The Temptations Detail The Legacy Of “My Girl” For Its 60th Anniversary

The Temptations are celebrating 60 years of “My Girl.” They kicked off the milestone anniversary in partnership with Princess Cruises a.k.a. The Love Boat on Saturday (Jan. 4) with a special performance and announcement.

Ahead of their next voyage, onlookers and press alike piled aboard the luxurious cruise ship as current members Jawan M. Johnson, Terry Weeks, Tony Grant, and founding member Otis Williams treated us to a live rendition of the group’s first No. 1 hit. Fellow member Ron Tyson was not present.

Released in December 1964, Smokey Robinson penned the sentimental ballad for the group because of David Ruffin. “Smokey saw us back in Detroit. He was impressed with the show that we were doing, and he pointed his finger at David Ruffin, he said, ‘Oh, I got a song for you.’ [Robinson] rehearsed us in between shows at the Apollo; [we] came back to Detroit and recorded ‘My Girl,’” Williams told VIBE backstage.

By February of 1965, over a million records were sold and to this day, Williams still has those congratulatory telegrams and plaques on his wall at home. As of today, “My Girl” has over a billion streams digitally, which leaves Williams still in awe.

“Wonders always never cease,” he quipped. “I can’t even put it in a profoundness way of speaking […] To have something like this done, 1 billion is still going. I’ve always said you could tip me over with a feather because I wouldn’t believe that that would’ve happened.”

The Temptations will set sail on The Love Boat this December for Princess Cruises’ two-week trek to the Mexican Riviera in celebration of their 60th anniversary. The ship departs on Dec. 6.

“As we prepare to celebrate our 60^th anniversary, we can’t help but look back at where it all began with one ship sailing to Mexico,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Princess Cruises, in a statement. “This commemorative 60th Anniversary Cruise will not only pay tribute to our rich history but also bring together the joy of cruise travel, music and unforgettable moments. The Temptations’ performance today gives just a glimpse of the excitement and memorable experiences we have in store for this milestone.”

Coincidentally, this also marks for the 40th anniversary of The Temptations premiering “Treat Her Like a Lady” on The Love Boat.

Williams noted, “The one thing about us is we’ve always been surrounded by very talented people that keep us on the move. 40 years ago, we did do Princess [Cruises], and we did ‘Treat Her Like a Lady‘ at the time. So, here we are, once again, and we will go back out again later on this year on the Princess Cruise. I mean, wonders never cease.”

In addition to detailing the story behind “My Girl,” we had to ask Williams about the group’s quintessential holiday record—their cover of “Silent Night.”

He confessed, “We’ve been told countless times that if they do not hear our version of ‘Silent Night,’ it is not Christmas and we’ve had some people that get mad at us when we don’t do it. So we still cherish the moment and we love that, because we never would imagine that the way our flavor became so popular that we would be accepted and loved this many years later.”

Other milestone events from Princess Cruises will be announced in the coming months and their new cruise line, Star Princess, debuts in October.