This song was another step away from the group's softer records recorded with Smokey Robinson as producer, a change that Whitfield had begun with "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" earlier in the year. "I'm Losing You" features a much more dramatic arrangement than most contemporary Motown songs: a rock-styled guitar riff (devised by Temptations road manager/band director Cornelius Grant), sharp horn blasts, and the Temptations' doo-wop vocals paint the backdrop for one of David Ruffin's trademark raspy lead vocals.

As The Funk Brothers keep time with the song's James Brown-inspired beat, Ruffin pointedly accuses his lover of gradually slipping away from him. The closing vocal riff to the song's chorus had the other four Temptations call out an extended "losing you...!" shout in falsetto. The choreography for the line, with each member cupping their hands around their mouths as they shout the line out, became a Temptations standard.

"I'm Losing You" was a number-one hit on the Billboard R&B singles chart, and reached number eight on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. The single was included as the anchoring track for the summer 1967 album The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul.

Among the most notable covers of "I'm Losing You" was a 1970 version by Motown rock band Rare Earth for their Ecology album. Rare Earth's ten-minute cover was edited for single release, and peaked one position higher than the Temptations' original on the U.S. pop charts, at number seven. The song was later covered by Rod Stewart on his 1971 album Every Picture Tells A Story. During the 1980s, on a Dallas, Texas-based Oak Lawn Records label, the song was covered 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, reaching the No. 80 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1987.

[edit] Credits

[edit] Temptations version

Lead vocals by David Ruffin
Background vocals by Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, and Otis Williams
Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers.

[edit] Rare Earth version

Lead vocals by Pete Rivera
Background vocals by Gil Bridges and Rod Richards
Instrumentation by Gil Bridges (saxophone), Pete Rivera (drums), John Parrish (bass guitar), Rod Richards (guitar), and Kenny James (keyboards)

[edit] Human Nature's Version

Human Nature's new album get ready featuring some of the original superstars features this song on their album.

[edit] References

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(I Know) I'm Losing You

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Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Credits

[edit] Temptations version

[edit] Rare Earth version

[edit] Human Nature's Version

[edit] References

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