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| "Cloud Nine" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 One of the side labels of the Canadian single | ||||
| Single byThe Temptations | ||||
| from the albumCloud Nine | ||||
| B-side | "Why Did She Have to Leave Me (Why Did She Have to Go)" | |||
| Released | October 25, 1968 | |||
| Recorded | Hitsville USA (Studio B/Golden World); October 1, 1968 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:37 | |||
| Label | Gordy G 7081 | |||
| Songwriters | Norman Whitfield Barrett Strong | |||
| Producer | Norman Whitfield | |||
| The Temptations singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Cloud Nine" is a1968 hit single recorded byThe Temptations for theMotown label.[3] It was the first of their singles to featureDennis Edwards instead ofDavid Ruffin in the lineup, was the first of producerNorman Whitfield'spsychedelic soul tracks, and won Motown its firstGrammy Award. The song was written by Whitfield and former Motown artistBarrett Strong.
In 1968,Sly & the Family Stone had a hit with their single "Dance to the Music", and Temptations memberOtis Williams introduced Norman Whitfield to the band's music. At first, Whitfield did not want to produce anything with such a radically different sound. "I don't want to get into all that crazy shit," he said. "That ain't nothing but a little passing fancy."[4] Within a few weeks, however, he had created the backing tracks for the newest Temptations single, a psychedelic-styled number called "Cloud Nine", and stuck primarily to such songs well into the early 1970s.[4]
Featuring all five Temptations trading lead vocalsà la The Family Stone,[4] "Cloud Nine" was a marked departure from the standard Tempts sound: wah-wahguitars and a harder, driving beat propelled the record, as opposed topianos and strings. The song also features the Cuban percussionistMongo Santamaria on conga drums. Edwards,Eddie Kendricks andPaul Williams swap leads on the verses, bridges and choruses, such as this example from the first bridge:
Paul Williams: "You can be what you wanna be..."
Dennis Edwards: "You ain't got no responsibility..."
Eddie Kendricks: "And every man, every man is free..."
Dennis Edwards: "And you're a million miles from reality..."
Otis Williams has some brief lead lines on the last half of the song (i.e.: he repeats "Reality…"), andMelvin Franklin also gets a line near the end ("There's no difference between day and night…"). The lyrics for the song were about the struggles and pains of living poor, as opposed to being about relationship and love troubles. The broke, unemployed, and despondent main character in the song proclaims that he gets over all of his problems by "riding high on 'cloud nine'". This has been interpreted by many (including Motown headBerry Gordy) as a reference todrug abuse, although Whitfield, Strong, and The Temptations deny that "Cloud Nine" is about drugs.[4]
Cash Box called it "near revolutionary," praising the "touches of progressive pop in the track, elevated lyric message and the solid performance."[5]Record World said that "the kids will be on cloud nine when they hear it."[6]
"Cloud Nine" won Motown its firstGrammy Award in 1969 forBest Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental, reached #2 in theU.S. R&B chart and #6 in theU.S. Pop chart, and led the way for the Temptations' full-blown venture intopsychedelia, with increasingly eclectic and socio-political-themed records, including "Runaway Child, Running Wild", "Psychedelic Shack", and "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)", following within the coming two years.
Mongo Santamaria recorded his own, instrumental version in 1969 for theStone Soul album; released as a single (Columbia 4-44740), it reached #32 Pop, #33 R&B and #30Easy Listening.[7]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[8] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
