Other early versions of the ballad were issued by Nancy Wilson, the Four Tops, the Temptations, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, whose recording was the first to reach the pop charts.
Miller was impressed by DuShon's rendition, and her version, produced by Esmond Edwards, was issued as a single on Chess Records' Cadet label in October 1966.
Barbara McNair's version of the song was recorded as early as October 1965,[7] and backed up by a symphony orchestra and produced by Frank Wilson.
[13] Baritone singer Paul Williams sings the lead vocal on the song, and it subsequently became his showcase number in the Temptations' live shows.
After celebrating the Temptations' (and Motown's) first Grammy Award win for "Cloud Nine", the actor who portrays Paul Williams (Christian Payton) sings the slow ballad version.
Diana Ross & the Supremes recorded a mid-tempo bossa nova inspired version in early 1969 that wasn't discovered until the 2010s and not released until 2019.
The song would become the most covered song in the Motown catalog by fellow Motown artists: Billy Eckstine (1966), Martha & the Vandellas (1967), Soupy Sales (1968), Jonah Jones (1968), Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (1969), Blinky (1969), Kiki Dee (1969), Sammy Davis Jr. (1969), Joe Harnell (1969), the Ding Dongs (1970), Gladys Knight & the Pips (1973) Also in 1967, Tony Bennett's recording of the song peaked at number 91 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart (number 8 on the Easy Listening survey)[14] and was the title track of his album For Once in My Life.
Bennett also performed it on the grand finale of the sixth season of American Idol and in the Grammy Award-sponsored tribute Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life – An All-Star Salute, which aired February 16, 2015, on CBS.
Billie Jean Brown, the head of the Motown Quality Control department, finally coerced Gordy into allowing Wonder's version to be released in October 1968.