| When She Was My Girl | |
| Cover: | When She Was My Girl by Four Tops US vinyl side-A.png |
| Alt: | side-A vinyl label |
| Caption: | Side A of the US single |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Four Tops |
| Album: | Tonight! |
| B-Side: | Something to Remember |
| Released: | August 1981 |
| Genre: | R&B, soul |
| Length: | 3:25 |
| Label: | Casablanca |
| Producer: | David Wolfert |
| Prev Title: | Catfish |
| Prev Year: | 1976 |
| Next Title: | Back to School Again |
| Next Year: | 1982 |
"When She Was My Girl" is a 1981 single released by American vocal group the Four Tops. The song, their first release off Casablanca Records, helped to return the former signature Motown act to the American pop Top 40 charts, peaking at No. 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 10 on the Cashbox chart, and reaching No. 1 on the R&B charts.[1]
Internationally, it reached No. 9 in Canada, No. 6 in New Zealand, and also became their first top 10 hit in the UK in nine years, reaching No. 3. Their top 40 showing made the group one of the few acts to have top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 in three consecutive decades. Record World called it an "infectious dancer."[2] "When She Was My Girl" was a Grammy nominee for best R&B song. Bruce Springsteen recorded the song for his 2022 studio album, Only the Strong Survive.
| Chart (1981) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary[3] | 3 | |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 9 | |
| Ireland [4] | 7 | |
| New Zealand (RIANZ)[5] | 6 | |
| UK | 3 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 11 | |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary[6] | 9 | |
| US Cashbox Top 100 | 10 | |
| US Billboard R&B[7] | 1 |
| Chart (1981) | Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| UK[8] | 59 | |
| US American Top 40[9] | 88 | |
| US Cash Box [10] | 77 |