Since I Lost My Baby

"Since I Lost My Baby" is a 1965 hit single recorded by The Temptations for the Motown Records' Gordy label. Written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore and produced by Robinson, the song was a top 20 pop single on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, on which it peaked at number 17. On Billboard's R&B singles chart, "Since I Lost My Baby" peaked at number four.^[1]

"Since I Lost My Baby"
Single by The Temptations
from the album The Temptin' Temptations
B-side	"You've Got to Earn It"
Released	June 1, 1965
Recorded	Hitsville USA (Studio A); May 5, May 10 and May 12, 1965
Genre	R&B, soul
Length	2:51
Label	Gordy G 7043
Songwriter(s)	Smokey Robinson Warren Moore
Producer(s)	Smokey Robinson
The Temptations singles chronology
"It's Growing" (1965) "Since I Lost My Baby" (1965) "My Baby" (1965)

Background

Longing and melancholy, "Since I Lost My Baby" tells a story about the pain of losing a lover. Temptations lead singer David Ruffin, portrays the song's narrator, bass singer Melvin Franklin is also heard out front after each of Ruffin's first two lines on the first verse. It was Ruffin's third straight lead on a Temptations single.

Cash Box described it as a "tender, slow-shufflin’ pop-r&b tearjerker about a lad who has been singing the blues since his romance went kaput."^[2]

Personnel

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

Charts

The Temptations

Chart (1965)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart	17
U.S. Billboard R&B Singles	4

Luther Vandross cover

"Since I Lost My Baby"
Single by Luther Vandross
from the album Forever, for Always, for Love
B-side	"You're The Sweetest One"
Released	1982
Studio	Mediasound (New York City)
Genre	R&B, soul
Length	3:50
Label	Epic Records
Songwriter(s)	Smokey Robinson Warren Moore
Producer(s)	Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross singles chronology
"Bad Boy/Having a Party" (1982) "Since I Lost My Baby" (1982) "How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye" (1983)

Luther Vandross covered the song for his 1982 album Forever, for Always, for Love. In 1983, Vandross' cover was a top twenty R&B hit, peaking to #17 on Billboards Hot R&B Singles chart.^{[citation needed]}

Charts

Chart (1983)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard R&B Singles	17

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 571.
2. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 17, 1965. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-01-12.

• Williams, Otis and Romanowski, Patricia (1988, updated 2002). Temptations. Lanham, MD: Cooper Square. ISBN 0-8154-1218-5.
• Williams, Otis and Weigner, Harry (2002). My Girl: The Very Best of the Temptations (Compact disc liner notes). New York: Motown/Universal Records.

External links

• List of cover versions of "Since I Lost My Baby" at SecondHandSongs.com