"It's Growing" is a

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

hit single by

The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

for the Gordy (

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

) label. Written by Miracles members

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...

and Pete Moore and produced by Robinson, the song was a top 20 pop single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, on which it peaked at number 18. On ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s R&B singles chart, "It's Growing" peaked at number 3. This single was the follow-up to " My Girl", which was the first to feature

David Ruffin David Eli Ruffin (born Davis Eli Ruffin;Ribowsky, p. 88 January 18, 1941 – June 1, 1991) was an American soul singer most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations (1964–1968) during the group's "Classic Five" p ...

as the Temptations new lead singer. Ruffin, as the song's narrator, tells his lover that his love for her keeps on growing each and every day, giving several comparations to illustrate how much it grows. The song starts with a

toy piano The toy piano, also known as the ( in German), is a small piano-like musical instrument. Most modern toy pianos use round metal rods, as opposed to strings in a regular piano, to produce sound. The U.S. Library of Congress recognizes the toy pia ...

playing before the drums kick start the song, going into mid-tempo dance number. Motown had hoped to repeat the success of the previous single by giving "It's Growing" a somewhat similar sound but with a bigger orchestration and adding

The Andantes The Andantes were an American female session group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by M ...

for additional backing vocals. This single, the second from ''

The Temptations Sing Smokey ''The Temptations Sing Smokey'' is the second studio album by the Temptations for the Motown label, released on the Gordy Records subsidiary (G 912) in 1965. As its name implies, it is composed entirely of songs written and produced by Smokey R ...

'', would be backed by the Eddie Kendricks-led cover of

The Miracles The Miracles (later known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1955. They were the first successful recording act for Motown Records and are considered one of the most ...

' " What Love Has Joined Together." While not as successful as the previous single, it still made the Top 20 in the Pop charts, continuing Robinson's reign as the group's main producer. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' described it as "a slow-shufflin’, pop-r&b rhythmic romancer about a twosome who seem aptly suited to each other."

Other recordings

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

would cover this song in 1966. *Fellow Motown group

The Contours The Contours are an American rhythm and blues vocal group. They recorded for Motown Records. They are known for their 1962 hit single "Do You Love Me", which sold over 1 million copies and became a major hit again in 1988. History Establishment ...

recorded a version featuring Ruffin's eventual replacement

Dennis Edwards Dennis Edwards Jr. (February 3, 1943 – February 1, 2018) was an American soul and R&B singer who was best known as the frontman in The Temptations for Motown Records. Edwards joined the Temptations in 1968, replacing David Ruffin and sang w ...

in 1967. * Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers recorded a version that was released as the B-Side to the group's 1968 single "Malinda". * Kate Taylor recorded the song - as "It's Growin'" - on her 1978 self-titled album, the track featuring

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the single "Fi ...

on guitar and background vocals. James himself remade the song for his 2008 album '' Covers'', this version becoming an

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

hit in 2008."Fred Bronson, Chart Beat, October 9, 2008"
billboard.com *Classic rock singer

Paul Rodgers Paul Bernard Rodgers (born 17 December 1949) is an English-Canadian singer. He was the lead vocalist of numerous successful rock bands, including Free (band), Free, Bad Company, The Firm (rock band), the Firm and The Law (English band), the L ...

included his version of the song on his 2014

cover album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

of soul classics ''The Royal Sessions''.

Personnel

* Lead vocals by

* Background vocals by Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams,

Otis Williams Otis Williams (born Otis Miles Jr.; October 30, 1941) is an American second tenor/baritone singer.Ribowsky, Mark (2010). ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Endearing Soul of the Temptations''. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. ...

, and

: Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow and Louvain Demps * Instrumentation by

The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

and the

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall (Detroit, Michigan), Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown, Detroit, ...

(strings).

Chart history

Notes

External links

See ''The Temptations'' sing and perform ''It's Growing'' at this link
1965 singles The Temptations songs Otis Redding songs James Taylor songs The Contours songs Songs written by Smokey Robinson Songs written by Warren "Pete" Moore Song recordings produced by Smokey Robinson 1965 songs Gordy Records singles 2008 singles {{1960s-R&B-song-stub