Get Ready (The Temptations song)

"Get Ready" is a Motown song written by Smokey Robinson, which resulted in two hit records for the label: a U.S. No. 29 version by The Temptations in 1966, and a U.S. No. 4 version by Rare Earth in 1970. It is significant for being the last song Robinson wrote and produced for the Temptations, due to a deal Berry Gordy made with Norman Whitfield, that if "Get Ready" did not meet with the expected degree of success, then Whitfield's song, "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", would get the next release, which resulted in Whitfield more or less replacing Robinson as the group's producer.

"Get Ready"
Single by The Temptations
from the album Gettin' Ready
B-side"Fading Away"
ReleasedFebruary 7, 1966
RecordedHitsville USA (Studio A); December 5, December 9, and December 29, 1965
GenreSoul
Length2:39
LabelGordy
G 7049
Songwriter(s)Smokey Robinson
Producer(s)Smokey Robinson
The Temptations singles chronology
"My Baby" / "Don't Look Back"
(1965)		 "Get Ready"
(1966)		 "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
(1966)

Song history

Temptations version

The original Temptations version of "Get Ready", produced by Smokey Robinson, was designed as an answer to the latest dance craze, "The Duck". The Temptations' falsetto Eddie Kendricks sings lead on the song, which Robinson produced as an up-tempo dance number with a prominent rhythm provided by Motown drummer Benny Benjamin. The song made it to No. 1 on the U.S. R&B singles chart, while peaking at No. 29 on the pop charts.[1]

The B-side to "Get Ready" was the ballad "Fading Away", which was also led by Kendricks. Written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, and Bobby Rogers, and produced by Robinson, "Fading Away" was later included on the Temptations 1966 album Gettin' Ready along with the hit side.

The group's previous singles since "My Girl" had all landed in the U.S. Pop charts (and R&B charts) Top 20. However, although it hit No. 1 on the R&B charts (their first since "My Girl"), "Get Ready" was only a Top 30 hit (missing the Top 20 by nine positions), while "Fading Away" missed all U.S. national charts. As was promised, the next single released would have Norman Whitfield's song on it. When Whitfield's "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (also a No. 1 R&B hit) made it to thirteen on the pop charts, Motown chief Berry Gordy assigned him to be the Temptations' new main producer. Ironically, the song did eventually become a Top 10 pop hit, but not by the Temptations, but by the Motown rock band Rare Earth. (The Temptations' version eventually reached No. 10 in the UK in 1969).

Until the group recorded "Please Return Your Love to Me" in 1968, this was their last song to feature lead vocals solely by Kendricks, as David Ruffin (who was with the group at the time), and later, Dennis Edwards, would be placed in that role in later songs.

Chart performance
Chart (1966) Peak
position
Canada RPM Top Singles[2] 32
UK Singles Chart 10
US Billboard Hot 100[3] 29
US Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles 1
US Cash Box Top 100 29

Later performances
  • The song was Ella Fitzgerald's last US chart record (1969), reaching the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 survey (#126)[4] and the Record World "Non-Rock Top 40". She performed it on The Carol Burnett Show in November 1969.
  • Australian singer Carol Hitchcock released a version which was produced by Stock, Aitken and Waterman in 1987 that became a moderate hit in her homeland, peaking at No. 18,[5][6] but only achieved minor UK success, peaking at No. 56.[7]
  • The Temptations' version appears in a 2020 TV commercial for Walmart for their back to school campaign.[8]
  • Additionally, the Temptations also re-recorded the song as part of a series of promos for American television network CBS during the 1990-91 TV season. At the time, the network had been using the "Get Ready for CBS" tagline since 1988, and the song's lyrics were modified to incorporate said tagline.

Rare Earth version
"Get Ready"
Single by Rare Earth
from the album Get Ready
B-side"Magic Key"
ReleasedFebruary 18, 1970
RecordedHitsville USA (Studio A); 1969
GenreAcid rock, psychedelic rock, instrumental
Length21:32 (album version)
2:48 (single version)
LabelRare Earth
R 5012
Songwriter(s)Smokey Robinson
Producer(s)Rare Earth
Rare Earth singles chronology
"Generation, Light Up the Sky"
(1969)		 "Get Ready"
(1970)		 "(I Know) I'm Losing You"
(1970)

In 1970, Motown's rock band Rare Earth released a cover version of the song as a single. Rare Earth's "Get Ready" was the band's first recording for Motown, and was based upon a version they performed as part of the closing numbers to their live performances.

Their 45 RPM single sold in excess of a million U.S. copies, earning a gold certification from the RIAA. In the live show, each member of the band performed a solo, resulting in a twenty-one-minute rendition of the song. It has been debated whether the actual recording for the album was really recorded at a concert. It has been noted that the audience sounds throughout the song are repetitive and canned. This has been done before with the Kingsmen's version of "Louie Louie" released on an album with party crowd noise dubbed in.

The band wanted to release "Get Ready" as a single, but Motown declined at first, issuing the unsuccessful "Generation, Light Up the Sky" as the band's first single. Finally deferring to the band's wishes in February 1970, Motown released a three-minute edit of the song as a single, which became a hit. "Get Ready" hit No. 2 on the Cash Box Top 100 and peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, a far better performance than the original. It took up the entire second side of their platinum-selling Motown album, also titled Get Ready. The Rare Earth version of the song also peaked at number twenty on the R&B chart.[9] Today, "Get Ready" is among the most familiar of both the Temptations' and Rare Earth's recordings.

The B-side of the single of "Get Ready" is "Magic Key",[10] which is found on the same album as "Get Ready". "Magic Key" has a fast tempo, and uses a mixolydian chord progression with a key change on the chorus.

Chart performance

Sample

References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 571.
  2. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". CollectionsCanada.gc.ca. 1966-04-04. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  3. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  4. Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004
  5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 139. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and June 19, 1988.
  6. "Australian Top 50 ARIA Singles Chart – Week Ending 9th August, 1987". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  7. "Official Charts > Carol Hitchcock". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  8. "Walmart TV Commercial, 'Back to School List' Song by The Temptations". ispot.tv. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  9. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 482.
  10. "Rare Earth Label Discography - USA". 45cat.com. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  11. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". CollectionsCanada.gc.ca. 1970-07-04. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  12. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  13. Billboard Hot 100: Rare Earth chart history
  14. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles (June 27, 1970)". Archived from the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  15. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". CollectionsCanada.gc.ca.
  16. Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970. Musicoutfitters.com
  17. "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1970". Archived from the original on 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
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