Yellow Balloon was not on the recording, having been in a recent near-fatal car accident. The week of May 20, 1967, the Yellow Balloon's version placed at #25 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, while Jan & Dean's version placed at #111. This was due largely to the fact that many disc jockeys around the United States played only the Yellow Balloon version of the song. The B-side was the song played backwards, entitled "Noollab Wolley". However, several radio stations banned the song in fear that the song was about yellow hallucinogenic pills for a drug trip, just like the Donovan song "Mellow
The Temptations in a Mellow Mood soon became a solo showcase for Williams, who performed a particularly acclaimed version of the song for the "TCB" television special in late 1968. The group would revisit the idea of an album of pop standards in 1995 with "For Lovers Only". All lead vocals by David Ruffin except where noted The Temptations in a Mellow Mood The Temptations in a Mellow Mood is the sixth studio album by The Temptations for the Motown label released in 1967. Composed primarily of pop standards such as "Ol' Man River" and "For Once in My Life" (later a major hit for Motown