Temptations – "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" (1972)

Papa never was much on thinking

Spent most of his time 

Chasing women and drinking

(Nice work if you can get it!)

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The last 2 or 3 lines was about a loving and responsible father who did the best he could to provide for his family.  Click here to read it.

Today’s 2 or 3 lines is about a very different kind of father.

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The titular character of today’s featured record was the biological father of his children, but had no other role in their lives – they never even met him in person.

There are a variety of terms used to describe such men.  “Birth father” or “biological father” are neutral terms for a man whose role in the lives of his children is limited to his begetting them.  “Bio-dad” and “baby daddy” are somewhat slangier terms that mean the same thing.

Perhaps the most accurate term for such men is “sperm donor.”

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The “Papa” of “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” was not only a bad father, but also a bad husband.  (Word on the streets is that he had “three outside children and another wife,” and I’m guessing he didn’t treat them any better than his other family.)

While he may not have been guilty of robbery or burglary, it appears that his store front preachin’ was a con – his “stealin’ in the name of the Lord” would likely have been considered criminal fraud.  

To be fair, it’s no crime for a man to spend most of his time chasing women and drinking.  (I know a lot of women who would like to see that changed.)

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The Undisputed Truth – who are best known for their hit single, “Smiling Faces” – were the first group to release a recording of “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.”

The Temptations’ cover of the song made it all the way to #1 on the Billboard “Hot 100” despite the fact that it was almost seven minutes long.  (The single by the Undisputed Truth was only 3:25.) 

Here’s how one reviewer described the Temptations’ record:

A towering monument out of tense hi-hats and pulsating bass and shivering strings and hard-strutting chicken-scratch guitars and panicked trumpet-blasts. And the merciless four-four stomp-clap beat predicted not just disco but house music, as well.

The Temptations also released an album version that was 12 minutes long – a little too long, if you ask me.  Their single is clearly the Goldilocks recording of the song.

Click here to listen to the single edit of “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” by the Temptations.

Click here to buy that recording from Amazon.