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The Temptations
Chart Position = #4 on January 1968
Norman Whitfield was fast becoming the top dog at Motown for his production work with the Temptations. In the beginning, he wrote most of their material with lyricist Eddie Holland, of the famed Holland-Dozier-Holland production team. The pair teamed up to write hits as diverse as the funky “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” and the bizarrely humorous celebration of ugliness called “Beauty Is Only Skin Deep.” For their next single, they developed a musical idea that was written by guitarist Cornelius Grant and came up with the emotionally intense “(I Know) I’m Losing You.” The collaboration between Holland and Whitfield was obviously a productive one, but Holland was expected to concentrate most of his energy on his main charges, the Supremes, so his work with the Temptations was relatively short-lived.
By 1968, Whitfield had found a new collaborator in Barrett Strong, the vocalist on Motown’s first hit, “Money.” Strong became interested in songwriting some time after his brief recording career stalled. Just like Holland before him, he abandoned singing and eventually became Whitfield’s main lyricist. Another occasional collaborator at this time was Roger Penzabene, whose specialty was sad love songs. “I Wish It Would Rain” featured overtly morose lyrics and was credited to Whitfield, Strong and Penzabene.
How many songs are there about walking in the rain to hide the pain, the tears, etcetera? The theme was tired, even in 1968, but David Ruffin’s believable voice managed to salvage the proceedings. His gravelly delivery carries considerable emotion, even when only going through the motions, but here he really puts a lot of himself into the song. Ultimately, “I Wish It Would Rain” sounds less corny than heartfelt. When Penzabene later shot himself over a long-suffering love relationship, it was fair to assume that the words really were meaningful. Ruffin’s powerful performance leaves no doubt and made him the group’s focal point, but this was fast becoming a problem.
Ruffin’s stardom began to go to his head. All five Temptations were capable vocalists, and either Eddie Kendricks or Paul Williams had sung lead at various times, but Ruffin thought he deserved extra recognition. Since other acts had a featured star, most notably the recently renamed “Diana Ross and the Supremes,” he felt that “David Ruffin and the Temptations, featuring Eddie Kendricks” would be appropriate, and he wasn’t kidding. Notwithstanding the moniker’s unwieldy size, not many agreed with him, least of all the other Temptations. When Ruffin refused to share a limousine with the other band members, his dismissal was seriously considered. Ruffin never saw it coming. He thought he was so integral to the overall sound that he would never be considered expendable, but he was wrong. When he deliberately chose to miss an engagement in order to see his girlfriend, the band decided to take action. Unceremoniously, he was handed his walking papers, an action that would eventually become fairly commonplace for the Temptations.
Dennis Edwards, a singer from the Contours, was waiting in the wings and was immediately enlisted to take Ruffin’s place. The group taught him the songs and the dance routines as quickly as possible, and in practically no time, he began touring with them. Ruffin, meanwhile, was shocked. In a sad and pathetic flashback to the band’s early shows, before he joined, Ruffin would appear at their gigs and jump onstage, unannounced and unwelcome. Eventually, security guards were hired to keep him off the stage. Ruffin began recording as a solo act, but after one sizable hit, “My Whole World Ended,” he began to drift into obscurity. Soon enough, Kendricks would be in a similar predicament.
 
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