Otis Williams had something to share. When asked if he liked baseball, the 82-year-old founder of The Temptations coughed and said in a soft, musical tone: “Dodgers.”
Sixty years after its release, The Temptations’ song “My Girl” has become popular at Citi Field since New York Mets player Francisco Lindor started using it as his walk-up song in late May. Fans keep singing the lyrics even after Lindor is already at bat.
The Temptations made a stop in New York on a day off from their tour to perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “My Girl” before the Mets defeated Los Angeles 12-6 on Friday night, bringing the series to 3-2.
“It’s the highest compliment you can get,” Williams said in a green room behind home plate.
Dressed in blue tuxedos with orange pocket squares, the five singers stood on the warning track behind home plate and sang an a cappella version of the national anthem, showcasing their vocal talent as Lindor watched from the foul line and sang along.
After that, they put on Mets jerseys and performed “My Girl” with music playing on the sound system while Lindor warmed up with sprints on the outfield grass, smiling and nodding his head.
By the end of the song, he made his way to the dugout and did his special pregame handshake with teammate Pete Alonso.
“Most players pick a walk-up song based on how they feel at the moment, but they also want the fans to enjoy the song,” Lindor said. “Whenever you see the whole crowd getting into it, I think it’s pretty cool.”
Released on December 21, 1964, “My Girl” became the group’s first No. 1 hit the following March and has been streamed one billion times on Spotify. Williams realized the song’s importance during a concert at Harlem’s Apollo Theater in 1965.
“We went out on stage and performed without ‘My Girl.’ They almost called us every name except the child of God,” he said. “So we know we can never, ever take that song out.”
Lindor chose the song because of his wife Katia and daughters Kalina and Amapola. He didn’t expect the strong reaction.
“Last year I changed the song every single day,” he said. “I changed it because it was the song I was vibing to at the moment and it took off. I don’t know if it’s because I started hitting or because we started winning or because the song is good.”
“My Girl” was written and produced by Smokey Robinson and Ronnie White.
“Smokey saw us perform in Detroit at a place called the 20 Grand and he said then, ‘I got a song for you guys’ and he pointed to Davey Ruffin,” Williams remembered, referring to the group’s lead singer in the 1960s.
“So we went in the studio and we put the vocals down and I said: ‘Smokey did another great song for us.’ But when Paul Riser edited the strings and horns, I said, ‘Oh, oh, this is a different kind of song.’ So I went in the control room. I said, ‘Smokey, I don’t know how big a record this is going to become, but this is going to be something big.’”
A few months after the song was released, Williams received congratulatory telegrams from the Supremes and the Beatles. “I have that at the house,” he said proudly.
The Temptations were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, with a collection of songs including “Just My Imagination,” “Get Ready,” and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.” They’ve had 14 No. 1 hits and 42 songs in the top 10.
Sujata Murthy, Universal Music Enterprises’ executive vice president of media and artist relations, noticed Lindor’s use of the song and reached out to the Mets.
The group was in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, for a concert last weekend and changed their plans to stop in New York before their shows this weekend in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Durham, North Carolina.
Williams, who turns 83 on October 30, is the last original member of the group. He has no plans to retire.
“I tell people I’m going to ride the hell out of the horse,” he said. “When I get off the horse, it’s going to be bald. That’s a lot of rides when you ride the horse bald.”
Williams grew up in Detroit, but he doesn’t support the Motown baseball team.
“Tigers is flimflam,” he said. “But the Lions now, they got promise. They got hope. I love the Lions. I’m still a Detroiter at heart, even though I’m in LA.”
