Otis Williams of The Temptations Shares His Perfect Motown Playlist

 

"What’s Going On" by Marvin Gaye
This is the one that bowed me over when I first heard it. I first heard this when we still lived in Detroit. I was driving down the freeway going to Motown and when I heard "What's Going On" and I had to pull myself on the shoulder of the freeway. I said, "I'll be damned, this is a hell of a song." It was just chilling of the times.

"Baby I Need Your Loving" by The Four Tops

I love everything Holland/Dozier/Holland did. When I first heard "Baby, I Need Your Loving," it was very effective—the melody, the pleading of the lyrics, and the way Levi would have that little thing in his voice that made it sound convincing that he was missing his girl.

"Where Did Our Love Go" by The Supremes

"Where Did Our Love Go" was first written for the Marvelettes, but they turned it down because they thought it was too simplistic. Holland/Dozier/Holland took the track to the Supremes and that was the catalyst for the Supremes to become the world's most famous girl group. Eddie Kendricks and me had a running bet about my next selection, "Come See About Me."

"Come See About Me" by The Supremes

Eddie Kendricks bet me that ‘Come See About Me’ would not do as well as "Where Did Our Love Go" and I said it would and yes, it did. It was a smash!

"What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" (Re-Recorded) by Jimmy Ruffin

I love the dramatic sound in the beginning of the "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted." It has such a grandioso beginning and a very haunting kind of melody and the lyrics are so "on the one" and Jimmy Ruffin really delivered the song with the right kind of pleading in his vocals.

"This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" by The Isley Brothers

"This Old Heart of Mine" reminds me of a young lady that I was seeing back during the time this song was released,, Christine Cooper. Whenever I would listen to this song it made me think of that young lady Christine Cooper. It was a sentimental feel for me.”

"Shotgun" by Jr. Walker and the All Stars

"Shotgun" was a fun song. I remember being in D.C. and Junior Walker was on the show with us and to see Junior do that song was a treat. He would take his sax at the end of the song and pretend it was a shotgun. Everywhere we would go people would shout ‘breakdown’ and do the shotgun.

"Cloud Nine" by The Temptations

"Nine" was the first GRAMMY Award-winning song for us. My friend Kenny Gamble and I were in New York and I heard Sly and the Family Stone's "Dance to the Music." We stopped and said, "That’s different from what's on the radio." So Norman Whitfield and myself were out in front of a nightclub in Detroit and I said, "Norman, have you heard of this group Sly and the Family Stone?" and he replied "No." I told him they had a sound we should try.

"Papa Was a Rolling Stone" by The Temptations

We had recorded so many of these psychedelic soul songs and we didn’t want to go in and record "Papa Was a Rolling Stone." Our producer Norman Whitfield said "Trust me fellas, this song is a hit." So grudgingly we went in and recorded it. I remember we went to a disc jockey convention in Philly and just about every major label company booth we went into, they were playing "Papa Was a Rolling Stone." Now that is something.