"Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" is a Motown song written by

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 ...

Barrett Strong Barrett Strong (born February 5, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter. Strong was the first artist to record a hit for Motown, although he is best known for his work as a songwriter, particularly in association with producer Norman Whitfi ...

, and

Janie Bradford Janie Bradford (born June 2, 1939 in Charleston, Missouri, United States) is an American songwriter, most known for her tenure with Motown. With Berry Gordy, she co-wrote "Money (That's What I Want)", originally recorded by Barrett Strong, and ...

. The song was first 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 ...

as a track on their 1966 album '' Gettin' Ready''.

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 ...

sings lead on the recording, which was produced by Whitfield.

Jimmy Ruffin Jimmy Lee RuffinRibowsky, Mark (2010), ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of the Temptations'', Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, p. 89. . (May 7, 1936 – November 17, 2014) was an American soul singer, and ...

also recorded a version with

providing background vocals in 1966. It remained unreleased until 1997. Three years later, Motown artist Marvin Gaye recorded a cover version of "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" as a follow-up single to his 1968 hit "

I Heard It Through the Grapevine "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown Records in 1966. The first recording of the song to be released was produced by Whitfield for Gladys Knight & the Pips and released as a ...

", another Whitfield/ Strong composition, which was a trans-atlantic top five hit. Whitfield produced Gaye's version as well, which featured background vocals by

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 ...

. The song's lyrics feature the male narrator discussing how he has "no time to discuss weather" or "think about what money can buy", because when he thinks about his woman, "I ain't got time for nothing else". In terms of chart success, "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" was Gaye's second biggest hit of the 1960s, after "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, and remained at the number one position on ''Billboard's'' Black Singles Chart for six consecutive weeks, from the weeks of, June 7 until July 12, 1969, with sales close to two million records. The single was the top-selling R&B single of the year, and also reached No. 14 on Billboard’s year-end charts. The tune was the first release from Gaye's 1969 studio album '' M.P.G.''. The single also reached #5 in the UK Singles Chart. '' Cash Box'' described it as a "medium paced rock effort" with a "solid vocal" and "a phenomenal production using

tom-tom A tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between in diameter, though floor toms can go as l ...

effectiveness to stoke up dance fan fires."

Personnel

Temptations version

* Lead vocals by

* Background vocals by

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 ...

, Eddie Kendricks,

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 ...

Jimmy Ruffin version

* Lead vocals by

* Background vocals by David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, and Otis Williams * Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers

Marvin Gaye version

* Lead vocals by Marvin Gaye * Background vocals by

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

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other cover versions

Al Kooper Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is a retired American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears, although he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity. ...

recorded the song (as "Too Busy Thinkin' 'bout My Baby") on his 1969 Columbia album ''

You Never Know Who Your Friends Are ''You Never Know Who Your Friends Are'' is the second solo album by American multi-instrumentalist Al Kooper, issued in 1969 on Columbia Records. Background Kooper wasted no time recording this album, coming just seven months after his debut ...

''. * The Young Vandals recorded the song for the Isley Brothers' T-Neck label. It peaked at #46 on the R&B charts in 1970. On lead vocals was

Damon Harris Otis Robert "Damon" Harris Jr. (July 17, 1950 – February 18, 2013) was an American soul and R&B singer, most notable as a member of The Temptations from 1971 to 1975. Twenty years old when he joined the group, Harris was the youngest member ...

, who would replace

in the Temptations the next year. * "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" was also covered by the New York-based rock group Mardi Gras in the early 1970s, and released as a single on Map City Records. It climbed high up the charts across Europe in 1971–72. *

Elkie Brooks Elkie Brooks (born Elaine Bookbinder; 25 February 1946) is an English rock, blues and jazz singer. She was a vocalist with the bands Dada and Vinegar Joe, and later became a solo artist. She gained her biggest success in the late 1970s and 198 ...

recorded the song on her 1981 hit album '' Pearls''. * Mark Everett recorded a cover of the song for his 1985 debut '' Bad Dude in Love'' * In 1995, the Manhattan Transfer recorded the song for their album ''

Tonin' ''Tonin is the sixteenth studio album by The Manhattan Transfer. It was released in 1995 on Atlantic Records. The expression "tonin'" is associated with the vocal groups of the 1950s and 1960s. The songs on this album are favorites of the band ...

'' with Phil Collins. This version reached 27 on the

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 present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

chart in the United States. In Canada, the song reached number 58 on the pop singles chart and number six on the Adult Contemporary chart. * A version performed by

Ted Hawkins Ted Hawkins (October 28, 1936 – January 1, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter born in Biloxi, Mississippi. He split his time between his adopted hometown of Venice Beach, California, where he was a mostly anonymous street performer, ...

was included on his 1995 album, ''Songs from Venice Beach''. * The song was later covered by British pop group, Steps for ITVs MotownMania. It was the second A-side for their 2001 single, "

It's The Way You Make Me Feel "It's the Way You Make Me Feel" is a song by British dance-pop group Steps, released as their 12th single on 1 January 2001. It is the second track to be released from their third album, ''Buzz'', and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Cha ...

", and appeared on their album '' The Last Dance''. * Phil Collins re-recorded a cover during the sessions of his 2010 album '' Going Back''.

References

External links

List of cover versions of "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby"
at SecondHandSongs.com {{Authority control 1966 singles 1969 singles Songs written by Janie Bradford Songs written by Barrett Strong Songs written by Norman Whitfield Marvin Gaye songs The Temptations songs Jimmy Ruffin songs The Manhattan Transfer songs Motown singles Eels (band) songs Song recordings produced by Norman Whitfield 1966 songs