Temptations Runaway Child, Running Wild 1969 edited release

[BayouMotownMan]

I remember buying this single when it first issued in early 1969. The single ran 4 1/2 min long. Occasionally I heard on the radio an edited version that ran a little over 3 min. I assume this edit was issued to radio on the promo white label but am seeing this as a commercial release. Does anybody know why? Was it shortened to get more sales in later prints?

[Motown Eddie]

When I bought The Temptations' "Run Away Child [Running Wild]" single back in 1969 it was the edited version that ran 3:17 [even though it listed 4:30 on the label of the '45' that I had]. I was so annoyed that I bought the Cloud Nine album in order to get the over 4 minute version of the song that I wanted [and I was so happy to find out the LP version ran over 9 minutes when I got the album home]. Don't know why Motown put out the shorter version of the song [maybe it was as BayouMotownMan stated that it was to get 'more sales in later prints'].

Anyway here's a picture of the short version of "Run Away Child" with 3:17 on the label so yes, it was a commercial release [and not just a promo].

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

I remember buying this single when it first issued in early 1969. The single ran 4 1/2 min long. Occasionally I heard on the radio an edited version that ran a little over 3 min. I assume this edit was issued to radio on the promo white label but am seeing this as a commercial release. Does anybody know why? Was it shortened to get more sales in later prints?

Food for thought: Discogs lists the various singles released in different countries; the scans for the U.S. single shows the 3:17 running time. However, there was a release in Spain that runs 4:52 [[ there is no label scan, but the site lists the running times of both sides in the description area https://www.discogs.com/release/8684...eed-Your-Lovin)

Germany got a single that ran 4:30 [[https://www.discogs.com/release/3101...d-Running-Wild)

There is a UK Promo 7" that runs at 4:30 [[https://www.discogs.com/release/4617...d-Running-Wild)

They also list a UK single, but there is no running time listed in the description area OR on the label itself.

Wikipedia states the US single edit runs at 4:53 [[! and ?)

The Complete Motown Singles says the edited single ran nearly 5 minutes.

Kind of bewildering at the least. Motown Eddie says his single lists the running time at 4:30, but plays at 3:17.

So here's what I wonder: did Motown release it initially with the over 4-minute running time only to later release a shorter version to avoid resistance from AM Radio? There was a discussion on the Supremes thread about why all of their singles were 3 minutes and under. I remember reading all about the format for Top 40 radio being structured for singles to be 3 minutes or under. Boogiedown made some excellent points about this: [[https://soulfuldetroit.com/showthrea...-Three-Minutes).

"You've Lost That Loving Feeling" ran into problems because it ran over 3 minutes. Phil Spector had to basically "trick" the DJs by redoing the labels so that everyone one would THINK the record was under 3 minutes. I wonder if Motown figured it would be better for radio play to edit the record to a shorter time. FM radio at this time was emerging as the new kid on the block with underground stations being run by college kids playing music that was NOTHING like the pop-friendly records on AM. I wouldn't be surprised if "Run Away Child, Running Wild" got played on some of these underground stations- and not in it's shorter edit. These college, hipper FM stations played ALBUMS and full-length album cuts.

Maybe someone else will know if this single was re-edited at some point, and when.

[Motown Eddie]

Trivia fact: the 3:17 version of "Run Away Child, Running Wild" was used on The Temptations TV Special, The Temptations Show, in March 1969 and was featured on their Get Ready-Definitive Performances 1965-1972 DVD in 2006.

[Motown Eddie]

So here's what I wonder: did Motown release it initially with the over 4-minute running time only to later release a shorter version to avoid resistance from AM Radio?

That's probably why they did it in order to get more radio airplay for "Run Way Child, Running Wild". Anyways, the 4:30 version of the song was the only one that I heard on the air back in early 1969.

Years later Philly International did the same thing with Billy Paul's classic "Me And Mrs. Jones". They released the full length version [at 4:42] of the single then had another pressing of the song that was edited down to 3:41. By the time I got around to buying "Me & Mrs. Jones" in 1972, I got stuck with the 'short' version of it.

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

That's probably why they did it in order to get more radio airplay for "Run Way Child, Running Wild". Anyways, the 4:30 version of the song was the only one that I heard on the back in early 1969.

Years later Philly International did the same thing with Billy Paul's classic "Me And Mrs. Jones". They released the full length version [at 4:42] of the single then had a another pressing of the song that was edited [down to 3:41]. By the time I got around to buying "Me & Mrs. Jones" in 1972, I got stuck with the 'short' version of it.

That's all really interesting. That an AM station played the longer 4:30 version suggests that maybe some were starting to feel the influences of the hipper FM stations nipping at their heels.

As far as the re-editing of "Me & Mrs. Jones" [what a GREAT record!] I hated that about buying 45s in the 70s; sometimes you'd get that 45, rush home to play it and wail in misery because it was not the same edit as played on the radio. You just never knew what you'd get.

[BayouMotownMan]

Well at least the edits on The Temptations and Billy Paul is clean, but when a sloppy edit is issued it drives me nuts.

Case in point, Diana Ross's Reach Out I'll Be There. That first edit during the first piano break drives me insane. To a lesser degree the edit for the Supremes Let My Heart Do The Walking aggravates me too. For one thing, the song only ran a little over 3 and half minutes, most recordings ran that or longer on radio by 1976 so there was no need to edit at all. But the single drum intro is so sloppy, I thought the record had skipped at first.

[Motown Eddie]

That's all really interesting. That an AM station played the longer 4:30 version suggests that maybe some were starting to feel the influences of the hipper FM stations nipping at their heels.

Another influence in the late '60s were songs like Richard Harris' "Mac Arthur Park" and The Beatles' "Hey Jude" which both received broad airplay on AM Radio despite their 7+ minute running times.

[nabob]

AM radio resisted playing songs longer than 3:00 before the mid-60s to leave slots for the annoying ads that kept them on the airwaves and for DJ chatter. Motown had many singles with printed running times of 2:57, 2:58, etc. Over the years we have been treated to "extended versions" that continued beyond the historic known versions. Two that come to mind are Tracks of My Tears and Heatwave. Checkout the Motown Box and the Miracles'Ooo Baby, Baby the Anthology.

[Motown Eddie]

AM radio resisted playing songs longer than 3:00 before the mid-60s to leave slots for the annoying ads that kept them on the airwaves and for DJ chatter. Motown had many singles with printed running times of 2:57, 2:58, etc. Over the years we have been treated to "extended versions" that continued beyond the historic known versions. Two that come to mind are Tracks of My Tears and Heatwave. Checkout the Motown Box and the Miracles'Ooo Baby, Baby the Anthology.

I've got The Motown Box with it's wonderful longer versions of "[Love Is Like A] Heatwave", "My Guy", "The Tracks Of My Tears" and others. And yes, AM Radio avoided playing any song longer than 3:00 before the mid/late '60s to make space for commercials, jingles & DJ patter. By the '70s, singles like The Temptations' "Ball Of Confusion [That's What The World Is Today]", "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" & "Masterpiece" went way past the 3:00 mark and wide received airplay on AM Radio [and were too long to be simply 'covered up' by posting a shorter running time on the record labels of those songs].

PS: I wish they would do a Second Volume of The Motown Box with more extended versions [and stereo versions] of Motown Classics.

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

Another influence in the late '60s were songs like Richard Harris' "Mac Arthur Park" and The Beatles' "Hey Jude" which both received broad airplay on AM Radio despite their 7+ minute running times.

Ahh yes! I forgot about those songs! They definitely broke the mold. So things definitely were changing...

[Graham Jarvis]

Here's the 4.30 Stock Copy, I also have a Red Vinyl Demo that's at 3.17 and most other demo's at 4.30

[paul_nixon]

Here's the 4.30 Stock Copy, I also have a Red Vinyl Demo that's at 3.17 and most other demo's at 4.30

The master tapr for the released version of RCRW clocks in at 4.48..

[Motown Eddie]

The master tape for the released version of RCRW clocks in at 4.48..

And my copy of "RC, RW" [from Disc 1 of TCMS-1969] lists 4:48 when I popped it in my computer. This means that they placed 4:30 on the record labels of the original release in order to get more radio airplay for the song [or that Motown's time listings for their singles on their record labels are just not that accurate].