Blacktop Mojo Reimagine Temptations ‘My Girl’ as Moody Breakup Power Ballad
Unless you've been under a rock, you've likely heard the Temptations classic "My Girl" at some point in your life. It's a joyous, catchy sing-along gem about the joys of love that has inspired many a sing-along. But for the black-hearted, Blacktop Mojo have found the darker side of the song, reimagining it as a moody, power ballad that will certainly strike a chord with the brokenhearted on this the most romantic of days.
While the song starts with the same lyrics as the Temptations original, Blacktop Mojo take a few lyrical liberties in flipping the script to give listeners something a little darker and melancholy. As a result, the song now celebrates love, but primarily through the lens of feeling its loss.
It's a somber version, playing off a hypnotic acoustic guitar that is eventually accentuated with string backing and letting vocalist Matt James' emotional delivery do the heavy lifting prior to the explosive power ballad moments.
Singer Matt James says, “We all know this song. It’s a song that comes on the radio or starts playing in the background as you’re in the grocery store and immediately you begin to hum along and have visions of the new girl you’re falling head over heels for, and you feel all the warm fuzzy feelings she gives you, welling up inside. Our version of the song is when you fast forward into that relationship with the same girl that gave you all that warmth and sunshine, but she’s up and left you and taken the ‘Month of May’ with her.”
The band added, "We love the original tune. Everyone grew up listening to it. There’s definitely something special about Motown and that era of music and there’s a reason why artists like the Temptations have stood the test of time. However when you’re having a bad day, or maybe having it out with your lady, and a song like 'My Girl' comes on, while nine times out of ten it’ll cheer you up, sometimes you just don’t want to hear a happy love song. Sometimes you’re in the ‘Lonely Hearts Club’ instead, and that’s where our version comes in."
While the song has surfaced just in time for Valentine's Day, fans will have to wait a bit to purchase or stream the song as it will be available as of Feb. 25.
Blacktop Mojo will be more in the spotlight in the coming weeks as the band will follow the release of "My Girl" with a spring tour. The trek kicks off March 10 in Little Rock, Arkansas and runs through March 27 in Springfield, Mo. Dates can be seen below and ticketing info can be found here.
Blacktop Mojo, "My Girl" (Temptations Reimagining)
Blacktop Mojo Spring 2022 Tour Dates
March 10 – Little Rock, Ark. @ Stickyz Rock-n-Roll Chicken Shack
March 11 – Lawrence, Kan. @ Venue 1235
March 12 – Lincoln, Neb. @ 1867 Bar
March 13 – Watertown, S.D. @ The Goss Opera House
March 15 – Minot, N.D. @ The Original
March 16 – Fargo, N.D. @ The Aquarium
March 18 – Sioux City, Iowa @ The Marquee
March 19 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ The Cabooze
March 20 – Iowa City, Iowa @ Wildwood Smokehouse & Saloon
March 22 – Westland, Mich. @ The Token Lounge
March 23 – Battle Creek, Mich. @ The Music Factory
March 25 – Jeffersonville, Ind. @ Maxwell's House of Music
March 26 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Red Flag – MJP
March 27 – Springfield, Mo. @ Odyssey Lounge