Cloud Nine
The Temptations | Artist Essentials
First released: 1968 (year verified)
Original 1968 studio recording
MusicAtlas editorial note: The moving lead parts and persistent rhythm give each return to the refrain a slightly different focus.
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Release evidence and recording details
First released: 1968 (year verified)
The selected original recording is documented in 1968 in the release history of Cloud Nine. Only year precision is assigned. Later singles, annual-list appearances, reissues and different performances do not replace the original year.
Recording: Original 1968 studio recording
Credit: The Temptations
Role in this collection: Original group performance
Original single: Cloud Nine
Complete Motown Singles - original 1968 program
The original Cloud Nine single is explicitly dated October 1968, before the 1969 album. The joint Supremes recording retains both groups in the original credit. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
In the yearly lists
These are listening-list appearances, separate from the first-release date.
Reviewed original title, retained performer credit and documented recording identify the same performance. Annual placement and original release remain separate.
Complete Motown Singles - original 1968 program
The original Cloud Nine single is explicitly dated October 1968, before the 1969 album. The joint Supremes recording retains both groups in the original credit. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
About The Temptations
The Temptations developed in Detroit and signed to Motown in 1961. Their recordings paired carefully arranged vocal harmonies with coordinated stage movement, making the group sound and visual presentation closely connected. The Way You Do the Things You Do and My Girl helped establish their 1960s repertoire. Later recordings explored funk and psychedelic soul as the membership changed. Those phases remain part of the group's history, distinct from the solo work of singers who passed through it.
Artist background sources
The Temptations - official group history
Detroit and 1961 Motown signing, harmonies/choreography, early repertoire, changing historical lineups and funk/psychedelic soul; current membership and chart totals are omitted. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
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