My Guy
| "My Guy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side A of the Australian single | ||||
| Single by Mary Wells | ||||
| from the album Mary Wells Sings My Guy | ||||
| B-side | "Oh Little Boy (What Did You Do to Me)" | |||
| Released | March 13, 1964 | |||
| Recorded | 1964 | |||
| Studio | Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A), Detroit, Michigan | |||
| Genre | R&B[1] | |||
| Length | 2:54 | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Smokey Robinson | |||
| Producer(s) | Smokey Robinson | |||
| Mary Wells singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"My Guy" is a 1964
Mary Wells version
At the session for the "My Guy" backing track, the studio musicians were having issues completing the intro. They had been playing all day and only a half-hour scheduled studio time was left. Trombonist George Bohanon said to keyboardist Earl Van Dyke that the opening measure of "Canadian Sunset" could be perfectly juxtaposed on the intro's chord changes, and Van Dyke, the session bandleader, expediently constructed an intro incorporating the opening of "Canadian Sunset" and also the "left hand notes" from "Canadian Sunset" composer Eddie Heywood's rendition of "Begin the Beguine". Van Dyke would recall: "We were doing anything to get the hell out of that studio. We knew that the producers didn't know nothing 'bout no 'Canadian Sunset' or 'Begin the Beguine'. We figured the song would wind up in the trash can anyway".[2]
When Wells recorded her vocal she sang over the song's outro with a huskiness evoking the line delivery of Mae West: Wells would recall: "I was only joking but the producers said 'Keep it going, keep it going'."[2]
"My Guy" became the biggest hit ever for Wells, Motown's first female star, and reached the top of the
Her version of the song was used in the film More American Graffiti (1979) and in a season one episode of Friends ("The One with Mrs. Bing").
In the United Kingdom, "My Guy" peaked at No.5 in June 1964.
In 1999, the 1964 recording of "My Guy" by Mary Wells on
Personnel
- Lead vocals by Mary Wells
- Background vocals by the Andantes: Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps
- Written and produced by William "Smokey" Robinson
- Instrumentation by the Funk Brothers:[7]
- Earl Van Dyke – keyboards
- Johnny Griffith – piano
- Eddie Willis – guitar
- Robert White – guitar
- James Jamerson – bass
- Benny Benjamin – drums
- Dave Hamilton – vibes
- Herbert Williams – trumpet
- John Wilson – trumpet
- Paul Riser – trombone
- George Bohanon – trombone
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[17] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Other versions
| "My Guy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Petula Clark | ||||
| from the album Now | ||||
| B-side | "Little Bit of Lovin'" | |||
| Released | May 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 1972 | |||
| Genre | Easy listening | |||
| Length | 3:12 | |||
| Label | MGM | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Smokey Robinson | |||
| Producer(s) | Mike Curb, Don Costa | |||
| Petula Clark singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "My Guy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Sister Sledge | ||||
| from the album The Sisters | ||||
| B-side | "Il Macquillage Lady" | |||
| Released | January 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 3:45 | |||
| Label | Cotillion | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Smokey Robinson | |||
| Producer(s) | Sister Sledge | |||
| Sister Sledge singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"My Guy" has three times returned to the
"My Guy" has twice reached the C&W chart in renderings by Lynda K Lance (No.46 C&W, 1971) and by Margo Smith (No.43 C&W, 1980).
The song has also been recorded by
More than via any straightforward remake, "My Guy" has had its highest profile since the Mary Wells original through its appearance on the soundtrack of the film Sister Act (1992), starring Whoopi Goldberg, in a rendition that substitutes "My Guy" with "My God", transforming the song into a gospel number.
In 1999, "My Guy" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[citation needed]
In 2008, the Los Angeles–based rock group Warpaint performed a version of the song on their EP Exquisite Corpse, titled "Billie Holliday".
References
- ^ Breihan, Tom (November 15, 2022). "The Supremes - "Where Did Our Love Go". The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music. New York: Hachette Book Group. p. 57.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-56976-248-6.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. March 28, 1964. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
- ISBN 0823076776. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 617.
- ^ https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#m
- ^ Liner notes. The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 4: 1964, Hip-O Select - B0005946-02, USA, 24 Feb 2006
- ^ CHUM Hit Parade, June 8, 1964
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – My Guy". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ Flavour of New Zealand, 25 June 1964
- ^ a b "MARY WELLS - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 617.
- ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, May 30, 1964
- ^ Musicoutfitters.com
- ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 26, 1964". Archived from the original on June 1, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ "British single certifications – Mary Wells – My Guy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
- ^ "Kathy Sledge 2012 SoulMusic.com Interview on the Bright Side of Soul". SoulMusic.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
