Norman Whitfield RIP

One of the great songwriter/producers of the 1960s and 1970s is gone. I've heard that this song actually derives far more from the work of Roger Penzabene than it does from either Barrett Strong or Norman Whitfield, who were the other two credited co-composers, but what the hell, it's a beautiful example of a Whitfield production. He knew how to keep things simple when that was required, as in the beautiful opening section. And he may well have pushed David Ruffin to deliver the fully committed lead vocal. The way the line "And crying eases the pain" is delivered is something very special. Or maybe it was all Ruffin. But then Whitfield knew enough to keep out of the way, another hallmark of an excellent producer.

Damn, this is the third RIP I've done in a week. People are dropping like flies. Stop it!