About The Song
“I Can’t Get Next to You” by The Temptations was released as the second single from their 1969 album “Puzzle People”. It topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Top R&B Singles charts. The song was written by Motown songwriters Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield, who also produced the track. Strong and Whitfield previously collaborated on The Temptations’ hit “Cloud Nine”. Notably performed on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1969, the song remains iconic in soul music history.
The Temptations’ “I Can’t Get Next to You” explores themes of unrequited love and frustration when unable to connect with someone. The lyrics depict the narrator’s longing for a romantic connection, symbolized by their inability to perform extraordinary feats like turning the sky blue or making a ship sail on dry land. Its catchy melodies and powerful vocals have contributed to its lasting impact and popularity.
Lyrics
Hold it, everybody
Hold it, hold it, listen
I can turn the gray sky blue
I can make it rain whenever I want it to
Oh, I can build a castle from a single grain of sand
I can make a ship sail, huh, on dry land
But my life is incomplete and I'm so blue
'Cause I can't get next to you (I can't get next to you, babe)
Next to you (I can't get next to you)
I just can't get next you (I can't get next to you, babe)
(I can't get next to you)
I can fly like a bird in the sky
Hey, and I can buy anything that money can buy
Oh, I can turn a river into a raging fire
I can live forever if I so desire
Unimportant are all the things I can do
'Cause I can't get next to you (I can't get next to you, babe)
No matter what I do (I can't get next to you)
Uh-yah
Ooh
Ooh
Chicka boom, chicka boom
Chicka boom, boom, boom
I can turn back the hands of time, you better believe I can
I can make the seasons change just by waving my hand
Oh, I can change anything from old to new
The things I want to do the most, I'm unable to do
Unhappy am I with all the powers I possess
'Cause, girl, you're the key to my happiness
And I, oh I can't get next to you
Girl, you're blowing my mind
'Cause I can't get (next to you)
Can't you see these tears I'm crying?
I can't get (next to you)
Girl, it's you that I need
I gotta get (next to you)
Can't you see these tears I'm crying?
I can't get (next to you)
I, I, I, I, I can't get (next to you)
I, I, I, I, I can't get, now (next to you)
Girl, you're blowing my mind
'Cause I can't get...
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