The single was released, as the follow-up to the only modestly successful “Without The One You Love (Life’s Not Worth While),” on January 5, 1965. R&B DJs making it an early pick included Paul (Fat Daddy) Johnson on WSID, Baltimore, and the splendidly-named Chatty Hatty at WGIV, Charlotte.
“Tamla/Motown, “Hot With Singles,” proclaimed a trade advertisement, adding its own slash symbol between the words. The new Tops release was one of those in the spotlight, along with the Temptations’ “My Girl” and Jr. Walker and the All Stars’ “Shotgun.” Directly below that, the company proclaimed itself “Hot With Albums” too, announcing releases by Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, and, indeed, the self-titled debut of the Four Tops, which featured that new single. “Hits Are Our Business,” concluded the ad.
“Ask The Lonely” made its debut on both the Hot 100 and the R&B chart, at Nos.75 and 33 respectively, in the Billboard issue of February 6. On the pop side, it topped out at No.24, but it did become the Tops’ second Top 10 soul success (after their initial “Baby I Need Your Loving”), peaking at No.9. The smash-in-waiting “I Can’t Help Myself” was just around the corner, but this graceful depiction of the lovelorn stands as one of the Tops’ finest moments.