"Just One Last Look" is a 1966 song written and produced by Motown's main production team

Holland–Dozier–Holland Holland–Dozier–Holland was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the Motown sound in the 1960s. Du ...

, and recorded by

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

for the Gordy ( Motown) label,Weinger, Harry (1994). "Sunshine on a Cloudy Day". The Temptations: Emperors of Soul D Box Set liner notes New York: Motown Record Co., L.P. and The Four Tops for the main Motown label.Lost and Found: Lost Without You 1963-1970 D liner notes New York: Hip-O Select/Motown/Universal Records. Intended for release as a single for both, it was blocked from doing so and shelved. The recording is a break-up song. The song's narrator (

Levi Stubbs Levi Stubbs (born Levi Stubbles, June 6, 1936 – October 17, 2008) was an American baritone singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the R&B group the Four Tops, who released a variety of Motown hit records during the 1960s and 1970s. He h ...

for the Four Tops,

David Ruffin David Eli Ruffin (born Davis Eli Ruffin;Ribowsky, p. 88 January 18, 1941 – June 1, 1991) was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations (1964–68) during the group's "Clas ...

for the Temptations) asks his love, who's leaving them, to allow him "one last look" at her so that he'll always have memories of her. In The Temptations' case, they were one of the few major Motown acts never to release a single produced by the trio, due to (previously)

Berry Gordy, Jr. Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record l ...

, Smokey Robinson, and (then currently)

Norman Whitfield Norman Jesse Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008) was an American songwriter and producer, who worked with Berry Gordy's Motown labels during the 1960s. allmusic Biography/ref> He has been credited as one of the creators of the Mo ...

having a tight hold on the group's released material. (Only

Edward Holland, Jr. Edward Holland Jr. (born October 30, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Holland was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Although he was an early Motown artist who recorded minor hit singles such as "Jamie", ...

would have any success with the group, as Whitfield's co-writer.)

Brian Holland Brian Holland (born February 15, 1941) is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown sound, and numerous h ...

and

Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...

had to in fact fight for the chance to produce "Just One Last Look" for the Temptations, and Whitfield successfully blocked its release as a single. This song would go on to be released as an album track on "''

The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul ''The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul'' is the fifth studio album by The Temptations for the Gordy ( Motown) label released in 1967. Featuring four hit singles, ''With a Lot o' Soul'' is the most successful Temptations album from their "classic ...

''". "Just One Last Look" remains the only H-D-H produced track to appear on any Temptations studio album, and would be the last of only two times (the previous being " A Tear from a Woman's Eyes") in which H-D-H would produce any material for the group. While the Tempts' version was similar to then recent hits The Four Tops had released, the Tops' version had a harder sound and was mid tempo. This was recorded around the time H-D-H decided to give both them and

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

a harder edge on their songs. However H-D-H was also unsuccessful in getting The Four Tops version released as well, and it would go unreleased until the 2005 CD "''Lost Without You: Motown Lost & Found"''.

Personnel

Temptations version

* Lead vocals by

* Background vocals by

Eddie Kendricks Edward James Kendrick (December 17, 1939 – October 5, 1992), better known as Eddie Kendricks, was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group the Temptation ...

Melvin Franklin David Melvin English (October 12, 1942 – February 23, 1995) better known by the stage name Melvin Franklin, or his nickname "Blue", was an American bass singer. Franklin was best known for his role as a founding member of Motown singing ...

, Paul Williams, and

Otis Williams Otis Williams (born Otis Miles Jr.; October 30, 1941) is an American 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. 7–9 He is o ...

* 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 ...

Four Tops version

* Lead vocals by

. * Background Vocals by

Renaldo "Obie" Benson Renaldo "Obie" Benson (June 14, 1936 – July 1, 2005) was an American soul and R&B singer and songwriter. He was best known as a founding member and the bass singer of Motown group the Four Tops, which he joined in 1953 and continued to perfo ...

Lawrence Payton Lawrence Albert Payton (March 2, 1938 – June 20, 1997) was an American tenor, songwriter, vocal arranger, musician, and record producer for the popular Motown quartet, the Four Tops. In 1997, at 59 years old, Payton died of liver cancer. Bio ...

, Abdul "Duke" Fakir and

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 Ma ...

: Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps. * Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers

Notes

* http://www.funtrivia.com/en/music/temptations-the-12969.html * http://www.warr.org/tempts.html * http://www.hip-oselect.com/scr.public.product.asp?product_id=25307197-ccb2-574e-097d-be1885ff773d * http://designermagazine.tripod.com/TheTemptationsINT1.html * Williams, Otis, and Patricia Romanowski (1988, updated 2002). ''Temptations''. Lanham, MD: Cooper Square. . * Ribowsky, Mark (2010). ''Ain't Too Proud To Beg: The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of The Temptations''. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Just One Last Look The Temptations songs Songs written by Holland–Dozier–Holland 1966 songs Four Tops songs Song recordings produced by Lamont Dozier Song recordings produced by Brian Holland

Personnel

Temptations version

Four Tops version

See also

Notes

References