Recorded - November 24 and December 3, 1970
Released - January 14, 1971
#1 for weeks of April 3 and 10, 1971.
One of the celebrated trends of artistic music was to always progress forward with your sound. Even some of the more craftsman-like pop/soul labels like Motown had kept with the times and added a psychedelic sheen to their artists' hits. From 1968 until 1970, just about every Temptations song was a psychedelic soul number.
So what happens when songwriters Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong wanted to be "Goin' Back to the sound they knew so well enough", back in 1964? We got "Just My Imagination", my personal favorite Temptations song, and perfect counterexample to the "Progress with your music" argument.
Just from the opening few bars, we are reminded musically of "My Girl". The welcome voice of Eddie Kendricks, who hadn't sung lead on a Temptations single since 1968, leads most of the song. Paul Williams sings briefly on the song's bridge and he is full of power. Musically, the song is considerably mellower in tone, and even a bit relaxing. It's soothing, without being easy-listening.
The swelling strings and subdued horns add a warm nostalgic element to the song, as if it's a lazy summer's day. Overall, the psychedelic soul of "I Can't Get Next To You" seem like lightyears away. "Just My Imagination" is as if you are taking a trip back to your hometown after being gone for so many years. But it was not going to last forever...
Not long after the release of "Just My Imagination", Eddie and Paul, both who sing lead on this song, left The Temptations. Eddie had many often violent disagreements with bandleader Otis Williams, and Paul left due to numerous health reasons. This left only two founding members: Otis and bass singer Melvin Franklin in the Temptations. The group would forever change their sound and thus, "Just My Imagination" is the swan song to not only the classic Temptations sound but also classic Motown.
Final Verdict - "Just My Imagination" strikes just the right amount of emotional resonance. It hearkens back to the classic and timeless era of Motown Records. Beautifully sung, and with a lush musical arrangement to boot. I regard the song in such a high light that it was one of the lucky 20 songs to be featured on my final radio show broadcast. Its status as a #1 pop hit is more than justified in my eyes.
Coming Up Next - "Joy To The World" by Three Dog Night.
Until Next Time, I'm Dr. Rock and my imagination has long run away with me -
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