Don't Look Back (Temptations song)
Encyclopedia
"Don't Look Back" is a 1965 song recorded by The Temptations
for the Gordy (Motown) label. The flip side to their Top 20 hit "My Baby
", "Don't Look Back" broke out and became a hit among the R&B audience on its own, reaching #14 on the R&B charts. Considered one of original lead singer Paul Williams
' showcases, "Don't Look Back" was regularly employed as the closing number for Temptations live performances. Although the original flip side, "My Baby", was initially more popular with pop audiences at the time, over the decades, "Don't Look Back " has proven to be the far more popular and enduring tune, having inspired cover versions by Al Green, Bobby Womack, Peter Tosh & Mick Jagger, The Persuasions, and Teena Marie. It was also performed by the group on The Ed Sullivan Show
. There are no known cover versions of "My Baby".
Written by Miracles
members Smokey Robinson
and Ronald White
, the authors of the #1 Temptations hit "My Girl", "Don't Look Back" is a reassurance to the tentative that finding true love is worth the heartbreak and failed relationships it takes to reach it. As the song's narrator, Paul Williams promises his lover, in his trademark gritty tone:
Smokey Robinson, the song's producer, specifically assigned Paul Williams to sing lead on the song. Although Williams had been the group's original lead singer during its formative years, his role had by 1965 been eclipsed by David Ruffin
and Eddie Kendricks
, who had both sung lead on Temptations hit singles. As such, Williams was often overlooked for leads, even on album tracks and b-sides, prompting him to complain, "shit, y'know, I can sing too!"
In fact "Don't Look Back" was originally this single's A-side but was passed over by the nation's DJ's in favor of the Ruffin led "My Baby", which indeed had a much bigger pop success than this song, and placed on the B-side. The song nevertheless was promoted as if it were an A-side
, and would the only b-side to chart in the Hot 100 for the group (but would miss the Top 40 as it peaked at #83).
Interestingly, although the song's relatively modest initial chart success prevented Paul from getting any more leads on Temptations singles releases, the fact is that "Don't Look Back" actually became a huge belated hit, because his dynamic performance of the song on the Temptations Live!
lp received huge airplay by R&B DeeJays nationwide, and propelled sales of the album into the Top 10 of the Billboard
Pop album chart. Both sides of the single would receive a 2nd pressing and the tracks remixed, with the following statements added on: "Taken from the album #G 914 The Temptin' Temptations
." With the 2nd printing, the sides were reversed , making "My Baby" the A-side, while 'Don't Look Back, the original "A"-side , was relegated to "B" side status.*
"Don't Look Back" was more often performed at Temptations live shows than My Baby. In fact, on the 1967 Temptations Live!
album, the women in the audience can be heard demanding that the group perform the song, which they proceeded to do. Paul Williams, who developed many of The Temptations's dance steps, developed a routine for the live shows that had him following the song's advice to "keep on walkin'" and performing a strut across the stage, to the delight of the audience.
As Paul Williams' specialty number, "Don't Look Back" was retired from The Temptations' repertoire after Williams, suffering from complications of sickle-cell disease
and alcoholism
, was forced to leave the group in 1971. The group did perform the song at their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
as a tribute to Williams, along with Darryl Hall
and John Oates
who announced the induction.
Peter Tosh
scored a minor hit in 1978 with a reggae
version of the song, sharing vocals Mick Jagger
on the song. This version bore the modified title "(You Gotta Walk And) Don't Look Back". Tosh had previously recorded the song with The Wailers in ska style in 1966.
Phil Collins
recorded a cover during the sessions of his 2010 album Going Back
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
for the Gordy (Motown) label. The flip side to their Top 20 hit "My Baby
My Baby (Temptations song)
"My Baby" is a 1965 hit single recorded by The Temptations for the Gordy label. Written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson, Ronnie White, and Pete Moore and produced by Robinson, the song was a top 20 pop hit in the United States, and a top 5 hit on the R&B charts.An extension of the theme from...
", "Don't Look Back" broke out and became a hit among the R&B audience on its own, reaching #14 on the R&B charts. Considered one of original lead singer Paul Williams
Paul Williams (The Temptations)
Paul Williams was an American baritone singer and choreographer. Williams is noted for being one of the founding members and original lead singer of the Motown group The Temptations...
' showcases, "Don't Look Back" was regularly employed as the closing number for Temptations live performances. Although the original flip side, "My Baby", was initially more popular with pop audiences at the time, over the decades, "Don't Look Back " has proven to be the far more popular and enduring tune, having inspired cover versions by Al Green, Bobby Womack, Peter Tosh & Mick Jagger, The Persuasions, and Teena Marie. It was also performed by the group on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
. There are no known cover versions of "My Baby".
Written by Miracles
The Miracles
The Miracles are an American rhythm and blues group from Detroit, Michigan, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown Record Corporation . Their single "Shop Around" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature...
members Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
and Ronald White
Ronald White
Ronald "Ronnie" White was an African American soul singer and songwriter, notable as a founding member of The Miracles, and the only member to survive all of that group's line-up changes...
, the authors of the #1 Temptations hit "My Girl", "Don't Look Back" is a reassurance to the tentative that finding true love is worth the heartbreak and failed relationships it takes to reach it. As the song's narrator, Paul Williams promises his lover, in his trademark gritty tone:
- If you just put your hand in mine
- We're gonna leave all your troubles behind
- keep on walkin' and don't look back.
Smokey Robinson, the song's producer, specifically assigned Paul Williams to sing lead on the song. Although Williams had been the group's original lead singer during its formative years, his role had by 1965 been eclipsed by David Ruffin
David Ruffin
Davis Eli "David" Ruffin was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968...
and Eddie Kendricks
Eddie Kendricks
Eddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things...
, who had both sung lead on Temptations hit singles. As such, Williams was often overlooked for leads, even on album tracks and b-sides, prompting him to complain, "shit, y'know, I can sing too!"
In fact "Don't Look Back" was originally this single's A-side but was passed over by the nation's DJ's in favor of the Ruffin led "My Baby", which indeed had a much bigger pop success than this song, and placed on the B-side. The song nevertheless was promoted as if it were an A-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
, and would the only b-side to chart in the Hot 100 for the group (but would miss the Top 40 as it peaked at #83).
Interestingly, although the song's relatively modest initial chart success prevented Paul from getting any more leads on Temptations singles releases, the fact is that "Don't Look Back" actually became a huge belated hit, because his dynamic performance of the song on the Temptations Live!
Temptations Live!
Temptations Live! was the first live album to be released by The Temptations. Recorded on October 3, 1966 in the Upper Deck of the Roostertail club in Detroit, Michigan, and released on album by Gordy Records in 1967, the album features David Ruffin, Paul Williams, Eddie Kendricks, Melvin...
lp received huge airplay by R&B DeeJays nationwide, and propelled sales of the album into the Top 10 of the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Pop album chart. Both sides of the single would receive a 2nd pressing and the tracks remixed, with the following statements added on: "Taken from the album #G 914 The Temptin' Temptations
The Temptin' Temptations
The Temptin' Temptations is a 1965 album by The Temptations for the Gordy label. The album includes several of the group's hits from 1965, and also includes a handful of singles that were not included on the Temptations' first 1965 album, The Temptations Sing Smokey...
." With the 2nd printing, the sides were reversed , making "My Baby" the A-side, while 'Don't Look Back, the original "A"-side , was relegated to "B" side status.*
-
- (Reference,"Ain't Too Proud To Beg : The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of The Temptations"- by Mark Ribowsky (2010) Pgs. 144-145).
"Don't Look Back" was more often performed at Temptations live shows than My Baby. In fact, on the 1967 Temptations Live!
Temptations Live!
Temptations Live! was the first live album to be released by The Temptations. Recorded on October 3, 1966 in the Upper Deck of the Roostertail club in Detroit, Michigan, and released on album by Gordy Records in 1967, the album features David Ruffin, Paul Williams, Eddie Kendricks, Melvin...
album, the women in the audience can be heard demanding that the group perform the song, which they proceeded to do. Paul Williams, who developed many of The Temptations's dance steps, developed a routine for the live shows that had him following the song's advice to "keep on walkin'" and performing a strut across the stage, to the delight of the audience.
As Paul Williams' specialty number, "Don't Look Back" was retired from The Temptations' repertoire after Williams, suffering from complications of sickle-cell disease
Sickle-cell disease
Sickle-cell disease , or sickle-cell anaemia or drepanocytosis, is an autosomal recessive genetic blood disorder with overdominance, characterized by red blood cells that assume an abnormal, rigid, sickle shape. Sickling decreases the cells' flexibility and results in a risk of various...
and alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, was forced to leave the group in 1971. The group did perform the song at their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
as a tribute to Williams, along with Darryl Hall
Darryl Hall
Darryl Hall is a former Grey Cup champion and all-star Canadian Football League defensive back. He also played 3 years in the National Football League with the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers....
and John Oates
John Oates
John William Oates is an American rock, R&B and soul guitarist, musician, songwriter and producer best known as half of the rock and soul duo Hall & Oates ....
who announced the induction.
Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh , was a Jamaican reggae musician who was a core member of the band The Wailers , and who afterward had a successful solo career as well as being a promoter of Rastafari.Peter Tosh was born in Grange Hill, Jamaica, an illegitimate child to a mother too young...
scored a minor hit in 1978 with a reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
version of the song, sharing vocals Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
on the song. This version bore the modified title "(You Gotta Walk And) Don't Look Back". Tosh had previously recorded the song with The Wailers in ska style in 1966.
Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
recorded a cover during the sessions of his 2010 album Going Back
Going Back (Phil Collins album)
Going Back is Phil Collins's eighth studio album. It was released on 13 September 2010 in the United Kingdom and 28 September 2010 in the United States. and features covers of 60s Motown & Soul standards...
Personnel
- Lead vocals by Paul WilliamsPaul Williams (The Temptations)Paul Williams was an American baritone singer and choreographer. Williams is noted for being one of the founding members and original lead singer of the Motown group The Temptations...
- Background vocals by Eddie KendricksEddie KendricksEddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things...
, Melvin FranklinMelvin FranklinDavid Melvin English better known by the stage name Melvin Franklin, was an American bass singer. Franklin is best known for his role as a member of Motown singing group The Temptations from 1960 to 1994....
, David RuffinDavid RuffinDavis Eli "David" Ruffin was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968...
, and Otis WilliamsOtis WilliamsOtis Williams is an American baritone singer. Nicknamed "Big Daddy", he has also acted as a sporadic songwriter and record producer. Williams co-founded the Motown vocal group The Temptations in early 1960 as The Elgins, a group in which he continues to perform... - Written by William "Smokey" RobinsonSmokey RobinsonWilliam "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
and Ronald WhiteRonald WhiteRonald "Ronnie" White was an African American soul singer and songwriter, notable as a founding member of The Miracles, and the only member to survive all of that group's line-up changes... - Produced by Smokey Robinson
- Instrumentation by The Funk BrothersThe Funk BrothersThe Funk Brothers was the nickname of Detroit, Michigan, session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown Records recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972...
.
Chart history
| Chart (1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
83 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B Singles Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
14 |