December 2, 1972 –
One of the longest chart-topping singles, The Temptations’ Papa Was A Rolling Stone hits #1 in the US, on this date.
The album version of this song runs 11:46. The single was released with the song split into two parts: the A-side was the “vocal” version and runs 6:58; the B-side is the “instrumental” and goes 4:49. Even truncated for single release, the A-side was exceptionally long and remains one of the longest chart-toppers in Hot 100 history. It was not, however, the longest #1 of 1972 – that was Don McLean’s American Pie, which clocked in at 8:33.
The Haus of Dcaligari 