Listen to this when
Papa Was a Rollin' Stone
for anyone who learned who their dad really was the hard way 🎙️
Who it's for
The Temptations tell of sons asking their mother about their late father and learning he was a drifter who left little behind.
Disillusioned about an absent parent→Clear-eyed and able to move forward
Feelings it meets
What it is
"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, and Whitfield produced it. The Temptations' best-known version appears on their 1972 album All Directions, and its single edit reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won three Grammys.
Where to find it
All major streaming services.
Before you start
Heads up: A parent's death and infidelity.
Age: All ages
Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, Part 1, Chapter 1 (tr. Constance Garnett)
