Get Ready (The Temptations song)

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“Get Ready”
Single by The Temptations
from the album Gettin' Ready
B-side "Fading Away"
Released February 7, 1966
Format 7" single
Recorded Hitsville USA (Studio A); December 5, December 9, and December 29, 1965
Genre Soul
Length 2:39
Label Gordy
G 7049
Writer(s) Smokey Robinson
Producer Smokey Robinson
The Temptations singles chronology
"My Baby" / "Don't Look Back"
(1965)		 "Get Ready"
(1966)		 "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
(1966)

For other uses, see Get Ready (disambiguation).

"Get Ready" is a Motown song written by Smokey Robinson, which resulted in two hit records for the label: a U.S. #29 version by The Temptations in 1966, and a U.S. #4 version by Rare Earth in 1970. It is significant for being the last song Smokey Robinson wrote and produced for the Temptations, due to a deal Berry Gordy made with Norman Whitfield, that if Get Ready did not meet with the expected degree of success, then Whitfield's song, Ain't Too Proud To Beg, would get the next release, which resulted in Whitfield more or less replacing Robinson as the group's producer.

Contents

[edit] Song History

[edit] Temptations version

The original Temptations version of "Get Ready", produced by Smokey Robinson, was designed as an answer to the latest dance craze, "The Duck". The Temptations' falsetto Eddie Kendricks sings lead on the song, which Robinson produced as an up-tempo dance number with a prominent rhythm provided by Motown drummer Benny Benjamin. In the song, Kendricks informs his lover to "get ready" because "I'm bringin' you a love that's true". The song made it to number one on the U.S. R&B singles chart, while peaking at number twenty-nine on the pop charts. The b-side to "Get Ready" was the sweet ballad "Fading Away", led by Kendricks also. Written and produced by William "Smokey" Robinson, "Fading Away" was later included on the Temptations 1966 album Gettin' Ready. When Whitfield's "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (also a number-one R&B hit) made it to thirteen on the pop charts, Motown chief Berry Gordy assigned him to be the Temptations' new main producer. Ironically, the song did eventually become a Top 10 pop hit, but not by the Temptations. ( See Rare Earth ).

[edit] Later performances

In 1966 The Supremes covered the song on their 1966 album The Supremes A' Go-Go. It was produced by Motown writing team Holland-Dozier-Holland. In 1967 Dusty Springfield performed a live version of the song at the British Broadcasting Corporation's television series "Dusty".[1]

[edit] Rare Earth version

“Get Ready”
Single by Rare Earth
from the album Get Ready
Released February 18, 1970
Format 7" single
Recorded Hitsville USA (Studio A); 1969
Genre Rock
Length 2:48 (single edit)
21:06 (album version)
Label Rare Earth
R 5012
Producer Rare Earth
Rare Earth singles chronology
"Generation, Light Up The Sky"
(1969)		 "Get Ready"
(1970)		 "(I Know) I'm Losing You"
(1970)

In 1969, Motown's rock band Rare Earth released a cover version of the song as a single. Rare Earth's version of "Get Ready" was the band's first recording for Motown, and was based upon a version of the song it performed as the closing numbers to their live performances. In the live show, each member of the band performed a solo, resulting in a twenty-one minute rendition of the song. It has been debated on whether the actual recording for the album was really recorded at a concert. It has been noted that the audience sounds throughout the song are repetitive and canned. This has been done before with The Kingsmen's version of Louie Louie released on an album with party crowd noise dubbed in.

The band wanted to release "Get Ready" as a single, but Motown declined at first, issuing the unsuccessful "Generation, Light Up the Sky" as the band's first single. Finally deferring to the band's wishes in February 1970, Motown released a three-minute edit of the song as a single, which became a hit. "Get Ready" peaked at number four on the U.S. pop charts, a better performance than the original, and took up the entire second side of their first Motown album, also named Get Ready.

Later covers of "Get Ready" include a 1979 version by the song's author, Smokey Robinson. PWL also produced a version in 1987 by Carol Hitchcock The original Temptations version was later adopted as a jingle promo for the 1990 fall season for the Get Ready for CBS Image Campaign. In 1991, The Temptations lineup at that time would remake the song for their album, Milestone. In 1995 Ash covered this song on the b-face of the single Goldfinger. In 2006, a re-written "Get Ready" served as the theme song for the launch of The CW (which is, ironically, 50% owned by CBS). This version was performed by Black Eyed Peas members Fergie and will.i.am. It was later turned into an actual full cover of the song called Here I Come on Fergie's album The Dutchess. Today, "Get Ready" is among the most familiar of both the Temptations' and Rare Earth's recordings. The Proclaimers also recorded an adaptation.

[edit] Credits

[edit] Temptations version

[edit] Supremes Version

[edit] Rare Earth version

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

[edit] Human Nature and Smokey Robinson version

  • Lead vocals by Smokey Robinson and Phil Burton of Human Nature
  • Backing vocals by the Andrew & Michael Tierney and Toby Allen of Human Nature

[edit] Sample

"Get Ready" -- Rare Earth version

Released in 1970 as a single from Get Ready.
Problems listening to the file? See media help.
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