My Girl

"My Girl" was written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White, who were both members of The Miracles. Robinson wrote the lyrics - he was married at the time to his first wife, Claudette (they were wed from 1957-1986) - but Smokey said that the song is not about a specific girl, but "written with all the women in the world in mind."

This song was written in the Apollo Theater when The Temptations were playing as part of a package tour with The Miracles. According to Robinson, he was working out the song on a piano at the theater when his bandmate Ronald White joined him and they hashed out the song. When The Temptations heard it, they convinced Robinson to let them record it instead of The Miracles. Robinson, who was Berry Gordy's right-hand man at Motown agreed, and rehearsed the song with The Tempts over the next week. When they returned to Detroit, Robinson and White produced the session on December 21, 1964 when they recorded this song.

The previous year, Robinson wrote "My Guy" for Motown singer Mary Wells. That song carried the same sentiment of unconditional love, but from a female perspective.