When was just my imagination released

The narrator is canny enough to realize that his daydreams are fiction and not fact, but nevertheless resigns himself to his fantasies. The song's first two verses, composed with alternating C major and D minor chords, establish the song's theme and explore the narrator's daydreams. The song's bridge introduces a harmonic change from C major to G7 as the reasoning behind the narrator's shyness is made apparent.

The narrator has not made any attempt to approach the woman because, after having been hurt by a previous lover, he is simply too afraid to embrace the possibility of heartbreak again.

In fact, the narrator prays to God that he will never have to experience a breakup again, or he will "surely die". By , the Temptations had released three albums of psychedelic soul material " Cloud Nine ", " Puzzle People ", and " Psychedelic Shack " , which also showed heavy influence from rock acts such as The Beatles , The Rolling Stones , and Jimi Hendrix.

However, the Temptations themselves, particularly Eddie Kendricks, preferred to record in the style of earlier hits such as "My Girl", and constantly pressured Whitfield to produce something similar to those songs. In a interview, Eddie Kendricks recalled that many of the Temptations' fans were "screaming bloody murder" after the group delved into psychedelia, and demanded a return to their original soul sound.

Whitfield and Strong wrote the song in , but with the Temptations' psychedelic soul singles consistently keeping them in the US Top 20, Whitfield and Strong decided to shelve the composition and wait for the right time to record it. In late , the Temptations' single "Ungena Za Ulimwengu Unite the World ", a psychedelic soul song about world peace, failed to reach the Top 30, and Whitfield decided to record and release "Just My Imagination" as the next single.

He approached Barrett Strong, and asked him to pull out "that song we were messing around with a year ago Recording the song Norman Whitfield began the recording of "Just My Imagination" by preparing the song's instrumental track. Whitfield arranged and recorded the non-orchestral elements of the instrumental with Motown's studio band, The Funk Brothers , who for this recording included Eddie "Chank" Willis on guitar , Jack Ashford on marimba , Jack Brokensha on timpani , Andrew Smith on drums , and Bob Babbitt on bass.

Jerry Long , an arranger who had previous experience with scoring film s in Paris , worked on the orchestral arrangement and conducted several members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in performing the horns and strings for the recording. The Temptations had heard the Funk Brothers' tracks and loved them, but were "totally knocked out", according to Otis Williams, when they heard "the finished record with all the strings.

The Temptations remained at Hitsville overnight recording "Just My Imagination", and while the other four members went home at six o'clock in the morning, Kendricks remained in the studio, spending several additional hours recording takes for his lead vocal. I'm just glad we were able to come together to do what we did.

I had no idea the song would become such a mainstay of pop. But it's easy to identify with, to sing along to, to remember after it's been on the radio. It's got all the qualities. It's just a great song. My guitar intro sets the mood for the whole track. Without wanting to sound big-headed, I knew what would fit. Robert White, an earlier guitarist with the band, had done the intro for My Girl dong da dooby dooby which was perfect.

So I was trying to come up with something just as distinctive. I thought everything we did with the Temps was great. Just My Imagination was actually a track that Norman and Barrett had had on the shelf for a couple of years — there's some amazing stuff that never got released.

They presented us with the chords and the arrangements, and we came up with the rest. James Jamerson , who plays bass, always used to say: "Put some meat to it! If anything, these tribulations heighten the ethereal, wistful sound of the song. The lyrics come from the point of view of a man looking out a window and watching a beautiful woman passing.

The girl isn't his; it was " Just my imagination running away with me. But it never does. Kendricks sings lead, and his performance is phenomenal - delicate and precise while also conveying the deep yearning and sadness of the story.

The only other singer to come to the front is Paul Williams, who bursts in with the line " Every night, on my knees I pray ," his broad baritone setting off Kendricks' moves into falsetto, the contrast giving added emphasis to the line and the depth of yearning it conveys. This isn't just a fantasy; it's something he needs with an almost religious passion. Beneath all this runs an extraordinary arrangement. Guitarist Eddie Willis of the Funk Brothers — the Motown Records house band that plays on the record — opens the action with a simple, bluesy line.

The Rance Allen Group. Just My Imagination. The Charmers. Jimmy London. The Undisputed Truth. Donald Byrd. The Rolling Stones. The Marvels. Girls Imagination. Lillo Thomas.

Eri Ohno. Modern Romance. Ted Hawkins. Ruby Turner featuring The Temptations. The Juke Joints. Harvard Radcliffe Opportunes. Four Shadow.