Early years and formation of the Miracles
Robinson was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and was nicknamed "Smokey" as a child, because of his love of westerns. The name originally came when an uncle (who would take a young Robinson to see westerns) gave him the name "Smokey Joe", Robinson began being called "Smokey" whilst in his teens. In 1955, Robinson founded a group he called "The Five Chimes" with his best friend Ronnie White, and Northern High School classmates Pete Moore, Clarence Dawson, and James Grice. By 1957, the group was called "The Matadors" and included cousins Bobby Rogers and Claudette Rogers in place of Dawson and Grice. With Robinson as lead singer, the Matadors began touring the local Detroit venues. In 1958, Robinson met songwriter Berry Gordy, Jr., who co-wrote for them the single "Got a Job," an answer song to The Silhouettes' hit single "Get A Job." The group renamed itself The Miracles, and issued singles on both End Records and Chess Records before Robinson suggested to Berry Gordy that he start a label of his own.
In 1959, Gordy founded Tamla Records, which he soon reincorporated as Motown. The Miracles were among the label's first signees. Gordy and Robinson had a synergistic relationship, with Robinson providing a foundation for Motown's hit-making success and Gordy acting as a mentor for the budding singer and songwriter. By 1961, Gordy had appointed Robinson vice-president of Motown Records, a title Robinson held for as long as Gordy remained with the company.
Motown and The Miracles
The 1960 single "Shop Around" was Motown's first #1 hit on the R&B singles chart, and the first big hit for The Miracles. They scored many more hits over the years, including "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (1962), "Mickey's Monkey" (1963), "Ooo Baby Baby (1965), "The Tracks of My Tears" (1965), "Going to a Go-Go" (1965), "More Love" (1967), and "I Second That Emotion" (1967).
Besides penning hits for his own group, Robinson also wrote and produced hits and album tracks for other Motown artists. Mary Wells had a big hit with the Robinson-penned "My Guy" (1964), and Robinson served as The Temptations primary songwriter and producer from 1963 to 1966, penning hits such as "The Way You Do the Things You Do," "My Girl," "Since I Lost My Baby," and "Get Ready." Among Robinson's numerous other Motown compositions are "Still Water (Love)" by The Four Tops, "Don't Mess With Bill" by The Marvelettes, "When I'm Gone" by Brenda Holloway, "Ain't That Peculiar" and "I'll Be Doggone" by Marvin Gaye, "My Guy" by Mary Wells and "First I Look at the Purse" by The Contours.
Fellow singer/songwriter Bob Dylan described Robinson as "America's greatest living poet." Robinson's hit ballads also earned him the title "America's poet laureate of love." Over the course of his almost 50-year career in music, Robinson has over 4,000 songs to his credit.
After marrying Claudette Rogers, Robinson started a family, and named both of his children after Motown: his son was named Berry after the company's founder, and his daughter was named Tamla after the Motown imprint for which Robinson and The Miracles recorded.
The Miracles remained a premier Motown act through most of the 1960s. Albums were released as "Smokey Robinson & the Miracles" after 1965. By 1969, the group's fortunes began to falter, and Robinson decided to quit The Miracles so that he could remain at home with his family and concentrate on his duties as vice president. The group stopped recording and Robinson prepared to leave the group. Unexpectedly, however, their 1966 recording of "The Tears of a Clown" was released as a single in 1970, and became a #1 hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Due to the surprise success of "Tears of a Clown," Robinson was convinced to remain with The Miracles for a few more years. In 1972, he followed through on his original plans to leave the group, and The Miracles began a six-month farewell tour. On July 16, 1972, Smokey and Claudette Robinson gave their final performances as Miracles at the Carter Barron Amphitheater in Washington, DC, and Robinson introduced the group's new lead singer, Billy Griffin. The Miracles went on for a while, even having another #1 hit, "Love Machine," in 1976.
Successful solo career
Smokey Robinson began a low-key solo career while concentrating on his duties as vice-president of Motown, releasing his first solo LP, Smokey, in 1973. His first hit single, "Sweet Harmony" (1973), was dedicated to The Miracles.
In 1975, Robinson's solo career went into full-drive after the success of the #1 R&B hit "Baby That's Backatcha." Robinson's 1976 single "Quiet Storm" and its accompanying album typified a smooth, slow style of R&B that is today called "quiet storm." Other Robinson solo hits include "Cruisin'" (1979), "Being With You" (a UK #1 hit) (1981), "Tell Me Tomorrow" (1982), and "Ebony Eyes," a duet with labelmate Rick James (1983). He also recorded the soundtrack to the film Big Time (1977).
Spokesmanship
Smokey Robinson is the spokesman of the Great American Smokeout, which takes place annually one week before Thanksgiving. It's a day when smokers quit smoking for at least a day. In 2006, It takes place on November 16th.
Later years
During the mid-1980s, Robinson fell victim to cocaine addiction. His recording slowed, and his marriage to Claudette faltered; the two were divorced in 1986. Robinson eventually overcame the addiction and revitalized his career, scoring hits in 1987 with "Just To See Her" and "One Heartbeat." Also in 1987, British band ABC scored a US and UK hit with their tribute to Robinson, entitled "When Smokey Sings". In 1988, Robinson published his autobiography, Smokey, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Upon Motown's sale to MCA in 1988, Robinson resigned from his position as vice-president. After one last album for Motown, Love, Smokey (1990), Robinson departed the company. He released one record for SBK Records, Double Good Everything (1991), the same year he won a Soul Train Music Award for Career Achievement. Eight years later, he returned to Motown, which by then was a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and released Intimate (1999).
Since then, Robinson has continued to periodically perform and tour. In 2003, Robinson served as a guest judge for American Idol during "Billy Joel Week." He issued a gospel LP, Food for the Spirit in 2004. A new album of pop standards from the early 20th century, Timeless Love, was released in June 2006. It was originally recorded with a jazz combo, but strings were added after the fact, giving the album more of a lush sound but removing much of the jazz feeling of the disc.
In 2004, Robinson's company, SFGL Foods, launched a special brand of gumbo called "Smokey Robinson's 'The Soul is in the Bowl' Gumbo." [1].
In May 2006, at its 138th Commencement Convocation, Howard University conferred on Robinson the degree of Doctor of Music, honoris causa.
Smokey Robinson is scheduled to appear on Duets on Fox along with Randy Travis, Patti Labelle, Chaka Khan, Dionne Warwick, Aaron Neville, Clint Black, Michael Bolton, Kenny Loggins, Brian McKnight, Macy Gray, Richard Marx, and Cyndi Lauper. David Foster will be a judge.
On 27th October 2006 Smokey appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.
Lady Sings The Blues
Smokey Robinson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too young to know
How hard the fall could be
I never thought I'd try again
Somehow you brought
The gambler out in me
You can deal me in this time around
We'll play them down
You may be a chance I need to take
And the hand I'm holdin' says it's no mistake
Happy is the way I'm feelin'
And I know it comes from being with you
All at once my life is changin'
And I know it's cause I'm fallin' in love
With you
Fallin' in love with you
Fallin' in love
Fallin' in love with you
If this is luck then let it ride
If it's the stars
They're surely on my side
I've never been so satisfied
By love before
For all the times I've tried
These beginnings could mean more
Than the brief affair I bargained for
Little did I know when we began
That my time had come to win a hand
Happy is the way I'm feelin'
And I know it comes from being with you
All at once my life is changin'
And I know it's cause I'm fallin' in love
With you
Fallin' in love with you
Fallin' in love
Fallin' in love with you
Please forgive me if I seem
To be walking through a waking dream
Laughter never came so easily
There's a freedom here that's new to me
Happy is the way I'm feelin'
And I know it comes from being with you
All at once my life is changin'
And I know it's cause I'm fallin' in love
With you
Fallin' in love with you
Fallin' in love
Fallin' in love with you
In the song "Happy" by Smokey Robinson, the singer describes his newfound sense of happiness that has been brought on by falling in love with someone new. He acknowledges that he has played the game of love before, but was young and did not understand how hard the fall could be. However, the new love interest has brought out the gambler in him and he is willing to take a chance on love again. Despite the odds being high, he is confident that they can play them down together. He recognizes that this love could mean more than just a brief affair and that his time has come to finally win a hand.
The lyrics also showcase the levels of satisfaction the singer is experiencing by being with this new love. Laughter has never come so easily and he feels a newfound sense of freedom. He acknowledges that this love has brought about a change in his life and that he is falling in love with this person.
Overall, "Happy" is a classic love song that focuses on the emotions and feelings of being in love, including the hope and joy it brings to one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
I've played the game of love before
I've been in love before, but I was too young to understand how hard it can be.
Too young to know
When I was younger, I didn't have enough life experience to fully understand the challenges that love can bring.
How hard the fall could be
I didn't realize how painful it can be when you fall in love and it doesn't work out.
I never thought I'd try again
After my past experience, I didn't think I would give love another chance.
Somehow you brought
But somehow, you made me feel differently.
The gambler out in me
You made me willing to take a risk on love - like a gambler willing to take a chance.
You can deal me in this time around
I'm ready to take a chance on love again, and I want you to be a part of it.
Even though the odds are high
I know that falling in love is always a risk, but I'm willing to take that risk with you.
We'll play them down
Together, we'll face any challenges that come our way.
You may be a chance I need to take
I know that falling in love with you is a risk, but I also know that I need to take that risk to find happiness.
And the hand I'm holdin' says it's no mistake
I feel confident that being with you is the right choice for me - like I'm holding a good hand in a game of cards.
If this is luck then let it ride
If our relationship is based on luck, then I'm willing to take that chance and see where it takes us.
If it's the stars
If our relationship is written in the stars, then I'm happy to be a part of that.
They're surely on my side
I feel like the universe is supporting our relationship and helping us succeed.
I've never been so satisfied
Being with you brings me a level of happiness and fulfillment that I've never felt before.
By love before
After previous experiences with love, I never could have imagined how fulfilling it could be.
These beginnings could mean more
I'm optimistic that our relationship has the potential to turn into something more serious and lasting.
Than the brief affair I bargained for
Initially, I thought our relationship might just be a short-lived fling, but I now realize it could be much more than that.
Little did I know when we began
I didn't expect our relationship to take off the way it has.
That my time had come to win a hand
I feel like I've hit the jackpot by falling in love with you.
Please forgive me if I seem
I hope you'll forgive me if I seem a little overwhelmed or in a dreamlike state because of my feelings for you.
To be walking through a waking dream
I feel like I'm living in a dream because my life is so wonderful now that I'm with you.
Laughter never came so easily
Being with you brings so much joy and happiness to my life that I find myself laughing more often and more easily than ever before.
There's a freedom here that's new to me
Being with you makes me feel free to be myself and allows me to experience new things in life.
Happy is the way I'm feelin'
I'm incredibly happy now that I'm with you - my life has never felt so complete.
And I know it comes from being with you
All of this happiness and fulfillment I feel is a direct result of being with you.
All at once my life is changin'
Being with you has completely transformed my life and my outlook on love and relationships.
And I know it's cause I'm fallin' in love
I'm falling in love with you, and that's the reason for all of the positive changes in my life.
With you
Being with you is the best thing that has ever happened to me.
Fallin' in love with you
I'm falling more and more in love with you every day.
Fallin' in love
Falling in love is the best feeling in the world.
Fallin' in love with you
And I'm lucky enough to be falling in love with you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Actual Music, S.L.
Written by: Michel Legrand, William Robinson Jr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind