A founding member of the Temptations is unimpressed with the explicit music and sexual behavior of many of today’s performers.
Williams is the only surviving member of The Temptations, whose hit song “My Girl” just turned 60 years old.
Considered one of the greatest love songs ever recorded, “My Girl” was written and produced by Smokey Robinson, 84, and Ronald White, who died of Leukemia in 1995.
“It’s simply a great song with easy lyrics—it’s not offensive at all. It’s a melody anyone can remember,” Williams said. “It’s just a wonderful way of expressing what a man would feel about his woman and that’s what Motown believed in—having great songs with beautiful lyrics that aren’t offensive to anyone.”
At 83 years old, Williams still performs but says he doesn’t make the sexual moves that younger entertainers are known for today.
“We will always try to be a wholesome act,” he said. “We will not come out on stage and grab our private parts and sing about doing this or that. As long as you give a good performance and keep it wholesome, you don’t have to worry about it too much. We ... stressed respect for our audience and ourselves.”
Part of the problem, according to Austin-based musician, singer, and songwriter Timothy Abbott, is that outrageous behavior garners the most attention.
“Music should be used to bring people together, not drive them apart,” Abbott told The Epoch Times on Dec. 30. “It’s important to have wholesome acts as they tend to emphasize the positives in life.”
The timeless classic, “My Girl” is a love song of admiration and adulation about how a man feels about a woman, whether it be his sister, wife, mother, or daughter.
It’s now part of the National Recording Registry.
“I just never imagined that The Temptations would be receiving so many wonderful accolades at such an early stage,” Williams said. “We formed in 1961, but we didn’t have hits until 1964... The song put us on the map.”
Since then, “My Girl” has been streamed more than a billion times on Spotify, which amazes Williams because he didn’t expect younger listeners to discover the song on social media.
“I know my time was a different time... but I’m just not impressed with what I’m hearing on the radio these days,” he said. “I don’t know what happened when things have gotten so relaxed that you can hear cussing or people talking about doing very naughty things to women. Kids shouldn’t be hearing that.”
Williams did not respond to requests for comment, but Grammy-nominated producer Carvin Haggins believes restoring morals to the music industry requires record labels and distribution companies to sign and promote acts that have wholesome images.
“It will take a superstar to show that it’s cool to be wholesome,” Haggins told The Epoch Times on Dec. 30.
Brittprint Agency CEO Savannah Britt blames the presence of degrading language in today’s music on record label leaders who promote degenerate behavior to the masses for get-rich-quick business purposes.
“Many labels are signing artists with one viral hit and not prioritizing artistry itself as a long-term investment,” Britt told The Epoch Times on Dec. 30. “They are opting for gimmicky records that are absolute party and TikTok hits, leaving minimal market share for the backpack rapper or highly skilled or trained vocalist.”
Backpack rap is a term used to describe a subgenre of hip hop with more socially conscious lyrics.
Fat Joe, Gucci Mane, DJ Khaled, 2 Chainz, Lil Yachty, and Burna Boy are among some of the clients Britt has represented.
Lawsuits against gangster rappers Sean “Jay-Z” Carter and Sean “Diddy” Combs have resulted in more scrutiny around the business practices and personal behaviors in the music industry, according to Lamont Pete, a producer on the upcoming Netflix streaming show about Combs, who is currently incarcerated on federal sex trafficking charges.
“As much as [Combs] is celebrated for his entrepreneurial spirit, his current legal issues remind us that unchecked power can lead to exploitation,” Pete told The Epoch Times on Dec. 30.
Britt is hoping political intervention will eliminate or at least minimize degenerate behavior and explicit lyrics in the music industry in the long term.
“Congress has to get serious about the ever-changing landscape of the internet and what it means for children,” Britt said. “Policy makers are essential in moving the needle on much-needed legislation.”
