Smokey Robinson & the Miracles Top 10 Hits

I've been a fan of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for many years. Smokey "gets it"-whether expressing love, having the courage to admit a bad mistake, or apologizing. He is the master story teller, who can make you care about what he is saying after only a few words. I saw the group perform when I was in college-it was the high point of my senior year, because I took the Homecoming Queen (it had taken Smokey's concert to give me the courage to ask her out). I took my wife to see Smokey at Carnegie Hall a few years ago; he is still great. She called him "a crooner." One song that would have made my top 10 had it not been written and made famous by The Temptations is "My Girl.' Another Smokey song that I recently heard for the first time "Head to Toe" didn't make my top 10, but I liked it so much, I intend to put it in a singing Valentine's Day card. My top 10 favorite Smokey Robinson songs are:

10. You've Really Got a Hold on Me. 1962 Top 10 hit, which The Beatles covered it in 1963. In this song, Smokey "doesn't want his lover, because she treats him badly, but he needs her, because he loves her madly." Been there, done that. Even when it's over, you don't want it to end.

9. Being with you. 1981. This song was released when my future wife and I started dating. We were in England driving from Birmingham to Cornwall and hearing this song on the radio made me realize this girl was the one I wanted to be with forever.

8. If You Can Want. 1968. Special Occasion album. Further refines #10-namely, "if you can want, "you can need, if you can need you can care and if you can care you can love." More up tempo, more optimistic.

7. Quiet Storm. Title track on 1975 album. Smokey cleverly uses a simile and anthropomorphism in the same sentence ("quiet as when flowers talk"). Strong forces of nature serve as imagery for his love. Great song for a rainy day with someone you love; it is pure electricity.

6. The Love I saw in you was just a mirage. 1967.Genius simile fora lover who turns out to be the opposite of what she seemed. In the wake, she leaves disappointment and hurt. Everyone can relate to this.

5. I Second that Emotion. 1967. "And maybe you'll go away and never call. And a taste of honey is worse than none at all." Smokey's got that right and he's trying to negotiate something more.

4. The Tracks of My Tears. 1965. "Outside, I'm masquerading Inside, my hope is fading." Smokey distills the pain of breaking up and pretending you don't care about the one you really love. The pain hurts so much it makes your smile crooked-truer words were never said.

3Tears of a Clown. 1966 (# 1 hit in 1970 when re-released as a single). Smokey uses another simile "just like Pagliacci did, I try to keep my sadness hid." Pagliacci (Players, or Clowns) is an opera composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. Smokey brilliantly juxtaposes real and pretend, outward expressions and inward feelings, truth and lies.

2. More Love. 1967. Smokey is promising his lover an annuity-his love forever. Simple, says it all. "A heart that's truthful & keeping you youthful"-Slow tempo in the beginning, builds up and soars.

1. Ooo Baby Baby. The Miracles masterpiece from 1965. Sad to say, whether due to pride, or fear of rejection, some people never learn to admit they made a bad mistake and apologize. Smokey does both in this poignant song. Smokey's heart aches-you can feel the pain resulting from his lost love. He hopes for redemption. At Carnegie Hall, as Smokey refrained "ooo baby baby" with increasing urgency and intensity, a lady in front of us stood up and shouted "do it to me, Smoke." Smokey got a well deserved standing ovation and said: "well, I guess I can go home now." Of the 4,000 songs (36 in the top 10) Smokey has written, for me, this is the best.