A Love She Can Count On

Last updated
"A Love She Can Count On"
Single by The Miracles
from the album The Fabulous Miracles
B-side "I Can Take A Hint"
ReleasedMarch 11, 1963 (1963-03-11)
RecordedFebruary 13, 1963
Studio Hitsville USA (Studio A), Detroit, Michigan
Genre Soul
Length2:39
Label Tamla
Songwriter(s) Smokey Robinson
Producer(s) Smokey Robinson
The Miracles singles chronology
"You've Really Got a Hold on Me"
(1962)
"A Love She Can Count On"
(1963)
"Mickey's Monkey"
(1963)

"A Love She Can Count On" is a 1963 hit single by Motown Records R&B group the Miracles, issued on that label's Tamla subsidiary label. It was taken from their album The Fabulous Miracles , and was the follow-up to the group's million-selling Grammy Hall of Fame inducted tune, "You've Really Got A Hold On Me". The first of three singles released by The Miracles that year, this song was a Billboard Top 40 Pop Hit, peaking at number 31, and missed the Top 20 of its R&B chart by only one position, peaking at number 21.

Contents

Written and produced by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, "A Love She Can Count On" features the same bluesy sound and feel of "Hold On Me", featuring the gospel-inspired harmonies of Miracles members Bobby Rogers, Claudette Robinson, Pete Moore, and Ronnie White, and, like that previous song, begins with the guitar of Miracles member Marv Tarplin. However, that is where the similarities end; unlike the previous hit, with its theme of being in love with someone you don't like, "A Love She Can Count On" has as its theme undying love and loyalty, with Robinson, as the song's narrator, promising eternal love and devotion:

Every day ...
I'm gonna love you, come what may
'Cause I know that there is nothing that means more
To a woman,
than a love that she can count on

The other Miracles participate in a sing-along call and response with Smokey on the song's bridge, similar to the song that, according to Smokey, inspired both this song and "Hold On Me", Sam Cooke's 1962 hit "Bring It On Home to Me". The single [1] and album [2] versions of this song are noticeably different, the album version of "A Love She Can Count On" featuring a bluesy piano style as was done by its predecessor "You've Really Got A Hold On Me". For the most part the piano was deleted from the single version, not being featured as prominently. It also features a completely different vocal take. [3]

Cash Box described it as "a pulsating, shuffle beat ballad romancer that the songsters carve out in groovy style." [4]

Unlike almost all other singles from The Miracles, and indeed many other songs by the group, "A Love She Can Count On" has not yet been covered by major acts. This was also the case with the B-side of the single, "I Can Take A Hint", despite the fact that it was also a chart hit, reaching number 107 on the Billboard Pop chart.

"A Love She Can Count On" appears on several Miracles "Greatest Hits" collections, including their album Greatest Hits from the Beginning , and their 2009 two-CD set, The Miracles–Depend On Me: The Early Albums (which features both live and studio versions). The Miracles also performed a special extended version of the song on their first live album, 1963's The Miracles Recorded Live on Stage . This song was also given an extended stereo remix in 2002 for the compilation Ooo Baby Baby: The Anthology.

Personnel

Related Research Articles

"Going to a Go-Go" is a 1965 single recorded by The Miracles for Motown's Tamla label.

<i>The Fabulous Miracles</i> 1963 studio album by The Miracles

The Fabulous Miracles is a 1963 album by The Miracles featuring the million-selling Grammy Hall of Fame hit, "You've Really Got a Hold on Me", one of the group's most popular singles. It also features the chart hits "A Love She Can Count On" and "I've Been Good To You", which The Beatles' John Lennon has identified as his favorite Miracles song. Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson was the principal writer on all tracks, while Miracles members Ronnie White and Bobby Rogers co-wrote with him on several of the album's songs. Although two of the album’s songs, “Won’t You Take Me Back” and “Your Love”, were taken from their debut album Hi... We're the Miracles, all eight new songs were released as either singles or b-sides.

<i>Hi... Were the Miracles</i> 1961 studio album by The Miracles

Hi... We're the Miracles is the first album by Motown's first group, The Miracles, released on Motown's Tamla subsidiary label in the summer of 1961. It also has the distinction of being the first album ever released by the Motown Record Corporation The album features several songs that played an important role in defining The Motown Sound and establishing songwriters Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy.

<i>Greatest Hits: From the Beginning</i> (The Miracles album) 1965 greatest hits album by The Miracles

Greatest Hits from the Beginning is a compilation double LP by The Miracles released in 1965. This was the first double album ever released by the Motown Record Corporation. It covers most of the group's hits from their pre-1965 albums, such as "Shop Around", "Who's Lovin’ You", "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" and "Mickey's Monkey", as well as the non-album singles from 1964: "I Like It Like That" and "That's What Love Is Made Of". The album was a success, reaching #21 on the Billboard Pop Album Chart. It was also the first Miracles album to chart on the Billboard R&B Album chart, where it was an even bigger success, peaking at #2.

"What's So Good About Goodbye" was a 1961 hit single recorded by R&B group The Miracles for Motown Records' Tamla label, later included on their 1962 album I'll Try Something New. The single was the Miracles’ second Top 40 Pop hit, peaking at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States during the winter of 1962, and a Top 20 R&B hit as well, peaking at number 16 on Billboard's R&B singles chart.

"If You Can Want" is a 1968 single recorded by R&B group Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for Motown Records' Tamla label. Written and produced by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, "If You Can Want" was the most successful of the three singles included on the group's 1968 album Special Occasion. This single just missed the U.S. Top 10, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and was a Top 5 R&B hit, peaking at number three on Billboard's R&B singles chart, and was also a minor hit in England, peaking at number 50 on the United Kingdom singles chart.

"My Girl Has Gone" is a 1965 R&B single recorded by The Miracles for Motown's Tamla label. Included on their 1965 album Going to a Go-Go, "My Girl Has Gone" was the follow-up to the group's number 16 Billboard Hot 100 million-selling hit "The Tracks Of My Tears".

"The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage" is a 1967 song recorded by the American R&B group The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label. Written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Marv Tarplin and produced by Robinson, it is noted for being the first single to bill the group as "Smokey Robinson" & the Miracles, a billing already present on the group's albums by this time. Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore were the song's producers.

"Way Over There" is a 1960 Motown soul song and single, written by William "Smokey" Robinson, produced by Berry Gordy, and first performed by The Miracles for the Tamla (Motown) label. It was one of The Miracles' earliest charting singles, reaching #94 on the Billboard Pop chart. Motown president Berry Gordy, Jr. had The Miracles record the song several times during its chart run. The first version had minimal orchestration. The second version added strings, and this is the version played by most oldies stations today. Claudette Robinson had several lead parts on this song, answering Smokey's leads with chants of "Come to me, Baby". The song's B-side, "(You Can) Depend on Me", while not charting nationally, did become a popular regional hit in many areas of the country, and Smokey still sings it in his live shows today. "Way Over There" has inspired cover versions by Edwin Starr, The Temptations, The Marvelettes, The Royal Counts, The Spitballs, and Eddie Adams Jr, while "(You Can) Depend on Me" has inspired cover versions by The Temptations, The Supremes, Mary Wells, and Brenda Holloway. The song was also used for the title of Hip-O Select's 2009 compilation: The Miracles – Depend on Me: The Early Albums, which collects the first five LP releases by the group.

"I Like It Like That" was a 1964 hit song by Motown group The Miracles on its Tamla label subsidiary. This is not the Chris Kenner hit song of the same name but, rather, a Miracles original, written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Marv Tarplin, and is included on the group's first greatest hits album, Greatest Hits from the Beginning. It was also the title song from their long-since deleted 1964 album of the same name.

<i>I Like It Like That</i> (album) 1964 studio album by The Miracles

I Like It Like That is an album by Motown group the Miracles, compiled for the UK market and released on the UK Tamla-Motown label (TML11003) as one of its initial group of six albums in March 1965. Known as the Miracles' "forgotten album", few people, outside of Motown insiders, hard-core Miracles fans, and collectors, remember that it had even existed. This album featured a combination of several new-for-1964 songs along with previously issued material from the group's album from the year before, The Miracles Doin' Mickey's Monkey. New for 1964 songs included "I Like It Like That", the Bobby Rogers-led flip side "You're So Fine and Sweet,"(this is the only original Miracles studio album that has that song), "That's What Love Is Made Of", another 1964 hit that the group performed on the American International Pictures release, the T.A.M.I. Show that year, and "Would I Love You", a song that became a popular regional hit tune for the group in Pennsylvania and The Midwest. The album also featured a Claudette Robinson-led cover version of the Orlons' #2 Pop smash, "The Wah-Watusi"., and the group's 1963 Top 40 Hit, "I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying". Several of the group's other 1964 songs, including the chart hits "(You Can't Let the Boy Overpower) The Man in You", "Come On Do the Jerk", and its "B" side, "Baby Don't You Go", were not included. The new 1964 recordings "I Like It Like That", "Would I Love You" and "That's What Love Is Made Of" were included on the only US Miracles 1964 album release "Miracles Greatest Hits From The Beginning" which was the first double album released by Motown Records.

"That's What Love Is Made Of" is a 1964 hit song by Motown's original vocal group, the Miracles, issued on the label's Tamla records subsidiary. It was taken from the group's album Greatest Hits from the Beginning, but originally appeared on their abortive 1964 album, I Like It Like That.

"(You Can) Depend on Me", was a 1959 song by Motown Records group The Miracles, which also appeared on the group's first album, Hi... We're The Miracles. It also appeared as the "B" side of the group's hit single, "Way Over There". It was written by Motown Records' President and founder Berry Gordy and Miracles member William "Smokey" Robinson. While not charting nationally, this song was a very popular regional hit tune in many areas of the country, so much so, in fact, that it was included on the group's first greatest hits album, Greatest Hits from the Beginning, and Smokey still sings it, by request, in his live shows today.

Yester Love 1968 single by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

"Yester Love" was a 1968 song by Motown Records R&B group The Miracles on its Tamla subsidiary label. It was recorded on December 18, 1967, and was included on the group's album, Special Occasion.

<i>The Miracles – Depend on Me: The Early Albums</i> 2009 compilation album by The Miracles

The Miracles – Depend On Me: The Early Albums is a 2009 double-CD limited release by Motown Records' original vocal group The Miracles, released through Universal's Hip-O Select imprint to coincide with the legendary Motown label's 50th anniversary. In addition, this collection's release also coincided with The Miracles' being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 20 of that year.

<i>The Ultimate Collection</i> (The Miracles album) 1998 compilation album by The Miracles

The Ultimate Collection is a compact disc by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, released on Motown Records, catalogue 314530857-2, in February 1998. It is a collection of singles comprising many of the group's greatest hits, with liner notes written by Stu Hackel.

"Everybody's Gotta Pay Some Dues", was a 1961 R&B song by Motown Records group The Miracles released on the label's Tamla Records subsidiary. It was taken from Cookin' with The Miracles, the group's second album, and was written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Ronald White. It entered the Billboard Pop and R&B listings that year, and reached #52 and #11 respectively.

<i>A Pocket Full of Miracles</i> 1970 studio album by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

A Pocket Full of Miracles (TS306) is a 1970 album by Motown Records R&B group The Miracles, issued on its Tamla subsidiary label, one of three albums the group released that year. This album charted at #56 on the Billboard pop albums chart, and reached the top ten of the magazine's R&B albums chart, peaking at #10. It was released on September 30 of that year. Hit singles on the album included "Point It Out" and the topical Ashford & Simpson written-and-produced song "Who's Gonna Take the Blame", a sad, dark song about a girl that is turned out as a prostitute. Also included is the charting flip side "Darling Dear", B-side of "Point It Out", which reached #100 on the Billboard pop chart, and spawned a cover version by The Jackson Five.

"(You Can't Let the Boy Overpower) The Man in You" is a 1964 R&B song by the Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla subsidiary label. It was written by Miracles lead singer Bill "Smokey" Robinson, and was produced by Robinson and Motown president/founder Berry Gordy Jr.. One of several gospel-styled call and response tunes the group issued in 1964, this song reached number 59 on the Billboard Pop chart, and the top 20 of the Cash Box R&B chart, peaking at number 12. The song was recorded on August 17, 1963, and was the group's first single release of 1964.

"Happy Landing" is a 1962 R&B recording by Motown Records singing group The Miracles, issued on that label's Tamla Records subsidiary label (T54073). It was recorded in November 1962, and appeared on their album The Fabulous Miracles. The group also recorded a live version of this song on their first live album, 1963's The Miracles Recorded Live on Stage.

References

  1. A Love She Can Count On , retrieved 2018-08-24
  2. A Love She Can Count on , retrieved 2018-08-24
  3. "287. The Miracles: "A Love She Can Count On"". Motown Junkies. 2010-12-07. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  4. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. March 23, 1963. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-01-12.