When She Was My Girl
1981 single by Four Tops
| "When She Was My Girl" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side A of the US single | ||||
| Single by Four Tops | ||||
| from the album Tonight! | ||||
| B-side | "Something to Remember" | |||
| Released | August 1981 | |||
| Genre | R&B, soul | |||
| Length | 3:25 | |||
| Label | Casablanca | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Larry Gottlieb, Marc Blatte | |||
| Producer(s) | David Wolfert | |||
| Four Tops singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"When She Was My Girl" is a 1981 single released by American vocal group the Four Tops. The song, their first release off Casablanca Records, helped to return the former signature Motown act to the American pop Top 40 charts, peaking at No. 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 10 on the Cashbox chart, and reaching No. 1 on the R&B charts.[1]
Internationally, it reached No. 9 in Canada, No. 6 in New Zealand, and also became their first top 10 hit in the UK in nine years, reaching No. 3. Their top 40 showing made the group one of the few acts to have top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 in three consecutive decades.
Record World called it an "infectious dancer."[2]
"When She Was My Girl" was a Grammy nominee for best R&B song.
Bruce Springsteen recorded the song for his 2022 album, Only the Strong Survive.
Chart performance
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[11] | Silver | 250,000^ |
| ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Credits
- Lead vocals by Levi Stubbs and Renaldo "Obie" Benson
- Background vocals by Abdul "Duke" Fakir and Lawrence Payton
References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 212.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. August 22, 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ "Item". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013.
- ^ The Irish Charts, November 8, 1981
- ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1982-01-10. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 91.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2005). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research.
- ^ "Chartfile Top 100" Record Mirror 26 December 1981: 27
- ^ "American Top 40 Year-End Survey 1972". Lionking.org. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
- ^ Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 26, 1981
- ^ "British single certifications – Four Tops – When She Was My Girl". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
External links
- Lyrics of this song
- Four Tops - When She Was My Girl on YouTube
- v
- t
- e
- Abdul "Duke" Fakir
- Ronnie McNeir
- Roquel Payton
- Harold Bonhart
- Four Tops
- Four Tops Second Album
- On Top
- On Broadway
- Reach Out
- Yesterday's Dreams
- Four Tops Now!
- Soul Spin
- Still Waters Run Deep
- Changing Times
- Keeper of the Castle
- Main Street People
- Meeting of the Minds
- Night Lights Harmony
- Catfish
- The Show Must Go On
- Tonight!
- One More Mountain
- Back Where I Belong
- Magic
- Indestructible
- Christmas Here with You
The Supremes
- The Magnificent 7
- The Return of the Magnificent Seven
- Dynamite
and live albums
- Four Tops Live!
- The Four Tops Greatest Hits
- Live & in Concert
- The Ultimate Collection
- "Baby I Need Your Loving"
- "Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worth While)"
- "Ask the Lonely"
- "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)"
- "It's the Same Old Song"
- "Something About You"
- "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)"
- "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever"
- "Reach Out I'll Be There"
- "Standing in the Shadows of Love"
- "Bernadette"
- "7 Rooms of Gloom"
- "Walk Away Renée"
- "If I Were a Carpenter"
- "Yesterday's Dreams"
- "I'm in a Different World"
- "It's All in the Game"
- "Still Water (Love)"
- "A Simple Game"
- "Keeper of the Castle"
- "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)"
- "When She Was My Girl"
- "Loco in Acapulco"
