Smokey Robinson and the Miracles Week No 4: I've Been Good to You
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles are nowadays mainly remembered for three songs in particular: "The Tears of a Clown", "The Tracks of my Tears" and the paradoxical "You've Really Got a Hold on Me", famously covered by the Beatles on their second album, "With the Beatles". But the standard is so high, we could have a Smokey fortnight, not just a week. Robinson was arguably the greatest influence on Paul McCartney's songwriting and George Harrison wrote and recorded a tribute song to him, "Pure Smokey", containing the lines:
"....and anyone who hears - hears that voice so free he really got a hold on me and I thank you all for giving to us Smokey"
and John Lennon too, complimented him by parodying the opening of "I've Been Good to You" in "Sexy Sadie". And what a great opening it is too:
"Look what you've done you've made a fool out of someone who thought love was true and found out that you we're just having fun
oh why do you wanna make me blue after all, I've been good to you...."
And when he gets to the bit when he sings:
"....and now you're telling me that you must go you know that you're hurting me so oh- oh- oh- oo-oh
but there'll come a time one day, one day, one day, one day, one day you're gonna wake up and find you'll come back to me on your bended knee you're gonna be crying
believe me what I say is true, baby
after all, I've been good to you."
-you know he's right, she'll definitely come back to him. Because how could she resist that beautiful voice and passionate singing?
Or resist those incredible five "one day"s in a row. And if you don't get that you don't get the power of poetry. Or soul.