Album: Cloud Nine (1968)

Charted: 15 6

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• Oh ho, ho ho ho, ooh, hoo
  Childhood part of my life, it wasn't very pretty
  You see, I was born and raised in the slums of the city
  It was a one room shack that slept ten other children besides me
  We hardly had enough food or room to sleep
  It was hard times
  Needed something to ease my troubled mind
  Listen, my father didn't know the meaning of work
  He disrespected mama, and treated us like dirt
  I left home, seekin' a job that I never did find
  Depressed and downhearted I took to cloud nine
  I'm doin' fine, up here on cloud nine
  Listen one more time I'm doin' fine, up here on cloud nine
  Folks down there tell me
  They say, give yourself a chance son, don't let life pass you by
  But the world of reality is a rat race where only the strongest survive
  It's a dog eat dog world, and that ain't no lie
  Listen, it ain't even safe no more to walk the streets at night
  I'm doin' fine, on cloud nine
  Let me tell you about cloud nine
  
  Cloud nine, you can be what you wanna be
  (Cloud nine) you ain't got no responsibility
  And every man, every man is free
  (Cloud nine) and you're a million miles from reality
  I wanna say I love the life I live
  And I'm gonna live the life I love up here on cloud nine
  I, I, I, I, I, I I'm riding high
  On cloud nine, you're as free as a bird in flight
  (Cloud nine) there's no difference between day and night
  (Cloud nine) it's a world of love and harmony
  (Cloud nine) you're a million miles from reality
  
  Cloud nine, you can be what you wanna be
  Cloud nine you ain't got no responsibility
  Cloud nine, and every man in this world is free
  (Cloud nine) and you're a million miles from reality
  (Cloud nine) you can be what you wanna be Writer/s: Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield
  Publisher: Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 8

• Dorian from Los AngelesThis song is absolutely about drugs, heroin specifically. I can't see any other reasonable explanation for the lyrics.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn December 29th 1968, "Cloud Nine" by the Temptations peaked at #6 (for 2 weeks) on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; it had entered the chart on November 10th and spent 12 weeks on the Top 100...
  It reached #2 on the Billboard's R&B Singles chart...
  The Temp's record that succeeded on the Top 100, "Run Away Child, Running Wild", also peaked at #6 and also stayed on the Top 100 for 12 weeks, but on the R&B chart it reached one position higher, it peaked at #1 (for 2 weeks) on March 22nd, 1968.
• Randy from Fayettevile, ArI was in the Army at Fort Bragg, NC when this was in the Top Ten of many charts (Goldmine, Song Hits, Billboard, etc.) in 1968. After the song entered the Top Ten in 1968, I recall reading an article in "Song Hits" with Norm Whitfield & Barrett Strong about the lyrics. They insisted it was not about drugs, but about being high on life & opportunity. I thought it so unusual, because I thought it was about drugs as the song was climbing the charts. Go figure!! Anyhow, I loved the song. At the time, I heard about the controversy over David Ruffin being fired at Motown for being "difficult" and substance abuse allegations. Say what you will about him, he was extremely talented & creative. However, consider too that Motown VIPs were known industry-wide for unethical behavior toward their recording stars. Hearing "Cloud Nine" now brings back some good memories & some bad memories of those times of the late Sixties.
• Lucy from Palatine, IlI just finished watching American Gangster starring Denzel Washington for the 5th time. The same day I heard the song Cloud Nine on the radio. It was the first time I associated the song with drugs; it all made sense after seeing the movie.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyAlso in 1969 Mongo Santamaria released an instrumental version of 'Cloud Nine', it peaked at No. 32...
• Ekristheh from Halath, United StatesThat this was an (anti, really) drug lyric was taken for granted at the time. Specifically, I think, marijuana. As Marina said, it's about drug use to alleviate pain and suffering. I don't assume all songs are about drugs, either, but I recognize a drug lyric when I hear it.
• Kristin from Bessemer, AlI guess to Whitfield/Strong, "Cloud Nine" could be whatever you want it to be, it doesnt necessarily have to be about drugs- or else artists like Edwin Starr and Gladys Knight and the Pips wouldnt have recorded cover versions of it.
• Marina from Seattle, WaI'm not really the type to assume that all songs are about drugs, but...it really seems that this song is. When people lead difficult lives, they often turn to drugs to help them escape. Of course it's possible Whitfield and Strong intended it to be about something else but they must have known that people were going to immediately assume the song was about drugs.

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