[1970-1974 Best Songs]
Billboard Top 100, 1973, #100
By most standards, Papa Was A Rollin' Stone shouldn't even be a hit. It's almost two full minutes before the first word is sung. It's a song is about an estranged, drifter, con-man, polygamous father with illegitimate kids. It ought to be an episode of Jerry Springer.
So then why is it so great? It's infectious - that two minute intro builds up like the opening of a suspense movie. When the singing finally starts, you're hooked. The Temptations sound more like that group of guys singing around an oil barrel on an inner-city street corner than their usual polished Motown Pop.
Mostly, you'll never hear a better chorus.
Billboard Top 100, 1973, #100
By most standards, Papa Was A Rollin' Stone shouldn't even be a hit. It's almost two full minutes before the first word is sung. It's a song is about an estranged, drifter, con-man, polygamous father with illegitimate kids. It ought to be an episode of Jerry Springer.
So then why is it so great? It's infectious - that two minute intro builds up like the opening of a suspense movie. When the singing finally starts, you're hooked. The Temptations sound more like that group of guys singing around an oil barrel on an inner-city street corner than their usual polished Motown Pop.
Mostly, you'll never hear a better chorus.
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