I Can't Get Next to You

"I Can't Get Next to You" is a 1969 number-one single recorded by The Temptations and written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for the Gordy (Motown) label. The song was a number-one single on the Billboard Top Pop Singles chart for two weeks in 1969, from October 18 to October 25, replacing "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies and replaced by "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley. The single was also a number-one hit on the Billboard Top R&B Singles for five weeks,[1] from October 4 to November 1, replacing "Oh, What a Night" by The Dells, and replaced by another Motown song, "Baby I'm For Real" by The Originals.

"I Can't Get Next to You"
Single by The Temptations
from the album Puzzle People
B-side"Running Away (Ain't Gonna Help You)"
ReleasedJuly 30, 1969
RecordedHitsville USA (Studio A); June 23, June 24, June 27, June 30, July 2, and July 3, 1969
GenreFunk, psychedelic soul
Length2:51
LabelGordy
G 7093
Songwriter(s)Norman Whitfield
Barrett Strong
Producer(s)Norman Whitfield Platinum (RIAA)
The Temptations singles chronology
"Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down"
(1969)		 "I Can't Get Next to You"
(1969)		 "The Weight"
(1969)
"I Can't Get Next to You"
Single by Al Green
from the album Al Green Gets Next to You
ReleasedNovember 1970
RecordedMemphis, Tennessee; 1970
GenreSoul
Length3:48
LabelHi
2182
Songwriter(s)Norman Whitfield
Barrett Strong
Producer(s)Willie Mitchell
Al Green singles chronology
"Right Now, Right Now"
(1970)		 "I Can't Get Next to You"
(1970)		 "Driving Wheel"
(1971)

The single was the second of the Temptations' four number-one hits on the United States pop charts, and was also one of the best-selling singles the group released. Billboard ranked it as the No. 3 song for 1969.

The applause that starts the song, which is cut short by Dennis Edwards' spoken "Hold it, hold it, listen" line, was sampled in another Temptations song "Psychedelic Shack."

Overview

"I Can't Get Next to You" was the second single from the 1969 Temptations LP Puzzle People, with "Running Away (Ain't Gonna Help You)", a ballad led by Paul Williams, as the b-side. The single was a number-one hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Billboard Top R&B Singles chart. The song has been frequently covered, with the most notable cover being a 1970 version by Al Green, which strips the composition of its fast pace and multi-lead vocals, and instead renders it as a slow-burning plea for love. Green's cover, the title track of his 1971 LP Al Green Gets Next to You, reached number sixty on the Billboard Hot 100, and number eleven on the R&B chart.

Personnel

Chart history

Al Green
Chart (1970–71) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[10] 60
U.S. Billboard R&B 11
U.S. Cash Box Top 100[11] 70

See also
  • Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1969 (USA)
  • R&B number-one hits of 1969 (USA)

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. 1969-10-25. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  3. "Official Charts Company". Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  4. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  5. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 25, 1969
  6. "RPM Top Singles of 1969". Library and Archives Canada. RPM. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  7. Musicoutfitters.com
  8. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 27, 1969". Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  9. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  10. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  11. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, December 19, 1970
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