| "I Want a Love I Can See" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byThe Temptations | ||||
| from the albumMeet the Temptations | ||||
| B-side | "The Further You Look, the Less You See" | |||
| Released | March 18, 1963 | |||
| Recorded | Hitsville USA (Studio A); January 31 and February 1, 1963 | |||
| Genre | Soul,R&B | |||
| Length | 2:30 | |||
| Label | Gordy G 7015 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Smokey Robinson | |||
| Producer(s) | Smokey Robinson | |||
| The Temptations singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"I Want a Love I Can See" is a 1963 single byThe Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label. The single was the group's firstA-side to be written and produced byMiracles lead singerSmokey Robinson.[1] Robinson had previously written theB-side "Slow Down Heart", but for over the past yearBerry Gordy, Jr. had been The Temptations' main producer.
Lead singerPaul Williams, in the role of the song’s narrator, talks about what he thinks is true love.
This single not only marked Williams return as lead on the A-side, but would also be the only one with him as the sole lead (although there are a few B-sides with him only as lead). During the previous year, fellow group memberEddie Kendricks was given the lead on the singles' A-sides with very little success. By early 1963, the Tempts was a regional R&B favorite with their most successful single being "Dream Come True", a Top 30 R&B hit, but they couldn’t make theBillboard Hot 100 charts. Because of this, the group was given the nickname "The Hitless Temptations",[2] while Motown continued to try to give them a top 20 hit on both the Pop and R&B charts. Robinson by this time had become one of Motown's top producers and songwriters, delivering hits such acts asMary Wells and his own groupThe Miracles (and a few minor charters to sister groupThe Supremes), and when the Tempts were given this song they were sure this would be the hit they needed. According to some sources, including Otis Williams autobiography,bass singerMelvin Franklin did not record vocals on either side of this single, as he was visiting family in Alabama. However, this cannot be substantiated by officialMotown studio records.
Although "I Want a Love I Can See" Initially did not chart nationally, the song was a smash regional hit in some parts of the country and would continue to be used as part of the Temptations' on-stage repertoire. Eventually the song would become a big hit later reaching #2 on the US R&B chart, & #4 on Cash Box. In fact, the single ended up becoming more successful financially than the group's previous singles, as it outsold even the two charters. On the group's live performance of the song on the "Motortown Revue Live Vol. 2", Paul Williams and Elbridge "Al" Bryant exchange leads at the end of the song (one of the few times Bryant appears as lead on a song) - the part taken over by his replacement,David Ruffin on "The Temptations Live!". The group's 2001 lineup made a studio remake (renamed "A Love I Can See") for The Temptations albumAwesome. Robinson would prove to have the best rapport with the group and eventually became the Tempts main producer. The song was covered by several different artists, includingJennifer Love Hewitt, Jackie Edwards, Creation Rebel, Dawn Penn, and Bitty McLean.John Holt also covered the song, which was retitled "(I Want) A Love I Can Feel".
The melody and chord progression of this song appear to have been highly influential upon the structure of Rocky Burnette's 1980 hit single "Tired Of Toein' The Line".[according to whom?]
Cash Box described it as an "inviting mashed potatoes-styled romancer" with a "strong musical backdrop" and said that it is "right up the teeners alley."[3]
| Chart (1963) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S.R&B Chart | 2 |
| USCash Box | 4 |
