List of songs written by Norman Whitfield
This is a list of songs written by Norman Whitfield, either as a sole writer or with others
Chart hits and other notable songs written by Norman Whitfield
[edit]| Year | Song[1] | Original artist[1] | Co-writer(s) with Whitfield[1] | U.S. Pop[2] | U.S. R&B[3] | UK Singles Chart[4] | Other charting versions,[1] and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | "Pride and Joy" | Marvin Gaye | Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson | 10 | 2 | - | |
| "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" | Marvin Gaye | Marvin Gaye, Barrett Strong | - | - | - | 1983: Paul Young, #70 pop, #1 UK | |
| 1964 | "The Girl's Alright with Me" | The Temptations | Eddie Holland Jr., Eddie Kendricks | - | 39 | - | 1980: Masterpiece, #81 R&B |
| "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)" | The Temptations | Eddie Holland Jr. | 26 | 11 | - | ||
| "Needle in a Haystack" | The Velvelettes | William "Mickey" Stevenson | 45 | 31 | - | ||
| "Too Many Fish in the Sea" | The Marvelettes | Eddie Holland Jr. | 25 | 5 | - | 1966: Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels, #24 pop | |
| 1965 | "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'" | The Velvelettes | Eddie Holland Jr., William "Mickey" Stevenson | 64 | 21 | - | 1982: Bananarama, #5 UK |
| "Everybody Needs Love" | The Temptations | Eddie Holland Jr. | - | - | - | 1967: Gladys Knight & the Pips, #39 pop, #3 R&B | |
| 1966 | "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" | The Temptations | Eddie Holland Jr. | 13 | 1 | 21 | 1974: The Rolling Stones, #17 pop 1989: Rick Astley, #89 pop |
| "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" | The Temptations | Eddie Holland Jr. | 3 | 1 | 18 | 1989: Aswad, #31 UK | |
| "(I Know) I'm Losing You" | The Temptations | Eddie Holland Jr., Cornelius Grant | 8 | 1 | 19 | 1970: Rare Earth, #7 pop, #20 R&B 1971: Rod Stewart and the Faces, #24 pop 1986: Uptown, #87 pop | |
| 1967 | "Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got" | Jimmy Ruffin | Barrett Strong | 29 | 14 | 26 | 1969: Marvin Gaye (#67 pop, #27 R&B) |
| "Don't You Miss Me a Little Bit Baby" | Jimmy Ruffin | Barrett Strong, Rodger Penzabene | 68 | 27 | - | ||
| "You're My Everything" | The Temptations | Cornelius Grant, Rodger Penzabene | 6 | 3 | - | ||
| "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need " | The Temptations | Eddie Holland Jr. | 14 | 3 | - | ||
| "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" | Gladys Knight & the Pips | Barrett Strong | 2 | 1 | 47 | 1968: King Curtis & The Kingpins, #83 pop 1968: Marvin Gaye, #1 pop, #1 R&B, #1 UK 1974: Marvin Gaye, #53 UK (reissue) 1976: Creedence Clearwater Revival, #43 pop 1981: Roger, #79 pop, #1 R&B 1986: Edwin Starr, #83 UK 1986: Marvin Gaye, #8 UK (reissue) 1988: The California Raisins, #84 pop | |
| 1968 | "I Wish It Would Rain" | The Temptations | Barrett Strong, Rodger Penzabene | 4 | 1 | 45 | 1968: Gladys Knight & the Pips, #41 pop, #15 R&B 1973: The Faces, #8 UK |
| "The End of Our Road" | Gladys Knight & the Pips | Barrett Strong, Rodger Penzabene | 15 | 5 | - | 1970: Marvin Gaye, #40 pop, #7 R&B | |
| "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)" | The Temptations | Barrett Strong, Rodger Penzabene | 13 | 1 | 47 | ||
| "It Should Have Been Me" | Gladys Knight & the Pips | William "Mickey" Stevenson | 14 | 3 | - | 1976: Yvonne Fair, #85 pop, #5 UK 1991: Adeva, #48 UK | |
| "Please Return Your Love to Me" | The Temptations | Barrett Strong | 26 | 4 | - | ||
| "Cloud Nine" | The Temptations | Barrett Strong | 6 | 2 | 15 | 1969: Mongo Santamaria, #32 pop, #33 R&B | |
| 1969 | "Runaway Child, Running Wild" | The Temptations | Barrett Strong | 6 | 1 | - | |
| "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" | Marvin Gaye | Barrett Strong, Janie Bradford | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1969: The Billy Mitchell Group, #49 R&B 1970: The Young Vandals, #46 R&B 1972: Mardi Gras, #19 UK | |
| "Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down" | The Temptations | Barrett Strong | 20 | 2 | - | ||
| "I Can't Get Next to You" | The Temptations | Barrett Strong | 1 | 1 | 13 | 1970: Al Green, #60 pop, #11 R&B | |
| "Message from a Black Man" | The Temptations | Barrett Strong | - | - | - | 1970: The Whatnauts, #99 pop, #19 R&B | |
| "That's the Way Love Is" | Marvin Gaye | Barrett Strong | 7 | 2 | - | ||
| "Friendship Train" | Gladys Knight & the Pips | Barrett Strong | 17 | 2 | - | ||
| "Don't Let Him Take Your Love from Me" | The Four Tops | Barrett Strong | 45 | 25 | - | ||
| 1970 | "How Can I Forget" | Marvin Gaye | Barrett Strong | 41 | 18 | - | |
| "Psychedelic Shack" | The Temptations | Barrett Strong | 7 | 2 | 33 | ||
| "You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)" | Gladys Knight & the Pips | Barrett Strong | 25 | 3 | - | 2000: Tom Jones and Heather Small, #24 UK | |
| "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today) " | The Temptations | Barrett Strong | 3 | 2 | 7 | ||
| "War" | Edwin Starr | Barrett Strong | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1986: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (live), #8 pop, #18 UK | |
| "Ungena Za Ulimwengu (Unite the World)" | The Temptations | Barrett Strong | 33 | 8 | - | ||
| "I Gotta Let You Go" | Martha Reeves and the Vandellas | 93 | 43 | - | |||
| "Stop the War Now" | Edwin Starr | Barrett Strong | 26 | 5 | 33 | ||
| 1971 | "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" | The Temptations | Barrett Strong | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1984: Lillo Thomas, #79 R&B 1998: The McGanns, #59 UK 2008: Boyz II Men, #83 R&B |
| "Save My Love for a Rainy Day" | The Undisputed Truth | Rodger Penzabene | - | 43 | - | ||
| "Funky Music Sho' 'Nuff Turns Me On" | Edwin Starr | Barrett Strong | 64 | 6 | - | 1972: The Temptations, #27 R&B 1974: Yvonne Fair, #32 R&B 2000: The Utah Saints, #23 UK | |
| "Smiling Faces Sometimes " | The Undisputed Truth | Barrett Strong | 3 | 2 | - | ||
| "It's Summer" | The Temptations | Barrett Strong | 51 | 29 | - | ||
| "Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are) " | The Temptations | Barrett Strong | 18 | 8 | 32 | ||
| "You Make Your Own Heaven and Hell Right Here on Earth " | The Undisputed Truth | Barrett Strong | 72 | 24 | - | ||
| 1972 | "What It Is" | The Undisputed Truth | Barrett Strong | 71 | 35 | - | |
| "Take a Look Around" | The Temptations | Barrett Strong | 30 | 10 | 13 | ||
| "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" | The Undisputed Truth | Barrett Strong | 63 | 24 | - | 1972: The Temptations, #1 pop, #5 R&B, #14 UK 1982: Wolf, #55 pop, #47 R&B 1987: The Temptations (remix) #31 UK 1990: Was (Not Was), #60 R&B, #12 UK | |
| 1973 | "Masterpiece" | The Temptations | 7 | 1 | 53 | ||
| "Mama I Got a Brand New Thing (Don't Say No)" | Jackson 5 | 46 | 46 | - | |||
| "Law of the Land" | The Undisputed Truth | - | 40 | - | 1973: The Temptations, #41 UK | ||
| "The Plastic Man" | The Temptations | 40 | 8 | - | |||
| "Hey Girl (I Like Your Style) " | The Temptations | 35 | 2 | - | |||
| "Hum Along and Dance" | Rare Earth | Barrett Strong | - | 95 | - | ||
| "You've Got My Soul on Fire" | Edwin Starr | - | 40 | 54 | |||
| "Let Your Hair Down" | The Temptations | 27 | 1 | - | |||
| 1974 | "Heavenly" | The Temptations | 43 | 8 | - | ||
| "You've Got My Soul on Fire" | The Temptations | 74 | 8 | - | |||
| "Help Yourself" | The Undisputed Truth | 63 | 19 | - | |||
| "I'm a Fool for You" | The Undisputed Truth | - | 39 | - | |||
| "Walk Out the Door If You Wanna" | Yvonne Fair | - | 60 | - | |||
| 1975 | "UFO's" | The Undisputed Truth | - | 62 | - | ||
| "Love Ain't No Toy" | Yvonne Fair | - | 96 | - | 1987: Amii Stewart, #99 UK | ||
| "Higher Than High" | The Undisputed Truth | - | 77 | - | |||
| 1976 | "Car Wash" | Rose Royce | 1 | 1 | 9 | 1988: Rose Royce, #20 UK (reissue) 1998: Rose Royce, #18 UK (reissue) | |
| "You Gotta Believe" | The Pointer Sisters | - | 14 | - | |||
| 1977 | "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" | Rose Royce | - | - | 44 | ||
| "You + Me = Love" | The Undisputed Truth | 48 | 37 | 43 | 1989: The Funky Worm, "U + Me = Love", #46 UK | ||
| "Let's Go Down to the Disco" | The Undisputed Truth | 68 | - | ||||
| "I Wanna Get Next to You" | Rose Royce | 10 | 3 | 14 | 1998: Christión, #32 R&B | ||
| "I'm Going Down" | Rose Royce | 70 | 10 | - | 1995: Mary J. Blige, #22 pop, #13 R&B, #12 UK | ||
| "Do Your Dance" | Rose Royce | Dwight Turner | 39 | 4 | 30 | ||
| "Ooh Boy" | Rose Royce | 72 | 3 | - | 1980: Rose Royce, #46 UK (reissue) | ||
| 1978 | "All American Funkathon" | Willie Hutch | Willie Hutch | - | 62 | - | |
| "Theme Song from Which Way Is Up?" | Stargard | 21 | 1 | 19 | |||
| "It Makes You Feel Like Dancin'" | Rose Royce | - | - | 15 | |||
| "What You Waiting For" | Stargard | - | 4 | 39 | |||
| 1979 | "First Come, First Serve" | Rose Royce | - | 65 | - | ||
| "Show Time" | The Undisputed Truth | - | 55 | - | |||
| "I'm in Love (And I Love the Feeling)" | Rose Royce | - | 5 | 51 | |||
| 1980 | "Pop Your Fingers" | Rose Royce | - | 60 | - | ||
| 1981 | "Golden Touch" | Rose Royce | Mark Kenoly, Walter Downing | - | 56 | - | |
| "High on the Boogie" | Stargard | - | 70 | - | |||
| "R.R. Express" | Rose Royce | - | - | 52 | |||
| 1982 | "1990" | Dr. America | - | 51 | - | ||
| 1983 | "Ready for Some Action " | June Pointer | - | 28 | - | ||
| "Miss Busy Body (Get Your Body Busy) " | The Temptations | Angelo Bond | - | 67 | - | ||
| 1984 | "Sail Away" | The Temptations | Angelo Bond | 54 | 13 | - | |
| 1989 | "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka " | The Gap Band | William Bryant II | - | 14 | 63 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Songs written by Norman Whitfield, MusicVF.com. Retrieved 8 September 2014
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995. Record Research.
- ^ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.