"I Can't Get Next to You" is the name of a 1969 hit single for the Motown label, performed by The Temptations and produced by Norman Whitfield, their second of four #1 hits on the US pop charts.

An expansion on the foundation set by their previous "psychedelic soul" records from the Cloud Nine LP (featuring the Grammy-winning hit single of the same name), "I Can't Get Next to You" features all five Temptations trading verses about how having all the powers in the world mean nothing if a man cannot impress the woman he loves.

The song's intro, featuring the Temptations interrupting a lively party to present their song, was sampled for the album version of their next major hit, "Psychedelic Shack", one of the earliest uses of such a technique.

"I Can't Get Next to You" was the main single from the 1969 Temptations LP Puzzle People.

Credits

• Lead and Background Vocals by Dennis Edwards, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin, and Otis Williams

• Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong
• Produced by Norman Whitfield
• Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers.