"(I Know) I'm Losing You" is a 1966 hit single recorded 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 Cornelius Grant, Eddie Holland and

Norman Whitfield Norman Jesse Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008) was an American songwriter, composer, 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 ...

, and produced by Norman Whitfield. The group performed the song live on the CBS variety program ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

'' on May 28, 1967, and in a duet with Diana Ross & the Supremes later that year, on November 19, 1967.

Background

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 ...

'' described the song as a "blues swinger with a solid dance beat and powerful vocal workout." ''

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 ...

'' said that "the ork is throbbing, the chorus is smooth and the group tells its sad tale in exquisite fashion."

Personnel

* Lead 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 most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations (1964–1968) during the group's "Classic Five" p ...

* Background vocals by

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

, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin and

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. ...

* Guitar by Cornelius Grant * Other 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 ...

* Arrangements by

Wade Marcus Wade Marcus was a music producer and arranger associated with the Motown (music style), Motown sound during the 1970s. He composed the music to the film ''The Final Comedown'' with Grant Green. He also produced albums by The Blackbyrds, Gary Bartz ...

and

Paul Riser Paul Riser (born September 11, 1943) is an American trombonist and Motown musical arranger who was responsible for co-writing and arranging dozens of top ten hit records. His legacy as one of the " Funk Brothers" is similar to that of most of ...

Chart performance

"(I Know) I'm Losing You" was a No. 1 hit on the ''Billboard'' R&B singles chart, and reached No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' Pop Singles chart. In Canada the song reached No. 21, while in the UK it reached No. 19.

Later versions

*"(I Know) I'm Losing You" was a 1970 version by Motown rock band Rare Earth for their ''

Ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...

'' album. Rare Earth's 10-minute recording was edited for single release and peaked at No. 7, one position higher than the Temptations' original on the U.S. pop charts. It also reached #15 in Canada. *

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...

recorded a version in 1971 that was featured on his breakthrough album '' Every Picture Tells A Story''. The single reached #24 on the ''Billboard Hot 100'', credited as Rod Stewart With Faces, #12 in the Netherlands and #13 in Canada. Stewart had previously performed the song with the Jeff Beck Group; live performances were recorded for BBC radio broadcast on the Saturday Club March 7, 1967. * The Undisputed Truth, a group assembled and produced solely by

, recorded a cover version of the song in a psychedelic

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

style for their 1975 album ''Cosmic Truth''. *During the 1980s, on the

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

-based Oak Lawn Records label, the song was recorded by the group Uptown and transformed into an upbeat dance tune. This version achieved popularity at Dallas' famed Starck nightclub due to early play by DJ Rick Squillante and became a standard in many U.S.

nightclubs A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and ...

, reaching the No. 80 spot on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1987. *

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

used the vocal samples from both Rare Earth and The Undisputed Truth covers in his song " Fade", which features vocals by

Post Malone Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His music blends various genres including hip-hop, Pop music, pop, Contemporary R&B, R&B, Tra ...

and

Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Griffin gai ...

from his seventh studio album, ''

The Life of Pablo ''The Life of Pablo'' is the seventh studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released on February 14, 2016, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place from 2013 to 2016, in Italy, Mexico, ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:I Know I'm Losing You 1966 songs 1966 singles 1970 singles 1971 singles 1983 singles The Temptations songs Rare Earth (band) songs Rod Stewart songs Songs written by Norman Whitfield Songs written by Eddie Holland Songs written by Cornelius Grant Song recordings produced by Norman Whitfield Gordy Records singles Mercury Records singles Motown singles Psychedelic soul songs Songs about infidelity