My Girl

The Temptations

From the album

The Temptations Sing Smokey (1965)

Written by

Ronald White, Smokey Robinson

Key:C Major
Duration:2:43

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Summary

Written by Smokey Robinson, 'My Girl' is the definitive masterpiece of the Motown era, blending lush orchestral strings with soulful vocal harmonies. It served as The Temptations' breakout number-one hit and remains one of the most recognizable love songs in music history.

SoulMotown60s PopClassic R&BRomantic

Musical Analysis

The harmony of 'My Girl' is a masterclass in Motown soul. It relies on a simple but effective I-IV alternating structure in the verses to create a relaxed, 'sunny' feel. The sophistication lies in the arrangement: the bassline provides the melodic and harmonic…

Chords

verse:C - F
chorus:C - Dm - F - G
bridge:C - F - C - F - Dm - G - Em - G

History

Smokey Robinson wrote the song while on the Motortown Revue tour. After hearing David Ruffin perform with the group, Robinson decided to write a song specifically to showcase Ruffin's 'mellow yet gruff' voice, moving him to the lead vocal position for the firs…

“The iconic opening guitar riff was created and played by Robert White of the Funk Brothers.”

Full Musical Analysis

The harmony of 'My Girl' is a masterclass in Motown soul. It relies on a simple but effective I-IV alternating structure in the verses to create a relaxed, 'sunny' feel. The sophistication lies in the arrangement: the bassline provides the melodic and harmonic foundation, while the brass and strings thicken the texture. The modulation at the end (the 'Truck Driver's Gear Shift') is a quintessential 1960s pop technique used to heighten emotional intensity and energy for the climax.

Smokey Robinson wrote the song while on the Motortown Revue tour. After hearing David Ruffin perform with the group, Robinson decided to write a song specifically to showcase Ruffin's 'mellow yet gruff' voice, moving him to the lead vocal position for the first time over Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams.

Written by Smokey Robinson, 'My Girl' is the definitive masterpiece of the Motown era, blending lush orchestral strings with soulful vocal harmonies. It served as The Temptations' breakout number-one hit and remains one of the most recognizable love songs in music history.

Deep Analysis Available

Detailed analysis of this section is not yet available for this song.

Song DNA

Genre

R&B

Era

60s

Mood

Uplifting

Tempo

Mid-tempo

Key

Major

Texture

Layered

Sound

Vocal-focused

Feel

Groovy

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Listen & Learn

Statistics

9.3M

Plays

1.5M

Listeners

660K

Genius Views

7

Annotations

100%

Popularity

2:43

Duration

4/4

Time

Credits

Written by

Ronald WhiteSmokey Robinson

Produced by

Ronald WhiteSmokey Robinson

From the album Emperors Of Soul