Turning points in music history are almost always more complicated than they appear at first glance. That's exactly the case with the Temptations' "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)," which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 3, 1971.
In a way, the history of the song goes back to 1969, when Motown producer Norman Whitfield and his frequent writing partner Barrett Strong penned it. At the time, though, it didn't fit with what the Temptations were doing; it was a ballad perfectly set up for a dreamy, romantic orchestration, and the group had moved away from that sorta thing.
Under the sway of the times, and under Whitfield's direction, they'd started to explore "psychedelic soul" in 1968.The shift had been successful, and in 1969 the hit single "Cloud Nine" netted them the first Grammy - for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental – ever won by a Motown Records artist.