The Temptations – “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” Pop #11
Several Motown songwriters had tried to write a hit for The Temptations before Smokey Robinson teamed with fellow Miracle Bobby Rogers to pen this gem.
Sung by high tenor Eddie Kendricks, the lyrics are equal parts pick-up lines and nursery rhyme. Few could rhyme “candle” with “handle” and “money” with “honey” without sounding trite and cliched, but somehow Robinson and Kendricks pulled it off.
Whatever worked in the song then, still holds up today. UB40 released a reggae-tinged cover 35 years after the Temptations and bettered the original by five spots (No. 6) on the charts. Radio Disney performer Jordan Pruitt — who wasn’t even born when UB40’s version was released — is scheduled to include a version on her second album later this year. — By Joel Francis
joelfrancis.com 