Just One Last Look

About Just One Last Look

"Just One Last Look" is a 1966 song written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, and recorded by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, and The Four Tops for the main Motown label. Intended for release as a single for both, it was blocked from doing so and shelved. The recording is a break-up song. The song's narrator (Levi Stubbs for the Four Tops, David Ruffin for the Temptations) asks his love, who's leaving them, to allow him "one last look" at her so that he'll always have memories of her. In The Temptations' case, they were one of the few major Motown acts never to release a single produced by the trio, due to (previously) Berry Gordy, Jr., Smokey Robinson, and (then currently) Norman Whitfield having a tight hold on the group's released material. (Only Edward Holland, Jr. would have any success with the group, as Whitfield's co-writer.) Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier had to in fact fight for the chance to produce "Just One Last Look" for the Temptations, and Whitfield successfully blocked its release as a single. This song would go on to be released as an album track on "The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul". "Just One Last Look" remains the only H-D-H produced track to appear on any Temptations studio album, and would be the last of only two times (the previous being "A Tear from a Woman's Eyes") in which H-D-H would produce any material for the group. more »