Isn't She Pretty
Encyclopedia
"Isn't She Pretty" is a 1961
song recorded by The Temptations
, and written by group members Eddie Kendricks
and Otis Williams
, as well as Motown’s founder Berry Gordy
. It was Gordy’s first production with the group, and intended for released on the Miracle label, but it was shelved due to the label closing, as well as the fact that the Motown execs thought the song sounded a little too dated. It was finally released as the B-side
for the group’s 1962
single "Dream Come True
", their first on the Gordy
label imprint.
piece, but each member get a chance to also be heard outfront throughout the song. On the song's first verse the entire group sings the lead vocal in unison harmony. Afterwards Elbridge "Al" Bryant and Paul Williams
swap leads on the first half of the 2nd and 3rd verses; Eddie Kendricks
and Melvin Franklin
swap leads on the bridge; Otis Williams
gets a line near the end ("She's a doll, now hey…"). It mainly showcases the lead vocals of tenor
Bryant, as his ad-libs on the choruses made him the most prominent out front, but technically (group baritone
) Paul Williams could also be considered the main lead as he portrays the narrator, who's telling his friends about a beautiful unrequited love:
However….
On the bridge, Franklin, the group’s bass
, is in the role of another potential beau that decides to ask the woman if he could be her man. Kendricks (as either the girl or as another friend) shoots him down: "No you don’t why" ("Why")/"You ain't got just what it takes at all." Kendricks's soaring falsetto voice is also prominentely heard, and not just in the background, as he delievers several ad-libs of his own throughout the recording.
(led by Kendricks) becoming an R&B hit, Paul would be regulated to B-sides until 1963, and it prevented Al from getting any more main leads on the Temptations singles. None of Paul's leads on the A-side would make the Billboard
and Cash Box charts, and by 1965 he would be replaced as the group's main lead by, Bryant's successor, David Ruffin
. However Paul Williams would finally get a hit on both the Hot 100 and Hot R&B
charts with 1965's "Don't Look Back
".
1961 in music
-Events:*January 15 – Motown Records signs The Supremes.*January 20 – Francis Poulenc's Gloria receives its premiėre in Boston, USA.*February 12 – The Miracles' "Shop Around" becomes Motown's first million-selling single....
song recorded by The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, and written by group members Eddie Kendricks
Eddie Kendricks
Eddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things...
and Otis Williams
Otis Williams
Otis Williams is an American baritone singer. Nicknamed "Big Daddy", he has also acted as a sporadic songwriter and record producer. Williams co-founded the Motown vocal group The Temptations in early 1960 as The Elgins, a group in which he continues to perform...
, as well as Motown’s founder Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
. It was Gordy’s first production with the group, and intended for released on the Miracle label, but it was shelved due to the label closing, as well as the fact that the Motown execs thought the song sounded a little too dated. It was finally released as the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
for the group’s 1962
1962 in music
-Events:*January 1 – The Beatles and Brian Poole and the Tremeloes both audition at Decca Records, a company which has the option of signing one group only...
single "Dream Come True
(You’re My) Dream Come True
" Dream Come True" is a 1962 single by The Temptations. The single is notable for being both The Temptations' first nationally charting single and the first release on Motown Records' Gordy Records imprint. The Temptations' future recordings for Motown would be issued on Gordy until the label was...
", their first on the Gordy
Gordy
Gordy is a 1995 feature film about a piglet who searches for his missing family...
label imprint.
Recording
This is the first of the small handful of pre-psychedelic era songs the group recorded (and the second one released) that had more than two members singing lead at one point. A lot of the song's lead is performed as an ensembleMusical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
piece, but each member get a chance to also be heard outfront throughout the song. On the song's first verse the entire group sings the lead vocal in unison harmony. Afterwards Elbridge "Al" Bryant and Paul Williams
Paul Williams (The Temptations)
Paul Williams was an American baritone singer and choreographer. Williams is noted for being one of the founding members and original lead singer of the Motown group The Temptations...
swap leads on the first half of the 2nd and 3rd verses; Eddie Kendricks
Eddie Kendricks
Eddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things...
and Melvin Franklin
Melvin Franklin
David Melvin English better known by the stage name Melvin Franklin, was an American bass singer. Franklin is best known for his role as a member of Motown singing group The Temptations from 1960 to 1994....
swap leads on the bridge; Otis Williams
Otis Williams
Otis Williams is an American baritone singer. Nicknamed "Big Daddy", he has also acted as a sporadic songwriter and record producer. Williams co-founded the Motown vocal group The Temptations in early 1960 as The Elgins, a group in which he continues to perform...
gets a line near the end ("She's a doll, now hey…"). It mainly showcases the lead vocals of tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
Bryant, as his ad-libs on the choruses made him the most prominent out front, but technically (group baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
) Paul Williams could also be considered the main lead as he portrays the narrator, who's telling his friends about a beautiful unrequited love:
- She's the kind of girl all of my life, now.
- (That I’d say) I wanted it, to be my wife.
However….
- Everytime she comes near me…. (response:"what’d you say")
- My words just-a disappear! (response:"That’s super bad now.")
On the bridge, Franklin, the group’s bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
, is in the role of another potential beau that decides to ask the woman if he could be her man. Kendricks (as either the girl or as another friend) shoots him down: "No you don’t why" ("Why")/"You ain't got just what it takes at all." Kendricks's soaring falsetto voice is also prominentely heard, and not just in the background, as he delievers several ad-libs of his own throughout the recording.
Reception
Both sides of the single received a lot of airplay on local Detroit stations, but this b-side never charted nationally (although it was a reigonal hit). Because of this, and due the A-sideA-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
(led by Kendricks) becoming an R&B hit, Paul would be regulated to B-sides until 1963, and it prevented Al from getting any more main leads on the Temptations singles. None of Paul's leads on the A-side would make the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
and Cash Box charts, and by 1965 he would be replaced as the group's main lead by, Bryant's successor, David Ruffin
David Ruffin
Davis Eli "David" Ruffin was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968...
. However Paul Williams would finally get a hit on both the Hot 100 and Hot R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
charts with 1965's "Don't Look Back
Don't Look Back (Temptations song)
"Don't Look Back" is a 1965 song recorded by The Temptations for the Gordy label. The flip side to their Top 20 hit "My Baby", "Don't Look Back" broke out and became a hit among the R&B audience on its own, reaching #14 on the R&B charts...
".
Personnel
- Lead & Background vocals by Al BryantElbridge BryantElbridge "Al" Bryant was an American tenor singer, and one of the founding members of Motown singing group The Temptations.-Early life and career:...
(verses; choruses; ad-libs), Paul WilliamsPaul Williams (The Temptations)Paul Williams was an American baritone singer and choreographer. Williams is noted for being one of the founding members and original lead singer of the Motown group The Temptations...
(verses; choruses), Eddie KendricksEddie KendricksEddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things...
(verses; choruses; bridge; ad-libs), Melvin FranklinMelvin FranklinDavid Melvin English better known by the stage name Melvin Franklin, was an American bass singer. Franklin is best known for his role as a member of Motown singing group The Temptations from 1960 to 1994....
(verses; choruses; bridge), and Otis WilliamsOtis WilliamsOtis Williams is an American baritone singer. Nicknamed "Big Daddy", he has also acted as a sporadic songwriter and record producer. Williams co-founded the Motown vocal group The Temptations in early 1960 as The Elgins, a group in which he continues to perform...
(verses; choruses) - Instrumentation by The Funk BrothersThe Funk BrothersThe Funk Brothers was the nickname of Detroit, Michigan, session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown Records recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972...