This is a list of songs written by Smokey Robinson .
Year | Song [1] | Original artist [1] | Co-writer(s) with Robinson [1] | U.S. Pop [2] | U.S. R&B [3] | UK Singles Chart [4] | Other charting versions, [1] and notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1959 | "Bad Girl" | The Miracles | Berry Gordy Jr. | 93 | - | - | |
1960 | "Who's the Fool" | Singin' Sammy Ward | Berry Gordy Jr. | - | 23 | - | |
"Shop Around" | The Miracles | Berry Gordy Jr. | 2 | 1 | - | 1976: Captain & Tennille, #4 US | |
"Who's Lovin' You" | The Miracles | 66 | 19 | - | 1967: Brenda and the Tabulations, #66 US, #19 R&B | ||
1961 | "Don't Let Him Shop Around" | Debbie Dean | Berry Gordy Jr., Loucye Gordy Wakefield | 92 | - | - | |
"Ain't It Baby" | The Miracles | Berry Gordy Jr. | 49 | 15 | - | ||
"Broken Hearted" | The Miracles | Berry Gordy Jr. | 97 | - | - | ||
"After All" | The Miracles | - | - | - | |||
"Mighty Good Lovin'" | The Miracles | 51 | 21 | - | |||
"Everybody's Gotta Pay Some Dues" | The Miracles | Ronald White | 52 | 11 | - | ||
1962 | "What's So Good About Goodbye" | The Miracles | 35 | 16 | - | ||
"The One Who Really Loves You" | Mary Wells | 8 | 2 | - | |||
"I'll Try Something New" | The Miracles | 39 | 11 | - | 1969: Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations, #25 US, #8 R&B 1982: A Taste of Honey, #41 US, #9 R&B | ||
"You Beat Me to the Punch" | Mary Wells | Ronald White | 9 | 1 | - | ||
"Your Heart Belongs to Me" | The Supremes | 95 | - | - | |||
"Way Over There" | The Miracles | Berry Gordy Jr. | 94 | - | - | ||
"You Threw a Lucky Punch" | Gene Chandler | Ronald White, Don Covay | 49 | 25 | - | ||
"Two Lovers" | Mary Wells | 7 | 1 | - | |||
"Operator" | Mary Wells | - | - | - | |||
"You've Really Got a Hold on Me" | The Miracles | 8 | 1 | - | 1972: Gayle McCormick, #98 US 1978: Eddie Money, #72 US | ||
"Happy Landing" | The Miracles | Ronald White | - | - | - | ||
1963 | "Laughing Boy" | Mary Wells | 15 | 6 | - | ||
"Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right" | Mary Wells | Berry Gordy Jr. | 100 | - | - | ||
"A Love She Can Count On" | The Miracles | 31 | 21 | - | |||
"I Want a Love I Can See" | The Temptations | - | - | - | |||
"Your Old Standby" | Mary Wells | Janie Bradford | 40 | 8 | - | ||
"Love Me All the Way" | Kim Weston | Barney Ales | 88 | 24 | - | ||
"A Breathtaking Guy" | The Supremes | 75 | - | - | |||
"What's So Easy for Two Is So Hard for One" | Mary Wells | 29 | 8 | - | |||
"As Long As I Know He's Mine" | The Marvelettes | 47 | 3 | - | |||
1964 | "He's a Good Guy (Yes He Is)" | The Marvelettes | 55 | 18 | - | ||
"The Way You Do the Things You Do" | The Temptations | Bobby Rogers | 11 | 1 | - | 1978: Rita Coolidge, #20 US 1985: Hall & Oates with David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks, #20 US, #40 R&B, #58 UK 1990: UB40, #6 US, #49 UK | |
"(You Can't Let the Boy Overpower) The Man in You" | The Miracles | 59 | 12 | - | 1968: Chuck Jackson, #94 US | ||
"My Guy" | Mary Wells | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1972: Petula Clark, #70 US 1972: Mary Wells, #14 UK (reissue) 1980: Amii Stewart & Johnny Bristol, "My Guy - My Girl", #63 US, #76 R&B, #39 UK 1982: Sister Sledge, #23 US, #14 R&B 1985: Amii Stewart & Deon Estus, "My Guy - My Girl", #63 UK | ||
"I'll Be in Trouble" | The Temptations | 33 | 22 | - | |||
"I Like It Like That" | The Miracles | Marv Tarplin | 27 | 10 | - | ||
"You're My Remedy" | The Marvelettes | 48 | 16 | - | |||
"Baby, Baby I Need You" | The Temptations | - | - | - | |||
"That's What Love Is Made of" | The Miracles | Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore | 35 | 9 | - | ||
"Come On Do the Jerk" | The Miracles | Marv Tarplin, Bobby Rogers, Ronald White | 50 | 22 | - | ||
"Lucky, Lucky Me" | Marvin Gaye | Hank Cosby, Sylvia Moy, Ivy Hunter | - | - | - | ||
1965 | "My Girl" | The Temptations | Ronald White | 1 | 1 | 43 | 1965: Otis Redding, #11 UK 1968: Otis Redding, #36 UK (reissue) 1968: Bobby Vee, #35 US 1970: Eddie Floyd, #43 R&B 1980: The Whispers, #26 UK 1980: Amii Stewart & Johnny Bristol, "My Guy - My Girl", #63 US, #76 R&B, #39 UK 1985: Amii Stewart & Deon Estus, "My Guy - My Girl", #63 UK 1986: The Temptations, #92 UK (reissue) 1988: Suave, #20 US, #3 R&B 1992: The Temptations, #2 UK (reissue) |
"That Day When She Needed Me" | The Contours | - | 37 | - | |||
"My Smile Is Just a Frown (Turned Upside Down)" | Carolyn Crawford | Janie Bradford, William "Mickey" Stevenson | - | 39 | - | ||
"When I'm Gone" | Brenda Holloway | 25 | 12 | - | |||
"I'll Be Doggone" | Marvin Gaye | Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin | 8 | 1 | - | ||
"Ooo Baby Baby" | The Miracles | Pete Moore | 16 | 4 | - | 1967: The Five Stairsteps, #63 US, #34 R&B 1977: Shalamar, #59 R&B 1978: Linda Ronstadt, #7 US, #77 R&B 1987: Romeo, #67 R&B 1989: Zapp, #18 R&B | |
"It's Growing" | The Temptations | Pete Moore | 18 | 3 | 45 | ||
"Operator" | Brenda Holloway | 78 | 36 | - | |||
"The Tracks of My Tears" | The Miracles | Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin | 16 | 2 | - | 1967: Johnny Rivers, #10 US 1969: Aretha Franklin, #71 US, #21 R&B 1969: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, #9 UK (reissue) 1975: Linda Ronstadt, #25 US, #42 UK 1982: Colin Blunstone, #60 UK 1987: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, #82 UK (reissue) 1993: Go West, #16 UK | |
"A Fork in the Road" | The Miracles | - | - | - | 1982: Rebbie Jackson, #40 R&B | ||
"Since I Lost My Baby" | The Temptations | Pete Moore | 17 | 4 | - | 1982: Luther Vandross, #17 R&B | |
"You've Got To Earn It" | The Temptations | Cornelius Grant | - | 22 | - | 1971: The Staple Singers, #97 US, #11 R&B | |
"First I Look at the Purse" | The Contours | Bobby Rogers | 57 | 12 | - | ||
"Ain't That Peculiar" | Marvin Gaye | Marv Tarplin, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore | 8 | 1 | - | 1969: George Tindley, #35 R&B 1972: Fanny, #85 US 1975: Diamond Reo, #44 US 1983: Stevie Woods, #54 R&B 1984: Mari Wilson, #78 UK | |
"My Girl Has Gone" | The Miracles | Ronald White, Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin | 14 | 3 | - | ||
"My Baby" | The Temptations | Ronald White, Pete Moore | 13 | 4 | - | ||
"Don't Look Back" | The Temptations | Ronald White | 83 | 15 | - | 1978: Peter Tosh, #81 US 1979: Teena Marie, #91 R&B | |
"Choosey Beggar" | The Miracles | Pete Moore | - | 35 | - | ||
"Going to a Go-Go" | The Miracles | Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers, Marv Tarplin | 11 | 2 | 44 | 1975: The Sharonettes, #46 UK 1982: The Rolling Stones, #25 US, #26 UK | |
"From Head to Toe" | The Miracles | - | - | - | 1982: Elvis Costello & the Attractions, #43 UK | ||
1966 | "Don't Mess with Bill" | The Marvelettes | 7 | 3 | - | ||
"One More Heartache" | Marvin Gaye | Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers, Marv Tarplin | 29 | 4 | - | ||
"Get Ready" | The Temptations | 29 | 1 | - | 1969: The Temptations, #10 UK (reissue) 1970: King Curtis, #46 R&B 1970: Rare Earth, #4 US, #20 R&B 1971: Syl Johnson, #34 R&B 1972: Donnie Elbert, #51 UK 1979: Smokey Robinson, #82 R&B | ||
"You're the One" | The Marvelettes | 48 | 20 | - | |||
"Take This Heart of Mine" | Marvin Gaye | Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin | 44 | 16 | 56 | ||
1967 | "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" | The Marvelettes | 13 | 2 | - | 1980: Grace Jones, #87 R&B | |
"The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage" | Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | Marv Tarplin | 20 | 10 | - | ||
"Come Spy with Me" | Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | Marv Tarplin | - | - | - | ||
"More Love" | Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | 23 | 13 | - | 1980: Kim Carnes, #10 US | ||
"I Second That Emotion" | Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | Al Cleveland | 4 | 1 | 27 | 1969: Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations, #18 UK 1978: Thelma Jones, #74 R&B 1982: Japan, #9 UK 1989: 10db, #18 R&B 1989: Alyson Williams, #44 UK | |
"My Baby Must Be a Magician" | The Marvelettes | 17 | 8 | - | |||
1968 | "If You Can Want" | Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | 11 | 3 | 50 | ||
"Girls Girls Girls" | Chuck Jackson | Al Cleveland | - | - | 59 | ||
"Yester Love" | Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | Al Cleveland | 31 | 9 | - | ||
"Here I Am Baby" | The Marvelettes | 44 | 14 | - | |||
"Special Occasion" | Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | Al Cleveland | 26 | 4 | - | ||
"Malinda" | Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers | Al Cleveland, Terry Johnson | 48 | 16 | - | ||
"He's My Sunny Boy" | Diana Ross & the Supremes | - | - | - | |||
1969 | "Baby, Baby Don't Cry" | Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | Al Cleveland, Terry Johnson | 8 | 3 | - | |
"I'm Gonna Hold On As Long As I Can" | The Marvelettes | 76 | - | - | |||
"The Composer" | Diana Ross & the Supremes | 27 | 21 | - | |||
"Doggone Right" | Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | Al Cleveland, Terry Johnson | 32 | 7 | - | ||
"Here I Go Again" | Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | Pete Moore, Al Cleveland, Terry Johnson | 37 | 15 | - | 1987: Oran Juice Jones, #45 R&B | |
"Who's Loving You" | The Jackson 5 | - | 1 | - | B-side of "I Want You Back" listed on R&B chart 1992: The Jackson 5, #48 R&B (live version) 2009: The Jackson 5, #36 UK (reissue) 2011: The Jackson 5, #83 UK (reissue) | ||
"Point It Out" | Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | Marv Tarplin, Al Cleveland | 37 | 4 | - | ||
1970 | "The Tears of a Clown" | Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | Stevie Wonder, Hank Cosby | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1976: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, #34 UK (reissue) 1979: The Beat, #6 UK |
"Still Water (Love)" | The Four Tops | Frank Wilson | 11 | 4 | 10 | 1982: O'Bryan, #23 R&B | |
1971 | "I Don't Blame You At All" | Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | 18 | 7 | 11 | ||
"Crazy About the La La La" | Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | 56 | 20 | - | |||
"Satisfaction" | Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | 49 | 20 | - | |||
1972 | "Floy Joy" | The Supremes | 16 | 5 | 9 | ||
"Automatically Sunshine" | The Supremes | 81 | 21 | 10 | |||
"Your Wonderful, Sweet, Sweet Love" | The Supremes | 59 | 22 | - | |||
1973 | "Happy (Love Theme from Lady Sings the Blues)" | Bobby Darin | Michel Legrand | 67 | - | - | 1983: Michael Jackson, #52 UK |
"Sweet Harmony" | Smokey Robinson | 48 | 31 | - | |||
"Baby Come Close" | Smokey Robinson | Marv Tarplin, Pamela Young | 27 | 7 | - | ||
1974 | "Just My Soul Responding" | Smokey Robinson | Marv Tarplin | - | - | 35 | |
"It's Her Turn to Live" | Smokey Robinson | Marv Tarplin | 82 | 29 | - | ||
"Virgin Man" | Smokey Robinson | 56 | 12 | - | |||
"I Am, I Am" | Smokey Robinson | 56 | 6 | - | |||
1975 | "Baby That's Backatcha" | Smokey Robinson | 26 | 1 | - | ||
"The Agony and the Ecstasy " | Smokey Robinson | 36 | 7 | - | |||
1976 | "Quiet Storm" | Smokey Robinson | 61 | 25 | - | 1999: Mobb Deep, #35 R&B | |
"Open" | Smokey Robinson | Pamela Young, Marv Tarplin | 81 | 10 | - | ||
1977 | "Theme from Big Time" | Smokey Robinson | - | 38 | - | ||
1978 | "Why You Wanna See My Bad Side" | Smokey Robinson | Janie Bradford | - | 52 | - | |
"Daylight and Darkness" | Smokey Robinson | Rose Ella Jones | 75 | 9 | - | ||
"Shoe Soul'" | Smokey Robinson | Mike Sutton, Brenda Sutton | - | 68 | - | ||
1979 | "Cruisin'" | Smokey Robinson | Marv Tarplin | 4 | 4 | - | 1995: D'Angelo, #53 US, #10 R&B, #31 UK 2000: Huey Lewis & Gwyneth Paltrow, #109 US, #1 AC, #1 Australia, #1 New Zealand |
1980 | "Let Me Be the Clock" | Smokey Robinson | 31 | 4 | - | ||
"Heavy on Pride (Light on Love)" | Smokey Robinson | - | 34 | - | |||
1981 | "Being with You" | Smokey Robinson | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||
"You Are Forever" | Smokey Robinson | 59 | 31 | 76 | |||
1982 | "More on the Inside" | The Temptations | - | 82 | - | ||
1983 | "I've Made Love to You a Thousand Times" | Smokey Robinson | - | 8 | - | ||
"Touch the Sky" | Smokey Robinson | - | 68 | - | |||
1984 | "And I Don't Love You" | Smokey Robinson | - | 33 | 90 | ||
"I Can't Find" | Smokey Robinson | - | 41 | - | |||
1986 | "Hold On to Your Love" | Smokey Robinson | Stevie Wonder | - | 11 | 83 | |
1987 | "What's Too Much" | Smokey Robinson | Lonnie Kirtz, Ivory Stone, Homer Talbert | 79 | 16 | - | |
1988 | "Love Don't Give No Reason" | Smokey Robinson | Steve Tavari | - | 31 | 89 | |
1991 | "Double Good Everything" | Smokey Robinson | 91 | 23 | - | ||
1992 | "I Love Your Face" | Smokey Robinson | - | 57 | - | ||
"Rewind" | Smokey Robinson | - | 56 | - | |||
1999 | "Easy to Love" | Smokey Robinson | - | 67 | - | ||
"Get Ready" is a Motown song written by Smokey Robinson, which resulted in two hit records for the label: a U.S. No. 29 version by The Temptations in 1966, and a U.S. No. 4 version by Rare Earth in 1970. It is significant for being the last song Robinson wrote and produced for the Temptations, due to a deal Berry Gordy made with Norman Whitfield, that if "Get Ready" did not meet with the expected degree of success, then Whitfield's song, "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", would get the next release, which resulted in Whitfield more or less replacing Robinson as the group's producer.
"Ain't That Peculiar" is a 1965 song recorded by American soul musician Marvin Gaye for the Tamla (Motown) label.
"I'll Be Doggone" is a 1965 song recorded by American soul singer Marvin Gaye and released on the Tamla label. The song talks about how a man tells his woman that he'll be "doggone" about simple things but if she did him wrong that he'd be "long gone". The song was written by Smokey Robinson, Warren Moore and Marv Tarplin, initially for The Temptations, who rejected the song.
"The Tears of a Clown" is a song written by Hank Cosby, Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder and originally recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Tamla Records label subsidiary of Motown, first appearing on the 1967 album Make It Happen. It was re-released in the United Kingdom as a single in July 1970, and it became a #1 hit on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending 12 September 1970. Subsequently, Motown released "The Tears of a Clown" as a single in the United States as well, where it quickly became a #1 hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts.
"My Guy" is a 1964 hit single recorded by Mary Wells for the Motown label. Written and produced by Smokey Robinson of The Miracles, the song is a woman's rejection of a sexual advance and affirmation of her fidelity to her boyfriend, who is her ideal and with whom she is happy, despite his ordinary physique and looks. ("There's not a man today who could take me away from my guy").
"My Baby" is a 1965 hit single recorded by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label. Written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson, Bobby Rogers, and Pete Moore and produced by Robinson, the song was a top 20 pop hit in the United States, and a top 5 hit on the R&B charts.
"Shop Around" is a song originally recorded by The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla subsidiary label. It was written by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. It became a smash hit in 1960 when originally recorded by The Miracles, reaching number one on the Billboard R&B chart, number one on the Cashbox Top 100 Pop Chart, and number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was The Miracles first million-selling hit record, and the first-million-selling hit for the Motown Record Corporation. This landmark single was a multiple award winner for The Miracles, having been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2006, inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of The 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll, and honored by Rolling Stone as #500 in their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
"Ooo Baby Baby" is a song written by Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore. It is a classic 1965 hit single by The Miracles for the Tamla (Motown) label. The song has inspired numerous other cover versions by other artists over the years, including covers by Ella Fitzgerald, Todd Rundgren, The Escorts, The Five Stairsteps, Linda Ronstadt, and many others. The Miracles' original version of "Ooo Baby Baby", is listed as number 266 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
"The Tracks of My Tears" is a song written by Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin. It is a multiple award-winning 1965 hit R&B song originally recorded by their group, The Miracles, on Motown's Tamla label. The Miracles' million-selling original version has been inducted into The Grammy Hall of Fame, has been ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America and The National Endowment for the Arts at No. 127 in its list of the "Songs of the Century" – the 365 Greatest Songs of the 20th Century, and has been selected by Rolling Stone Magazine as #50 in its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", among many other awards.
"Being with You" is a 1981 song recorded by American singer Smokey Robinson and is the title track from his Gold-certified album with the same name. The song spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Soul Singles chart from March to early May 1981 and reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, behind "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes, his highest charting solo hit on the Billboard pop charts.
Now let me tell you about a coincidental relationship between Smokey at #2 and Kim Carnes who's at #1 again this week. Kim's last hit was "More Love", her remake of an old Smokey Robinson hit. Well, Smokey liked Kim's version so much that he wrote her another song, but when Smokey's producer heard the demo, he told Smokey, "You oughta record it yourself!", and that's the song we just heard in the #2 position. And how ironic it is that Smokey's recording of the song he'd written for Kim Carnes has been kept out of the #1 spot by a Kim Carnes hit for 3 weeks running. - Casey Kasem, American Top 40
"Cruisin'" is a 1979 single written, produced, and recorded by Smokey Robinson for Motown Records' Tamla label. One of Robinson's most successful singles outside of his work with The Miracles, "Cruisin'" hit number one on the U.S. Cash Box Top 100 and was also a major Billboard Pop hit, peaking at number four the week of February 2, 1980. It was a Top Five hit on the Soul chart as well.
"Floy Joy" is a song written by Smokey Robinson and released as a single in December 1971 by popular Motown female singing group The Supremes.
"Take This Heart of Mine" is a song written by The Miracles members Warren "Pete" Moore, William "Smokey" Robinson and Marv Tarplin, produced by Robinson and released as a single by American soul singer Marvin Gaye, on Motown Records 'Tamla label in 1966.
"Automatically Sunshine" is a single written by Smokey Robinson and released as a single by Motown singing group The Supremes as the second single from their popular album Floy Joy in 1972.
"Do It Baby" is a 1974 single recorded and released by the Motown R&B group The Miracles. The song was taken from the album of the same name, and written by Motown staff songwriters Freddie Perren and Christine Yarian and produced by Perren.
"Special Occasion" is a 1968 hit single recorded by Motown Records R&B group Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, issued by its Tamla Records subsidiary and taken from the album of the same name. It was written and composed by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson and Motown staff songwriter Al Cleveland, the authors of the group's Top 10 million-selling smash, "I Second That Emotion", the previous year.
"Your Wonderful, Sweet Sweet Love" is a song written by Smokey Robinson, recorded in October 1966 by Kim Weston. Her recording was not issued at the time as she left the label over a dispute over royalties in 1967. Weston's original version was first released in 2005.
Once in a While is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on May 23, 1988, by Columbia Records and found him returning to the practice of covering contemporary hits but also mixing in lesser-known songs already recorded by other artists along with a few new ones.