SONG: You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me
ARTIST: Smokey Robinson (And the Miracles)
YEAR: 1963
Listen to it here:
THE SONG:
“You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” was written by Smokey Robinson in his hotel room in 1962. The song was recorded by Smokey (singing lead) and the Miracles on October 16, 1962 and was released on November 9, 1962 as a B side, but it ultimately performed better than its A side partner, “Happy Landing”. It peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ended up being the group’s second single to sell a million copies.
THE ARTIST:
William “Smokey” Robinson was born on February 19, 1940 in Detroit, Michigan. Smokey grew up relatively poor, but excelled academically and athletically, even though he was most interested in music. When he was 15 years old he formed his first singing group called the Five Chimes with his childhood friends, and two years later they changed their name to the Matadors and added more members, including Claudette Rogers, who Smokey would marry in 1958. They later changed their name to the Miracles. In 1957 Smokey met Berry Gordy after a failed audition. Smokey had with him his notebook of 100 songs that he had written in high school, and that, coupled with Smokey’s voice impressed Gordy and helped the Miracles release their first single, “Got a Job”. The Miracles became one of the first acts signed to Tamla (later reincorporated as Motown) and “Got a Job” became a hit in late 1960. Smokey became a hit factory, not only writing hit songs for his own group, but also such hits as “My Girl”, “The Way You Do the Things You Do”, “Get Ready”, and more. By the late 60s however Smokey was being elbowed out of Motown’s songwriting stable by powerhouses Holland-Dozier-Holland, and Whitfield/Strong, as well as singer/songwriters like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye wanting to perform their own songs. By 1969 Smokey wanted to retire from touring and performing to focus on his family, but the success of the song “Tears of a Clown” made him stay with the group until 1972.
However, Smokey just couldn’t stay away and reemerged as a solo artist in 1973 with his solo debut album “Smokey” and 1974 with “Pure Smokey”. Unfortunately for Smokey his solo offerings did not have the same commercial appeal as his contemporaries like Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, so the albums didn’t do well. At this point Smokey was also serving as Motown’s vice president, so his songwriting took a back seat. The late 70s and early 80s were kinder to Smokey with his hit single “Cruisin’” hitting the pop charts, followed by “Being With You” in 1981. When the late 80s rolled around Smokey had some issues in his personal life (he fathered a child with another woman and Claudette divorced his ass) and he resigned from his position at Motown. The 90s were quiet and saw a smattering of ill-conceived records. Into the 2000s he released some more albums as well as volunteered his time to charitable organizations and made guest appearances on other musician’s albums. Smokey remarried in 2002 and he and his wife own and run a winery in Pittsburg, and to this day continues to collect lifetime achievement-type accolades for his astounding work.
FACTOID CORNER:
Smokey and Claudette named their first daughter Tamla, after the record label they were first signed under.
Smokey was inspired to write “You Really Got A Hold on Me” after hearing Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home to Me” on the radio.
KELLY’S REVIEW:
Awwww baby Smokey! Ok, so Smokey Robinson is a living legend and one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century (I’m not going to say 21st century because have you heard his recent stuff? Blech.) so this is going to be a BITCH to listen to objectively without just coming to the conclusion BUT IT’S SMOKEY. Smokey’s voice is so identifiable and it’s no different for this song – no question who it is! He sounds so young here, his voice is high and clear. The vocal arrangement is an interesting mix of harmony, parallel fifths, and unisons. The other vocalists do a good job, but the real star of the show here is Smokey. The instruments are a decent, serviceable session band, definitely before Motown got their virtuosic Funk Brothers session band really hitting their stride. The piano and its triplets are VERY forward in the mic, as is the guitar, which feels like some sort of anti-melody. The melody is fairly interesting but I really like the transitions from the verse to the chorus. Smokey has also written a more complex than normal love song lyrically, and I think that is a trademark of his. I think it’s worth noting the departure from doo wop to this evolution towards the Motown sound and how instrumental Smokey was in that!
HOLLY’S REVIEW:
Ok, I have to say I really like Smokey Robinson, but I have never liked this song, and I still don’t. The tuning of the background singing and the saxes is not great. I feel like the song just meanders into a fade out to black, and I can’t detect an ounce of actual emotion. Sorry, Smokey. I feel that the piano is too prominent in the mix, especially since the drums are also doing the continuous triplets. I’m not in love with the tone on the guitar, and as I’ve already said, not a fan of the sax section in this one. I also find it kind of rhythmically boring at the end of the day. What I do love is Smokey Robinson’s expression and what he’s able to do with his voice. He’s totally a national treasure and I can’t wait until another one of his songs comes on the blog for a better review.
Average mark out of 10:
Holly: 6/10
Kelly: 8/10
Other notable versions of this song:
It’s the Beatles!
The Zombies
And just for fun, Smokey and Sesame Street
Listen with us!
Link to 1,001 Songs to Hear Before You Die spotify playlist:
Holly & Kelly Music Review 