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Tamla T 54044 (A), June 1961
b/w Mighty Good Lovin’
(Written by Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy)
The first single released by the Miracles in over four months, and the first product of the sessions which would go on to form their second album Cookin’ With The Miracles (their first LP, Hi! We’re the Miracles, one of the earliest Motown albums, came out at the same time as this single), this was a hotly anticipated record, both among music fans and within the Motown company. The label pushed the boat out to promote this one, perhaps mindful of the lacklustre chart performance of the Miracles’ last effort, Ain’t It Baby; this single marked the first appearance of the yellow/burgundy/silver Tamla “globes” label, as well as Tamla Records’ first-ever picture sleeve.
The result, rather unexpectedly, was an alarmingly poor chart performance – this A-side scraped the Billboard Hot 100 for a single week, limping to number 97 before disappearing altogether – but it did yield Motown’s first double-sided hit, as Mighty Good Lovin’ – initially tucked away on the B-side – outperformed Broken Hearted on the charts, picked up more radio play, eventually matched Ain’t It Baby to within a couple of places on both the pop and R&B charts, and ended up making T 54044 the first Motown double A-side.
(Ironic, given it was the first Tamla record to prominently feature the title of the A-side emblazoned, twice the size of the B-side, on a smart picture sleeve (left), but there we are.)
Both sides of this single are pretty fine, though. The public was right – Mighty Good Lovin’ is the better song – but this one is good stuff too. A quirky, midtempo pop/R&B number with very heavy traces of country & western, and absolutely drenched in strings – slightly too much, actually, and to the detriment of the song in places, as a jaunty high violin part threatens to send the whole record into bland MOR Radio 2 territory, only rescued by a supreme effort on Smokey’s part to tone down the saccharine and keep things on track – it’s a lavish, expensive-sounding production, and the song underneath it is a strong one, a noticeable step forward from the group’s earlier work.
Which is not to say it’s a better record than the magnificent Way Over There, or even Bad Girl, but it shows a growing sophistication in Smokey’s songwriting and arrangements, and as a song it’s leagues above the simplistic likes of Shop Around.
Smokey’s voice is noticeably stronger, too, and indeed the 21-year-old lead singer’s performance is the best thing about this record, sweetly soaring, well-judged and nigh-on perfect. (William Robinson had received his nickname in part as a result of a childhood love of westerns, and so it’s quite appropriate that he should now turn in one of his finest vocals to date on such a C&W-inflected record). The bit at 1:21 when the strings kick up a level and he sings: Ooh / Maybe you don’t know it, girl / So let me just remind you / That I’ll still love you, girl / And I’m gonna find you is one of his best deliveries so far, and it still sends a chill down my spine. The Miracles, reduced here to providing a straightforward chorus of backing vocals in the style of the Rayber Voices on Motown’s earliest records, carry off their task with aplomb. It’s a decent song, but sung beautifully, well enough to raise the record above the level of the material.
In short, it’s easy to see why Motown thought this would be the hit, and overlooked the earthier, ballsier, more direct B-side as a result. It wouldn’t be the last time Motown would misjudge the relative strengths of a pair of Miracles sides and see a B-side healthily outperform the nominal A-side on the radio and in the charts; the beautiful You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me, one of the Miracles’ best-loved recordings, started out as the flip side of the rather less well-known Happy Landing in November 1962.
MOTOWN JUNKIES VERDICT
(I’ve had MY say, now it’s your turn. Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment, or click the thumbs at the bottom there. Dissent is encouraged!)
You’re reading Motown Junkies, an attempt to review every Motown A- and B-side ever released. Click on the “previous” and “next” buttons below to go back and forth through the catalogue, or visit the Master Index for a full list of reviews so far.
(Or maybe you’re only interested in Smokey Robinson & the Miracles? Click for more.)
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| Barrett Strong “Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right” |
The Miracles “Mighty Good Lovin'” |
Motown Junkies 
I’ve always loved this song, full of teenage angst. Great backing track and vocals. A lost classic
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Broken Hearted would have been a very good song if it were not for the lyrics.
Who would have thought from this that Smokey would one day be called “America’s greatest living poet”? The song consists of rhyming couplets, none of which rise above the level of schoolboy verse: “Broken hearted, Since we parted”; “I don’t go nowhere, But what do I care”; “I’m so blue, Baby without you”; “Since you’ve been gone, I can’t go on”; “Just say you will Give me a thrill”; “Come on home, No more to roam”. Apart from “moon” and “June”, no obvious rhyme has been missed. It’s as if Smokey wanted to get every cliche out of his system in one song.
There’s no sign here of the imagery of “I’ll Try Something New”, the clever rhymes of “I’ll Be Available”, the irony of “You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me”, or the twist in the tail of “Two Lovers”.
Grade these lyrics “F” for “Fail”.
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I can see where you’re coming from, but I can’t agree with that assessment – I think it’s a well-executed C&W pastiche, and that extends to the lyrics – a lot of country lyrics are farily trite when written down, and part of the charm for me is the way the short, simplistic couplets are bent around the tune and infused with more emotion than they deserve. That maybe you don’t know it, girl bit sends shivers down my spine as much as anything from Smokey’s “better” lyrics.
That’s just my opinion, of course – I’m aware I may be in something of a minority!
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LMAO! Harsh critic you are 144man! = )
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The truth about how Bob Dylan was said to have called Smokey Robinson “America’s greatest living poet” can be found on page 54 of Al Abram’s book “Hype&Sou! Behind the Scenes at Motown”.
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I never heard this side on the radio in San Francisco. As soon as Mighty Good Lovin came out, I was buying. In fact, I was buying every Miracles record….they rang my bell. Smokey, you owe me!
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Quick Question: What’s a picture sleeve??? Is it the picture inside the album??? (LOL I know my age shows)
This song is sweet enough. It reminds me of a song I would here in some old MGM musical (lol). Smokey sounds in fine voice here, but surprisingly I don’t like The Miracles in the background. They don’t sound that cohesive on this this track.
Btw, I think this blog has made “Bad Girl” my favorite Miracles song. Thanx Steve D! LOL
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Pre-1980s, most singles came in a plain sleeve, a paper or thin card bag with a hole cut in front so you could read the label. Sometimes they’d be totally blank brown or white paper, though some labels would print up a standard design they’d use for all singles.
A picture sleeve was like a mini album, with a picture and no hole.
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Ah, yes I’ve seen one before (lol). Thanx Steve D! = )
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I’ve always loved the lilting, easy sound of this mid-tempo gem. As, to me, the sound is 95% of why I like or dislike a song, the words didn’t “ruin” it for me.
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