Shakey Ground

For the television sitcom, see Shaky Ground.

"Shakey Ground"
Single by The Temptations
from the album A Song for You
B-side	"I'm a Bachelor"
Released	February 1975
Recorded	1974 at Motown Recording Studios in Los Angeles
Genre	Soul
Length	3:11
Label	Gordy
Songwriter(s)	Jeffrey Bowen Alphonso Boyd Eddie Hazel[1]
Producer(s)	Jeffrey Bowen
The Temptations singles chronology
"Happy People" (1974) "Shakey Ground" (1975) "Glasshouse" (1975)

"Shakey Ground" is a 1975 R&B single by The Temptations. It was co-written by Funkadelic guitarist Eddie Hazel, who plays lead guitar on the song.

Background

Original Funkadelic bassist Billy "Bass" Nelson also plays on the song.

Personnel

• Lead vocals by Dennis Edwards
• Background vocals by Damon Harris, Richard Street, Melvin Franklin and Otis Williams
• Guitar by Eddie Hazel
• Bass by Billy Bass Nelson
• Soprano saxophone by Donald Charles Baldwin
• Instrumentation by various Los Angeles studio musicians

Chart history

"Shakey Ground" was the last by the group to reach the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart: the song also crossed over to the pop chart, reaching number twenty-six on the Billboard Hot 100.^[2]

Chart (1975)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	26
U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles	1

Cover versions

The song has been covered by many artists:

• Van McCoy covered it for his 1975 album Disco Baby.
• Phoebe Snow recorded it for her 1976 album It Looks Like Snow.
• Renée Geyer included the song on her 1976 album Really Really Love You: Live at the Dallas Brooks Hall.
• Delbert McClinton included it on his 1980 album The Jealous Kind.
• Etta James recorded a version for her 1989 album Seven Year Itch.
• Elton John and Don Henley performed it on John's 1993 album Duets.
• Fishbone recorded the song for their 2000 album Fishbone and the Familyhood Nextperience Present: The Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx.
• Aerosmith covered it for their 2012 album Music from Another Dimension!, on which it ended up a Japanese bonus track.
• Max Creek, jam rock band, has been performing the song since the 1980s and continues to do so today.
• Founding member of the Grateful Dead, Bob Weir, has also performed the song live over 20 times; since 2012, Weir has performed the song with his bands Furthur, Ratdog, Dead & Company, Bob Weir and the Wolf Bros., as well as at solo acoustic concerts.
• Bernie Marsden (formerly of Whitesnake) recorded it for his 1981 album Look At Me Now.

References

1. "discogs.com". discogs.com. 1975. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 572.