Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)
The Temptations | Artist Essentials
First released: 1971 (year verified)
Original 1971 studio recording
MusicAtlas editorial note: The patient melody gives the softer parts of the harmony blend room to come forward.
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Release evidence and recording details
First released: 1971 (year verified)
The selected original recording is documented in 1971 in the release history of Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me). Only year precision is assigned. Later singles, annual-list appearances, reissues and different performances do not replace the original year.
Recording: Original 1971 studio recording
Credit: The Temptations
Role in this collection: Original group performance
Original single: Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)
Complete Motown Singles - original 1971 first-half program
The original first-half 1971 program includes Just My Imagination, with the recording-specific licensed item confirming the Temptations credit. Later compilation fields are not original release dates. | 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 1971 first-half program
The original first-half 1971 program includes Just My Imagination, with the recording-specific licensed item confirming the Temptations credit. Later compilation fields are not original release dates. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
Other catalog appearances
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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