Today’s classic Motown song of the day is “Since I Lost My Baby” by the Temptin’ Temptations. The tune was written by Smokey Robinson and fellow Miracle Peter Moore; Smokey also produced. The single, released in June of 1965, peaked at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on Billboard’s R&B Singles chart.
At the time, Smokey said “Since I Lost My Baby” was his personal favorite track:
“There’s something about that tune that I just set it aside. It wasn’t the biggest commercially, and I can’t put my finger on what I love about it.”
Musically, the song is interesting in that the verses and chorus don’t use the dominant (V) chord. The verses use a nice upward-and-back progression of I – iii – IV – I; the chorus is all I and IV. The V doesn’t come in until the very end of the bridge, on the words, “inclined to find my baby.” This is one of the secrets to the Smokey sound; not a lot of tension and release, just pleasing plagal movement centered around the tonic—accompanied by a richly moving melody, of course.
“Since I Lost My Baby” features lead vocals by David Ruffin with a little “oh yeah” thing on the first verse by bass Melvin Franklin. The other Temptations (Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, and Otis Williams) provide their usual vocal support; the instrumental backing is by the Funk Brothers, sweetened by members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The song was one of the group’s three top twenty singles in 1965; the other tunes were “It’s Growing” (#18) and “My Baby” (#13).
