It was the third of September
That day I’ll always remember
‘Cause that was the day that my daddy died
I never got a chance to see him
Never heard nothin’ but bad things about him
Momma I’m depending on you to tell me the truth
Momma just hung her head and said, sonPapa was a rolling stone
Wherever he laid his hat was his home
And when he died, all he left us was alone
Those are the opening lyrics to the Temptations’ “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” which makes it an apt choice for classic song of the day today, the third of September. This Motown single was released in September of 1972 and went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. (It peaked at #5 on Billboard’s Best-Selling Soul Singles chart, too.)
“Papa Was a Rolling Stone” was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, and produced by Mr. Whitfield. It was the latest in a series of “psychedelic soul” tunes by the pair for the Temptations and others, which was the defining Motown sound of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Musicians on the track included Melvin “Wah Wah Watson” Ragin and Paul Warren on guitars, Earl Van Dyke on Fender Rhodes electric piano, Johnny Griffith on organ, Bob Babbitt on bass, an Aaron Smith on drums. Maurice Davis played that haunting trumpet line.
Whitfield and Strong first gave “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” to another Motown group, the Undisputed Truth. Their version of the tune, released in May of 1972, only went to #63 on the Billboard Hot 100, so the duo cut a new version with the Temptations. The Temptations’ single, with the vocals shared between all Dennis Edwards, Melvin Franklin, Richard Street, and Damon Harris, won two Grammy Awards, for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group and Best R&B Song. It was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Clocking in at 6:54 for the single edit (and a whopping 12:04 for the album version), “Papa is a Rolling Stone” is a long song for a Motown single, or for any single of that period. It’s one of the group’s best tracks and their last #1 hit.
Which leads us to today’s daily bonus track of the day, the extended version of “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” found on the Temptations’ 1972 album, All Directions. It’s a stunner.
