Songfacts®: A rolling stone may gather no moss, but it doesn't handle responsibility well. Strong recalled to Wall Street Journal, “In mid-1971, Norman Whitfield called me at home. And when he died, all he left us was alone." Edwards told Detroit Free Press, “I wanted to put more on it. A story that is often circulated and is recounted in the 2001 miniseries. The drummer for Anthrax is also a key songwriter. And when he died, all he left us was alone. It was Whitfield who came up with the melody while Strong wrote the lyrics. The 10 biggest "retirement tours" that didn't take. This was the last big hit recorded in Motown's famous Studio A, located in a two-story house in Detroit. "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is a song performed by Motown recording act The Undisputed Truth. I did not (appreciate) it until I heard the record. Originally recorded by the Undisputed Truth, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” only reached No. "Papa was a rolling stone" is an example of a denotation because a stone is referring to a rock that can roll in different directions but it is also a figure of speech for a person that can not stay in one place. There was something about the bass line that spoke to me. Was (Not Was) "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" is a song that focuses on. "Papa was a rolling stone Wherever he laid his hat was his home. The term “rolling stone” has, throughout pop history, evoked images of romantic devil-may-care outlaw types: Muddy Waters, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Hunter S. … In this song, the father is an itinerant, disreputable philanderer. It meant a guy who couldn’t settle down, even if he had a wife and kids. Papa Was A Rollin' Stone by The Temptations from the Album The Definitive Collection. Even so, one can often get an indication of which is correct. Papa was a rolling stone (my son) Wherever he laid his hat was his home And when he died, all he left us was alone Hey Papa was a rolling stone (dad gumma it) Where ever he laid his hat was his home And when he died, all he left us was alone Hey Momma I heard Papa called himself a jack-of-all-trades Tell me is that what sent Papa to an early grave Both sides of the single was Grammy awards. "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone," with its tale of a good-for-nothing dad who "died on the 3rd of September," was particularly uncomfortable for Edwards: His father was a … It was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1971, and released as a single in May 1972. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag by James Brown from the Album 20 All-Time Greatest Hits! This phrase is based on the old saying "a rolling stone gathers no moss." The 2 Beatles Songs That Revolutionized Pop Music, The Event That Got Jimi Hendrix Banned From The BBC, Listen To Keith Moon’s Isolated Drum Parts On…, Hear The Isolated Vocals Of Pink Floyd’s…. But the truth is, his father passed away on October 3. It was first recorded by The Undisputed Truth, but Whitfield also had The Temptations record it, with much greater success. The Temptations [US1] released it on the album All Directions in 1972. He would make me mad. Folks say papa would beg, borrow or steal To pay his bills Hey mama, folks say papa wasn't much on thinkin' Spent most of his time chasing women and drinkin' Mama I'm depending on you to tell me the truth Papa was a rolling stone Wherever he laid … See also: roll, stone Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © … References to David Bowie, Tom Waits and Allan Ginsburg are peppered into the Bush song "Everything Zen.". Wherever he laid his head was his home. Possibly the greatest Temptations record of all time, "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" combined so many musical elements so well that it could be described as the group's own "Good Vibrations." Papa Was a Rollin' Stone by The Temptations [US1] was written by Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield and was first released by The Undisputed Truth in 1972. come on come on come on yeah "Hey, Papa was a rolling stone. Papa Was A Rolling Stone (Single Version) by The Temptations from the Album Motown Classics Gold. DEKONSTRUKTIONISTS - PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE by drontdodo published on 2015-12-22T18:07:35Z. Temptations founding member Otis Williams admitted, “To be truthful, we almost didn’t record the song.”. " Papa was a rolling stone, my son. Mama, I'm depending on you to tell me the truth. yeah the lyrics are wrong but great song if you havent seen the movie the temptations you need to watch it its ADDICTING. This was written by the Motown songwriters Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield, and produced by Whitfield. (And when he died) All he left us was ALONE." When he dies, the mother opens up about him, telling the kids all about his laziness and womanizing. A monthly update on our latest interviews, stories and added songs. A rolling stone may gather no moss, but it doesn't handle responsibility well. SoundCloud. A few months later, Whitfield reworked it into a 12-minute track for The Temptations, featured on their album “All Directions.” It became the definitive version while the original was largely forgotten. That papa had three out-side children And another wife, and that ain't right Heard some talk about papa Doin' some store-front prechin' Talking about saving souls and all the time leaching Dealin' in dirt and stealing in the name of the Lord Mama looked up and said son Papa was a rolling stone Wherever he laid his hat was his home Papa was a rolling stone. Mama just hung her head and said, "Son, Papa was a rollin' stone. He explains how the group puts their songs together and tells the stories behind some of their classics. (And when he died) All he left us was ALONE." “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1971 and originally recorded by The Undisputed Truth which they released as a single in May 1972. The album version of this song runs 11:46. Wherever he laid his hat was his home. Are You Okay?, 6m 41sec. He had a groove he wanted me to hear that needed lyrics.”, He added, “Norman said he wanted lyrics that were fun, not serious, so listeners would have a good time with it. The song was included on the Undisputed Truth's album Law of the Land (1973). In this song, the father is an itinerant, disreputable philanderer. Wherever he laid his hat was his home. It was the sound of someone confused about something and was trying to make sense of it.”, Strong then explained its meaning, “‘Rolling stone’ was a phrase used all the time in my neighborhood going back to the ’50s. In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer. This phrase is based on the old saying "a rolling stone gathers no moss." But (Whitfield) actually wanted it bland. In a candid, in-depth interview with Rolling Stone, Kendrick Lamar goes deep on bridging the pop/hip-hop divide, working with Bono, the pitfalls of stardom and more. The single was released with the song split into two parts: the A-side was the "vocal" version and runs 6:58; the B-side is the "instrumental" and goes 4:49. The story was that Edwards’ father died on that same day. The Pussycat Dolls his "Don't Cha" was written by Cee-Lo Green and Sir Mix-a-Lot. And I said, ‘Wow.’ What he was doing, he was getting me into a certain mood.”. Lead singer for The Commodores-super successful and then went off on his own. Speaking about this song's writer/producer Norman Whitfield in a 1995 interview with. Famous for ballads like "Easy" The song Papa Was A Rollin' Stone is one of the Temptations most recognized songs "Dude, I was so high last night, and that song Papa Was A Rolling Stone played, and the music man , totally trippin balls and I could see the music. This song is about how a child throughout his/her life is asking their mother what their father is like because they is hearing all these different things about him. As in the hook, in the beginning the mother try making the father look great but as the kids grew older is was harder to do it. Curtis Mayfield was originally a member of the Chicago-based vocal group the Impressions. The second time was a charm. Papa was a rollin' stone. Rumor has it that frontman Dennis Edwards wasn’t a fan of the classic hit because of the lines “It was the 3rd of September / That day I’ll always remember / ’cause that was the day / That my daddy died”. Papa was a rolling stone (my son) Wherever he laid his hat was his home And when he died, all he left us was alone Hey Papa was a rolling stone (dad gumma it) Find out how God and glam metal go together from the Stryper frontman. Genre Hip Hop Comment by user712884920. Uh! problems with black urban life "Blaxploitation" was a genre of music that rose to prominence at the beginning of the 1970s. The lyrics aren't even close for this song. There really is a China Grove (in Texas), but Tom Johnston didn't know about it when he wrote the Doobie Brothers song. a person who does not settle in one place for long. It is sampled by John & Ernest. Often heard as a patriotic song, "Down Under" is really about the selling of Australia and makes a strong political statement. Hey Mama, I heard Papa … But as I listened over and over after Norman left, I didn’t hear the music the way he did. Turned more socially conscious in the 70s and faced some of the problems-gave motown meaning. Jay-Z's "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" is based on the song "It's A Hard Knock Life" from the Broadway play Annie. Funk tracks like "Brick House" Lionel Richie. What Happened With David Gilmour And Roger Waters Feud. Most of Motown's studio work had moved to Los Angeles by then, but The Temptations still recorded in Detroit. Most Commercially successful black pop band of the 70s. Strong then explained its meaning, “‘Rolling stone’ was a phrase used all the time in my neighborhood going back to the ’50s. We were a Motown songwriting team and lived just three or four blocks from each other in Detroit. Papa Loves Mambo by Perry Como from the Album The Very Best Of Perry Como "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is a soul song, written by Motown songwriters Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong as a single for Motown act The Undisputed Truth in 1971. Also, Whitfield chose the date at random because it fit so well with the song. Papa Was A Rolling Stone, Wherever he laid his hat was his home, and when he died, all he left us was alone. When he dies, the mother opens up about him, telling the kids all about his laziness and womanizing. The A-side won for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus, and the B-side took the award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance. There was tension during the recording mostly because Whitfield was a perfectionist – his instrumentation somehow overshadowed the group’s immaculate vocals and he basically forced Edwards to keep on re-recording his parts over a dozen times. Papa was a rolling stone Wherever he laid his hat was his home And when he died all he left us was alone Where the hell are you daddy, that's what I'm sayin' Down on my knees and tears and I'm prayin' Wishing and hoping my dreams could come true So I could feel like the other kids do A young child but not complete as a whole In this case, Googling “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” “was alone” gets 3,050 hits, while “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” “was a loan” gets 275. It peaked at number 63 on the Pop Charts and number 24 on the R&B Charts. Chris Porter from Brierley Hill West Midlands, Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-Outs, David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears. 24 … That is why after the last verse when the kids are grown is when she broke down because she knew … Papa Was A Rolling Stone. Not right March 1, 2011-15:20 +1. 63 on Billboard’s pop chart and No. A person who likes to move often or is unwilling to settle down in one place or with one person or both. 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