Song by Song: "My Girl" Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1964

The song was recorded in September and November of 1964 at Hitsville USA in Detroit, Michigan and released in the U.S. on December 21, 1964 on the Gordy label. Rolling Stone magazine rated the song number 43 on its 2021 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. (It was 88 on the 2004 list.)

Answer: Smokey Robinson and Ronnie White

The song was written by William "Smokey" Robinson and Ronald "Ronnie" White of the Miracles, a group founded in 1962 and which became Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972. According to Rolling Stone magazine, the Temptations were sharing a bill with the group at Harlem's Apollo Theater "when Robinson took time out to cut the rhythm track for a new song.

After they heard it, the Tempts begged him to let them record the song rather than the Miracles." Smokey wrote the song for his wife and fellow Miracles member, Claudette Rogers Robinson.

Answer: David Ruffin

Somkey Robinson relented, let the Temptations record the song he and Ronnie White wrote, "and chose the throaty tenor David Ruffin to sing lead," says Rolling Stone magazine. Born Davis Eli Ruffin in Whynot, Mississippi in 1941, David Ruffin (also known as Little David Bush), joined the Temptations in 1964.

He went on to a solo career, recording his first solo album, "My Whole World Ended," in 1969. Prior to "My Girl," lead vocals had been largely performed by Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks.

Answer: true

The song peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles Chart. In the UK, it peaked at 43 on the Singles (OCC) chart, and it reached number eight in Canada on the RPM. The group would go on to have three more number one singles on the Hot 100 and a total of fourteen R&B number one singles.

Answer: Robert White

The Funk Brothers, a group of Detroit-based studio musicians, provided instrumentation, with Robert White on guitar, James Jamerson on bass and Benny Benjamin on drums. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra provided strings. The musical arrangement was orchestrated by Paul Riser.

Answer: Macaulay Culkin

The coming-of-age film also starred Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis. The "My Girl" movie took its name from the Temptations' song, which was used in the movie's end credits. The movie tells the story of an eleven-year-old girl (played by Anna Chlumsky) and her best friend (played by Macaulay Culkin).

After this movie was released, the song re-entered the charts in 1992, where it peaked at number two on the Ireland (IRMA) chart and on the UK Singles (OCC) chart. It hit number five in Portugal (AFP), eleven on the Eurochart Hot 100, and 27 on the US Adult Contemporary Billboard chart.

Answer: cloudy

Otis Redding recorded a version of "My Girl" that appears on the 1965 album "Otis Blue." Stevie Wonder covered the song on his 1967 album "I Was Made to Love Her." A Rolling Stones version can be found on the compilation album "Flowers," released in 1967. Their version of "My Girl" was recorded in May of 1965 during the sessions for "Satisfaction."

Answer: May

"My Girl" was certified platinum in the U.S. by RIAA and in the UK by BPI. It was certified gold in Denmark by IFPI. The original version of the song peaked at number eight on the Canada Top Singles Chart (RPM) and at number two on the U.S. Cash Box Top 100. It was 43 in the UK (on the OCC chart).

Answer: The bees

Backing vocals for "My Girl" were supplied by Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, and Otis Williams. The soul hit was chosen by the Library of Congress In 2017 for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

Answer: birds

"My Girl" was released with "(Talkin' 'Bout) Nobody But My Baby" on the B-side. The New Christy Minstrels covered the song, and their version is included on their 1968 album "On Tour Through Motown." The song has also been covered by Al Green, Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, and the Neville Brothers, among others.