Song of the Day 7/27: The Temptations, “I Wish It Would Rain”
El Somnambulo considers David Ruffin of the Temptations the greatest soul singer of all time, and I’m not going to disagree. And it’s not just because of his great voice — watch him express this song’s pain in this live clip. This is not, like most TV appearances by pop acts at the time, a group lip-synching to their recording — you can tell because Ruffin flubs the lyrics on the second verse (“To the world outside my tears I refuse to explain” is the line from the third verse, which he repeats when the third verse comes around). The ending is also different from the recorded version, which means that effortless falsetto on “eases the pain” was something Ruffin could summon on command. As a bonus, the performance shows off the patented four-headed microphone stand that Ruffin invented for the band’s backup vocalists.
The song’s heartbreak is real (note to Mike D: the exception that proves the rule). Motown staff lyricist Rodger Penzabene, 23 years old at the time, wrote it (along with the Temptations’ follow-up hit, “I Could Never Love Another”) after learning his wife was cheating on him. On New Year’s Eve 1967, a week after the release of “I Wish It Would Rain” as a single, Penzabene killed himself. The song peaked at No. 4 in March 1968.
I consider Otis Redding the greatest male soul singer of all time, but I consider David Ruffin the most underrated. Listen to his vocal on ‘Ain’t Too Proud To Beg’. That’s a real challenging song with a wide range, and Ruffin makes it his own:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crWSG6liT5Y
BTW, ‘I Wish It Would Rain’ is a heartbreaking song, absolutely gorgeous.
I was quoting you from an old SOTD. I had to check to see if you’d ever used this song.
It’s almost impossible for a man to sell the emotion in a heartbreak song without sounding wimpy. Ruff pulls it off with aplomb.
It’d be fun to do, if not a Field of 64, at least a Field of 32, Best Soul Singers Ever contest, NCAA bracket-style. Maybe pick two songs from each artist, go head to head, until we pick a winner.
Think that maybe the 32-singer field should be males only. On the women’s side, Aretha’s so good that she could get an automatic bye to the finals. Can anyone think of a challenger to Aretha among female soul singers? I can’t.
Not one who’d win head-to-head. She’s the Serena Williams of Soul.
I’d love to see Erma and Aretha go head to head. It would be like Serena vs. Venus. Although after hearing Aretha singing “Nessun Dorma” at the Grammys, I’d have to give her the edge.
Another one of the live acts I caught in SF Bay Area. I am so glad I lived out there during the 70s, 80s, and 90s.