Gordy's crossover plans for the group. Gordy wanted the Temptations, already the most popular male group among black audiences, to attract a large white fanbase and be able to secure playdates at supper clubs like the Copacabana, where the group had first performed in the summer of 1967.
The Temptations Sing Smokey is the second studio album by the Temptations for the Motown label, released on the Gordy Records subsidiary in 1965. As its name implies, it is composed entirely of songs written and produced by Smokey Robinson, and several other members of the Miracles as well.
The Temptations' Christmas Card is a 1970 Christmas album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label. The album was released on October 30, 1970. It's also the group's first holiday release, it features each Temptation leading on various popular Christmas standards and original Christmas songs.
Emperors of Soul is a 1994 box set compilation for The Temptations, released by Motown Records. The five-disc collection covers the Temptations' entire four-decade history, from the first recording of The Distants in 1959 to four new recordings by the then-current Temptations lineup of Ali-Ollie Woodson, Theo Peoples, Ron Tyson, and stalwart members Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin.
Lost and Found: You've Got To Earn It (1962–1968) is a compilation album by The Temptations. Released by Motown Records in 1999, it includes twenty previously unreleased Temptations records alongside previously unreleased mixes of "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" and "You've Got to Earn It". Most of the songs were recorded during the group's "Classic 5" era with David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks as lead singers, although there are some tracks present which were recorded with Ruffin's predecessor, Elbridge Bryant, in the lineup. There's also one track that was recorded with Ruffin's successor, Dennis Edwards.
"I Want a Love I Can See" is a 1963 single by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label. The single was the group's first A-side to be written and produced by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson. Robinson had previously written the B-side "Slow Down Heart", but for over the past year Berry Gordy, Jr. had been The Temptations' main producer.
"Isn't She Pretty" is a 1961 song recorded by The Temptations, and written by group members Eddie Kendricks and Otis Williams, as well as Motown's founder Berry Gordy. It was Gordy's first production with the group, and intended for released on the Miracle label, but it was shelved due to the label closing, as well as the fact that the Motown execs thought the song sounded a little too dated. It was finally released as the B-side for the group's 1962 single "Dream Come True", their first on the Gordy label imprint.
"(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need" is a 1963 song that became a 1967 hit single recorded by the Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, produced and co-written by Norman Whitfield. Billboard described the single as a "groovy rocker" that "is loaded with excitement and another top vocal workout."
"Just Let Me Know" is a song recorded in late 1963 by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, written, and produced by Motown president Berry Gordy, and is the B-side to the 1964 hit single "The Way You Do the Things You Do". Both songs competed with each other and with the H-D-H production, "A Tear From A Woman's Eyes", for the A-side; the latter song was shelved for several years after losing the spot. It was recorded just days before the firing of the original member Elbridge "Al" Bryant.
"You're My Everything" is a 1967 single recorded by the Temptations for Berry Gordy's Motown record label. It reached number three on the U.S. R&B chart and number six on the U.S. Pop chart. It was the third single from the group's 1967 album The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul.
"Paradise" is a 1962 single by The Temptations for the Gordy label. The single is notable for being The Temptations' first charting single on the Billboard Pop charts. However, it was not their first on the Hot 100, instead it charted at 22 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 charts.
"Baby, Baby I Need You" is a 1963 song recorded by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label. It was written by Smokey Robinson, and was later used as the B-side to their Top 40 1964 hit "Girl ".
"Farewell My Love" is a 1963 single by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label. It was the last single that was written and produced by Motown president Berry Gordy for well over a decade, and the last released during the period of the "Original 5" lineup. It is also noted as the group's last single to miss the Billboard pop chart's Top 40 until 1971's "It's Summer". Up until now the group was jokingly referred to at this time as the "Hitless Temptations" by the Motown staff, much like their "sister" group, The Supremes, were called the "no-hit Supremes". However, their next single, the Smokey Robinson-produced "The Way You Do the Things You Do", would reach the Top 20 of the U.S. pop chart, breaking the group's streak of being "hitless".
"Oh, Mother of Mine" is a 1961 song that was released as a Miracle label single by Motown singing group The Temptations. It was the group's debut single for Motown, after signing with them in January of that year.
"A Tear from a Woman’s Eye" is a 1964 song written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, and recorded by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label. It competed with several songs, including "The Way You Do the Things You Do" and "Just Let Me Know" in an effort to become the A-side to the group's seventh single. It was recorded just three days before the hit song that it lost the nomination to, which was "The Way You Do the Things You Do". The group's falsetto Eddie Kendricks as the song's narrator, compares several sad situations to a woman crying, which he says is "the saddest thing I've ever seen." This would be the first of only two times in which H-D-H would produce any material for the group, who would be one of the few major Motown acts never to release a single produced by the trio, due to Berry Gordy, Jr., Smokey Robinson, and (later) Norman Whitfield having a tight hold on the group's released material. This song would go unreleased until the 1994 box-set "Emperors of Soul", while "Just One Last Look" would be released as album filler on "The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul". The group would also later cover The Vandellas' "I'm Ready for Love", which would be released on "The Temptations in a Mellow Mood" but not produced by H-D-H.
