Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is a song performed by Motown recording act The Undisputed Truth. It was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1971, and released as a single in May 1972.
In 1972, Whitfield took "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" and remade it as a 12-minute track for the Temptations, included on their 1972 album All Directions. The shorter 7" single release of this Temptations version was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and won three Grammy Awards in 1973.
While the original Undisputed Truth version of the song has been largely forgotten, the Temptations' versions of the song have been enduring and influential soul classics.
The full-length album version was ranked number 169 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, one of the group's three songs on the list.
In retrospect, the Temptations' Otis Williams considers "Papa" to be the last real classic the group recorded.