Editing I Can't Get Next to You

{{Short description|Song by the Temptations}}
{{more citations needed|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = I Can't Get Next to You
| cover      = Tempts-cant-get-next-1969.jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[the Temptations]]
| album      = [[Puzzle People]]
| B-side     = Running Away (Ain't Gonna Help You)
| released   = July 30, 1969
| recorded   = [[Hitsville USA]] (Studio A); June 23, June 24, June 27, June 30, July 2, and July 3, 1969
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Funk]], [[psychedelic soul]]
| length     = 2:51
| label      = [[Motown|Gordy]]<br><small>G 7093</small>
| writer     = {{hlist|[[Norman Whitfield]]|[[Barrett Strong]]}}
| producer   = Norman Whitfield

| prev_title = Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down
| prev_year  = 1969
| next_title = [[The Weight]]
| next_year  = 1969
}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = I Can't Get Next to You
| cover      = I_Can't_Get_Next_to_You_-_Al_Green.jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Al Green]]
| album      = [[Al Green Gets Next to You]]
| released   = November 1970
| recorded   = [[Memphis, Tennessee]]; 1970
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]]<ref name= "Marsh 1989">{{cite book|first=Dave|last=Marsh|title=The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made|url=https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Heart_Of_Rock_Soul.html?id=5t5DYDniSHEC|date=1989|publisher=[[Plume (publisher)|Plume]]|isbn=0-452-26305-0|page=522}}</ref>
| length     = 3:48
| label      = [[Hi Records|Hi]]<br><small>2182</small>
| writer     = [[Norman Whitfield]] <br /> [[Barrett Strong]]
| producer   = [[Willie Mitchell (musician)|Willie Mitchell]]
| prev_title = Right Now, Right Now
| prev_year  = 1970
| next_title = Driving Wheel
| next_year  = 1971
}}

"'''I Can't Get Next to You'''" is a 1969 [[Single (music)|single]] recorded by [[the Temptations]] and written by [[Norman Whitfield]] and [[Barrett Strong]] for the Gordy ([[Motown]]) label. The song was a No. 1 single on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Top Pop Singles]] chart for two weeks in 1969, from October 18 to October 25, replacing "[[Sugar, Sugar]]" by [[the Archies]] and replaced by "[[Suspicious Minds]]" by [[Elvis Presley]]. The single was also a No. 1 hit on the [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|''Billboard'' Top R&B Singles]] for five weeks,<ref>{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=571}}</ref> from October 4 to November 1, replacing "[[Oh, What a Night (The Dells song)|Oh, What a Night]]" by [[the Dells]], and replaced by another Motown song, "[[Baby I'm For Real]]" by [[The Originals (band)|the Originals]].

The single was the second of the Temptations' four No. 1 hits on the [[United States]] pop charts, and was also one of the best-selling singles the group released. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the [[Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1969|No. 3 song for 1969]].

The applause that starts the song, which is cut short by [[Dennis Edwards]]' spoken "Hold it, hold it, listen" line, was sampled in another Temptations song "[[Psychedelic Shack (song)|Psychedelic Shack]]".

==Overview==
"I Can't Get Next to You" was the second single from the 1969 Temptations LP ''[[Puzzle People]]'', with "Running Away (Ain't Gonna Help You)", a ballad led by Paul Williams, as the [[b-side]]. The single was a No. 1 hit on both the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart and the [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|''Billboard'' Top R&B Singles]] chart. The song has been frequently covered, most notably a 1970 version by [[Al Green]], a slower-paced version without multi-lead vocals. Green's cover, the title track of his 1971 LP ''[[Al Green Gets Next to You]]'', reached No. 60 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and No. 11 on the R&B chart. [[Annie Lennox]] also covered the song on her 1995 album ''[[Medusa (Annie Lennox album)|Medusa]]''.

==Personnel==
* Lead and background vocals by [[Dennis Edwards]] (verses; choruses; outro), [[Eddie Kendricks]] (verses; choruses), [[Paul Williams (The Temptations)|Paul Williams]] (verses), [[Melvin Franklin]] (verses), and [[Otis Williams]] (last verse)
* Written by [[Norman Whitfield]] and [[Barrett Strong]]
* Produced by Norman Whitfield
* Instrumentation by [[the Funk Brothers]].

==Chart history==
{{col-begin|width=67%}}
{{col-2}}

===The Temptations===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (1969)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|Canada ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' Top Singles<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.6080&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.6080.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.6080|title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date=1969-10-25 |access-date=2019-12-03}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|11
|-
|[[UK Singles Chart|UK]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Official Charts Company |url=http://Officialcharts.com |access-date=2019-10-09}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|13
|-
|U.S. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]]<ref>''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990'' - {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|U.S. ''Billboard'' [[R&B]]
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|U.S. [[Cash Box (magazine)|''Cash Box'']] Top 100<ref>[http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/60s_files/19691025.html Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 25, 1969]</ref>
|align="center"|3
|-
|}
{{col-2}}

====Year-end charts====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (1969)
! style="text-align:center;"|Rank
|-
|Canada <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.6104&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.6104.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.6104|title=RPM Top Singles of 1969|access-date=24 December 2017|publisher=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|website=[[Library and Archives Canada]]|date=17 July 2013}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|44
|-
|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>[http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1969.htm Musicoutfitters.com]</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
|US ''Cash Box'' <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/1969YESP.html |title=Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 27, 1969 |access-date=December 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125055422/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/1969YESP.html |archive-date=January 25, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|7
|-
|}

====All-time charts====
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Chart (1958-2018)
! Position
|-
|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100-60th-anniversary|title=Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart|magazine=Billboard|access-date=10 December 2018}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|409
|}
{{col-end}}

===Al Green===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (1970–71)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|U.S. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]]<ref>''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990'' - {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|60
|-
|U.S. ''Billboard'' [[R&B]]
| style="text-align:center;"|11
|-
|U.S. [[Cash Box (magazine)|''Cash Box'']] Top 100<ref>[http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19701219.html Cash Box Top 100 Singles, December 19, 1970]</ref>
|align="center"|70
|-
|}

==See also==
*[[Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1969 (USA)]]
*[[R&B number-one hits of 1969 (USA)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{The Temptations}}
{{The Temptations singles}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:I Can't Get Next To You}}
[[Category:1969 singles]]
[[Category:1970 singles]]
[[Category:Songs written by Barrett Strong]]
[[Category:Songs written by Norman Whitfield]]
[[Category:The Temptations songs]]
[[Category:The Osmonds songs]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Norman Whitfield]]
[[Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles]]
[[Category:Psychedelic soul songs]]
[[Category:1969 songs]]
[[Category:Gordy Records singles]]
[[Category:Hi Records singles]]