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David Ruffin
David RuffinDavid Ruffin
(3 fans)
David Ruffin
Davis Eli "David" Ruffin (January 18, 1941 – June 1, 1991) was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968 (or the group's "Classic Five" period as it was later known). He was the lead voice on such famous songs as "My Girl" and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg." Known for his unique raspy and anguished tenor vocals, Ruffin was ranked as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2008. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 for his work with the Temptations. Fellow Motown recording artist Marvin Gaye once said admiringly of Ruffin that, "I heard in [his voice] a strength my own voice lacked." more »
Year:19782:48783 Views Playlists:#2
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Sunshine blue skies please go away The girl has found another and gone away. With her went my future my life is filled with gloom So day after day I stay locked up in my room. I know to you, it might sound strange but I wish it would rain, 'Cause so badly I wanna go outside But everyone knows that a man ain't supposed to cry Listen, I gotta cry 'cause crying eases the pain, Oh yeah, people this hurt I feel inside. Words could never explain, I just wish it would rain. Day in day out my tear-stained face Pressed against the window pain, My eyes search the skies desperately for rain, Cause rain-drops will hide my tear -drops And no one will ever know that I'm crying, Crying when I go outside. To the world outside my tears, I refuse to explain, oh I wish it would rain, Let it rain, let it rain. I need rain to disguise the tears in my eyes. Oh, let it rain. I'm a man and I got my pride Til' it rains I'm gonna stay inside and let it rain.Watch: New Singing Lesson Videos Can Make Anyone A Great Singer
Written by: Rodger Sr. Penzabene, Barrett Strong, Norman Whitefield
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
| April 29, 1968 | |||
| 1967–68 | |||
| Hitsville USA, Detroit | |||
| Soul | |||
| 32:00 | |||
| Gordy GS 927 | |||
| Norman Whitfield, Smokey Robinson, Henry Cosby, Harvey Fuqua, Deke Richards, Johnny Bristol | |||
| |||
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| AllMusic | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |
The Temptations Wish It Would Rain is a studio album by the Temptations, released in 1968 via Gordy Records. It was the final release from the group's "Classic-5" era, during which David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin, and Otis Williams constituted the Temptations' lineup.
Wish It Would Rain also marks the last Temptations solo album to focus on the classic "Motown Sound", and the last to feature production from Smokey Robinson.
Overview[edit]
Included on Wish It Would Rain are the hit singles "I Wish It Would Rain" and "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)", both featuring Ruffin on lead vocals and co-written by Motown writer Rodger Penzabene, who committed suicide on New Year's Eve 1967 because of the breakup described in these two songs. "I Wish It Would Rain's" b-side, "I Truly, Truly Believe", is a rare solo showcase for Franklin, the group's bass singer.
The third single, "Please Return Your Love to Me", features Kendricks on lead, and was released in July after Ruffin's departure. The song's b-side, "How Could I Forget" (led by Paul Williams), is not included here, because it was newly recorded on June 29 to accompany the a-side.
Background[edit]
Ruffin himself did not sing on "How Can I Forget" because, by late June, he was no longer part of the Temptations. The group had already been dealing with Ruffin's ego clashes and his desire for special treatment for at least a few months, and warded off his desire to have the name of the group changed to "David Ruffin & the Temptations" (in response to The Supremes being renamed "Diana Ross & the Supremes"). After Ruffin failed to show up for a series of engagements in Cleveland, Ohio that month (instead going to visit his then-girlfriend Gail Martin, daughter of Dean Martin, and see her open her own musical show), Otis Williams and the other Temptations decided Ruffin had gone too far and fired him.
Dennis Edwards was brought in as Ruffin's replacement, amidst cries of "Where's David?" from the crowds at live shows, and Ruffin's attempts to jump onstage and steal the microphone from Edwards during the shows. Edwards was officially introduced as the Temptations' new lead singer on July 9, 1968, at a live show in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and the group enlisted extra security to prevent Ruffin from attending and disrupting their shows,
Edwards would make his on-record debut with the next Temptations album, Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations. Starting with the group's next solo studio album, also titled Cloud Nine, producer Norman Whitfield began edging the group towards a Sly & the Family Stone-esque sound (dubbed "psychedelic soul"), using Edwards' gruffer voice as the centerpiece for several psychedelic-based hit singles and albums.
Track listing[edit]
Side one
| "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)" (lead: Ruffin) | Roger Penzabene, Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield | Norman Whitfield | 3:33 |
| "Cindy" (lead: Ruffin) | Smokey Robinson | Smokey Robinson | 3:08 |
| "I Wish It Would Rain" (lead: Ruffin) | Penzabene, Strong, Whitfield | Norman Whitfield | 2:48 |
| "Please Return Your Love to Me" (lead: Kendricks) | Strong, Whitfield, Barbara Neely | Norman Whitfield | 2:26 |
| "Fan the Flame" (lead: Ruffin) | Al Cleveland, Terry Johnson, Robinson | Smokey Robinson | 2:44 |
| "He Who Picks a Rose" (lead: Ruffin) | Edward Holland, Jr., Emilio "Father" Smiley, Whitfield | Norman Whitfield | 2:28 |
Side two
| "Why Did You Leave Me Darling" (lead: Ruffin) | James Dean, Deke Richards | Dennis Lussier | 2:11 |
| "I Truly, Truly Believe" (lead: Franklin) | George Gordy, Margaret Gordy, Allen Story | Henry Cosby | 2:44 |
| "This is My Beloved" (lead: Kendricks) | Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson | Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol | 2:13 |
| "Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got" (lead: P. Williams) | Strong, Whitfield | Norman Whitfield | 2:46 |
| "I've Passed This Way Before" (lead: Ruffin, Franklin) | Dean, William Weatherspoon | James Dean, William Weatherspoon | 2:43 |
| "No Man Can Love Her Like I Do" (lead: P. Williams) | Holland, Whitfield, Eddie Kendricks | Norman Whitfield | 2:16 |
Unreleased track[edit]
- "I Know She's Not a Mannequin" (Johnny Bristol, Shena Dermell, Harvey Fuqua) – lead vocal by David Ruffin – produced by Johnny Bristol. Subsequently, released on Lost and Found: You've Got to Earn It (1962–1968).
Personnel[edit]
The Temptations- David Ruffin - vocals (tenor/falsetto)
- Eddie Kendricks - vocals (tenor/falsetto)
- Paul Williams - vocals (tenor/baritone)
- Melvin Franklin - vocals (bass)
- Otis Williams - vocals (tenor/baritone)
with:
- The Funk Brothers - instrumentation
References[edit]
- ^ The Temptations Wish It Would Rain at AllMusic
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 696.