Papa Was a Rollin' Stone is a Motown soul classic written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. It was first performed by The Undisputed Truth and released as a May 1972 single from the album Law of the Land, in the soul genre. Whitfield later produced a much longer version for The Temptations on the 1972 album All Directions; the Temptations released a seven minute single edit on September 28, 1972, while the full album version runs about 12 minutes and is often cited as a psychedelic soul epic. The song tells a somber story of a family with a father who was a rollin' stone, framed as a dialogue between siblings and their mother. The Temptations' version reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and won three Grammy Awards in 1973, cementing the track as a landmark of psychedelic soul and Motown history. It remains an enduring classic, noted for its hypnotic bass line, extended intro, and lush orchestration by the Funk Brothers.
