Message From A Black Man—The Temptations
#365Songs: May 30
Getting caught in the transition from one era to the next can be at best confusing and destabilizing. At worst, it’s ruinous.
For people my age, it was a staggeringly disruptive experience for our mothers. They were born into a world of restriction, suppression, and disenfranchisement. Be a wife, be a homemaker, be a parent. Smile, look pretty, serve your husband. You do what you can to stay sane. You align, you compromise, you survive.
Then one day, you wake up to find you’re an anachronism unless you’re burning your bra. A holdover, a relic, and symbol of a disgraceful past. The rules changed, the rug was pulled out, suddenly you’re adrift, trying desperately to recalibrate.
To succeed by the rules of one era is often to fail by the rules of the next. The game can feel rigged — a head-you-lose, tails-you-lose proposition. Maintain your fidelity to the past and risk ostracization as an awkward artifact of a bygone era. Try to adapt to and adopt the new standards and risk ostracization as a cringe-inducing, past-your-freshness-date poseur.
Musicians know all about it.
For virtually anyone who succeeded in the rock and roll 70’s, the 80’s were … unkind. Heart and Starship, we’re looking at you.
But surely we can have some sympathy? Success in the 70’s meant wild, sweaty, gritty rock and roll played on wild, sweaty, gritty stages with wild, sweaty, gritty guitars, drums, and basses. Success in the 80’s meant pompous, cheesy, bombastic anemia pop played on horrible drum machines and synthesizers.
The shift from the late 50’s and early 60’s into the late 60’s and early 70’s was equally challenging, seismic, and revolutionary. There’s no better way to understand the changes than to look at points A and B of The Temptations.
In 1965, The Temptations were “The Way You Do the Things You Do” and “My Girl.” By 1970, they were “Run Away Child, Running Wild,” “Cloud Nine,” “Don’t Let the Joneses Get You Down,” and “Friendship Train.”
The “Psychedelic Soul” era of The Temptations was, frankly, amazing. In addition to the tracks listed above, they also delivered the likes of:
I Can’t Get Next To You
Message From A Black Man
Slave
War
Ball of Confusion
Smiling Faces
and so many, many more.
I could have chosen any of these. But I chose “Message From a Black Man.”
Why?
Because it’s gorgeous.
Because the mantra of “No matter how hard you try, you can’t stop me now” is so powerful and so haunting.
Because the voices are beautiful. Because the groove is intoxicating. Because the message is vital.
I have wants and desires
Just like you.
So move on the side,
’Cause I’m comin’ through
Black, white, male, female, gay, trans, muslim, jew, disabled, addicted, poor, hungry, tall, short, loud, quiet, extroverted, introverted … inside of whatever it is you think you see when you see them coming is a human being. A thinking, feeling, sensual, intellectual, capable human being. And they’re all comin’ through.
Your eyes are open,
But you refuse to see,
The laws of society
Were made for both you, and me.
Because of my color,
I struggle to be free.
Sticks and stones,
May break my bones,
But in the end,
You’re gonna’ see my friend
No matter how hard you try,
You can’t stop me now.
Say it loud!
Billy Bragg once wrote and recorded a song called “Levi Stubb’s Tears.” It includes this lyric:
Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong
Are here to make everything right that’s wrong
With songs like those recorded by The Temptations during their Psychedelic Soul period, they tried. They really tried.
But it didn’t work. Not all the way.
But on the other hand, Trump was convicted on all 34 counts.
So we’re getting there. Ain’t no justice yet. But maybe there will be. Say it loud.
~
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