"Just Let Me Know" is a song recorded in late

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

by The Temptations for the Gordy (

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

) label, written, and produced by

president Berry Gordy, and is the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to the

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

hit single " The Way You Do the Things You Do".Williams, Otis and Romanowski, Patricia (1988, updated 2002). ''Temptations''. Lanham, MD: Cooper Square. . Both songs competed with each other and with the H-D-H production, " A Tear From A Woman's Eyes", for the A-side; the latter song was shelved for several years after losing the spot. It was recorded just days before the firing of the original member Elbridge "Al" Bryant. In the song, the narrator tells his former love how much he misses her and that if she wants him back to tell him and he will come to her "as fast as he can". Two versions of the song were released, both of which were led by group's

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

singer and front man Paul Williams. The first pressing used a more soulful take with only Williams as lead; this version also appears on mono copies of their first album, '' Meet the Temptations'', as well as the box set ''The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 4: 1964''. The second pressing has a much smoother take, and has Bryant with a few lead parts on the choruses, singing the line "straight to you" the first two times on the song, while the group sings it the remaining times. This version was also released on the stereo LP and compact disc editions of ''Meet the Temptations''. Around the time the song was recorded, Bryant had become restless, unco-operative and sometimes volatile. He would miss concerts and recording sessions, preferred his day job as a milkman to performing, and had been arguing and fighting with his fellow group members. By the time this single came out, Bryant had been fired and replaced by David Ruffin. Despite being a B-side, "Just Let Me Know" was given just as big a promotion as its A-side, the Eddie Kendricks-led "The Way You Do the Things You Do", which was a Top 20 pop hit. Although the song did not chart nationally, it was a strong regional hit in many areas of the US. Due to the success of the A-side, Williams was prevented from having any more leads on the group's remaining A-sides, with the exception of group/multi-leads during the late 1960s.

Personnel

* Lead vocals by Paul Williams and Al Bryant (second version only) * Background vocals by Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, Al Bryant and Otis Williams * Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers

Notes

{{authority control 1963 songs 1964 singles The Temptations songs Songs written by Berry Gordy Song recordings produced by Berry Gordy Song recordings produced by Smokey Robinson Gordy Records singles