I Can’t Get Next To You – The Temptations | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1 for 2 weeks) & R&B (#1 for 5 weeks); 1969
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Norman Whitfield’s name first showed up on a Temptations single in 1966, as co-writer of the classic #1 R&B record, Ain’t Too Proud To Beg. It also marked the start of the group’s shift toward an edgier sound than the one established by Smokey Robinson for their earlier hits.
Inspired by the records of Sly & The Family Stone, Whitfield crafted a powerful new version of the Temptations. The final transformation came at the end of 1968 with the psychedelic-fueled Cloud Nine (#2 R&B; #6 Pop), followed by Run Away Child, Running Wild (#1 R&B; #6 Pop), both written by Whitfield and Barrett Strong, and featuring Dennis Edwards on lead.
The next Whitfield/Strong collaboration, I Can’t Get Next To You, brought the Temps their first #1 crossover smash since 1965’s My Girl. For Dennis Edwards, Next‘s success tasted particularly sweet: it was seven years to the week since he last sat atop the R&B chart with his former group, The Contours, and their blistering floor burner Do You Love Me.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Norman Whitfield
Lyrics Written by:
- Norman Whitfield
- Barrett Strong
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).