domingo, 15 de agosto de 2021

THE TEMPTATIONS: "PAPA WAS A ROLLIN' STONE" - 1972

«Papa Was a Rollin' Stone» (Papá fue un bala perdida) es una canción soul, escrita por los compositores de Motown, Norman Whitfield y Barrett Strong, como un sencillo para el grupo The Undisputed Truth en 1971. Esta versión de "Papa" fue lanzada como sencillo a principios de 1972, y alcanzó el puesto número 63 en las listas de popularidad y el número 24 en las listas de R&B.

Más tarde, en 1972, Whitfield, quien también produjo la canción, tomó y rehízo una versión diferente de la misma, convirtiéndola en una pista de 12 minutos para The Temptations.

Esta versión fue incluida en su álbum de 1972 "All Directions".

El single editado de 7" de esta canción se publicó en setiembre de 1972, y esta versión fue un éxito número uno en el Billboard Hot 100 y ganó tres premios Grammy en 1973.

Mientras que la versión original de Undisputed Truth de la canción ha sido olvidada en gran parte, la versión de la canción de The Temptations ha sido considerada como un clásico influyente y perdurable del soul. Esta ocupó el puesto #169 en la lista de Rolling Stone de las 500 mejores canciones de todos los tiempos, una de las tres canciones del grupo en la lista.
En retrospectiva, Otis Williams de The Temptations considera que "Papá" es el último clásico real que grabó el grupo.

L E T R A

It was the third of September
That day I'll always remember, yes I will
'Cause that was the day that my daddy died

I never got a chance to see him
Never heard nothin' but bad things about him
Momma I'm depending on you to tell me the truth

(Momma just hung her head and said, son)

Papa was a rolling stone
Wherever he laid his hat was his home
And when he died, all he left us was alone
Papa was a rolling stone (my son, yeah)
Wherever he laid his hat was his home
And when he died, all he left us was alone

Hey Momma!
Is it true what they say that
Papa never worked a day in his life

(And Momma, some bad talk goin' round town sayin' that
Papa had three outside children
And another wife, and that ain't right)

Heard some talk Papa doing some storefront preachin'
Talking about saving souls and all the time leechin'
Dealing in dirt, and stealing in the name of the Lord

(Momma just hung her head and said)

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
Folks say Papa would beg, borrow, steal
To pay his bills

Hey Momma
Folks say Papa never was much on thinking
Spent most of his time chasing women and drinking
Momma I'm depending on you to tell me the truth

Momma looked up with a tear in her eye and said, son

Papa was a rolling stone (well, well, well, well)
Wherever he laid his hat was his home
And when he died, all he left us was alone (lone, lone, lone, alone)
Papa was a rolling stone
Wherever he laid his hat was his home
And when he died, all he left us was alone
Wherever he laid his hat was his home
And when he died, all he left us was alone
My daddy was
Papa was a rolling stone (yes he was, yeah)
Wherever he laid his hat was his home)

Compositores: Norman Whitfield y Barrett Strong