Smokey Robinson and The Miracles' 10 greatest songs, ranked

1 July 2025, 09:45

There's only one way to describe Smokey Robinson: legendary. Picture: Getty

By Thomas Edward

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If there's one way to describe him, it's legendary.

Few artists have endured like Smokey Robinson, especially when you consider how long he's been in the music business.

Not only has his career spanned eight decades, he is also regarded as one of the most influential musicians of all time.

When he started out with the The Five Chimes in 1955 at the age of just 15, little did he know that once the group changed their name to The Miracles, they'd grow to achieve chart successes as well as swathes of accolades.

One of the first groups that Berry Gordy signed to Motown Records, they scored the label's first bonafide hit.

From then onwards, Smokey and the group evolved into a hit-making machine, writing a series of timeless songs, that, along with Smokey's unique golden green eyes, garnered them global adoration.

Blending lyrical sophistication and emotional nuance, Robinson's songwriting moved millions – likely why he was one of the earliest artists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Not to mention that he's won four Grammy Awards, a Grammy Living Legend Award, the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize, with too many more to even mention.

That said, let's look at why Smokey Robinson is regarded as an era-defining talent, as we've ranked his and The Miracles' very best ten songs:

Shop Around

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Shop Around (Lyric Video)

Where better to start than 'Shop Around', the song that became The Miracles and Motown Records' first top 10 hit in the US and their first million-selling song.
The lyrics flowed out of Smokey within the space of 20 minutes according to the man himself, likely because they came from an incredible personal place.
He wrote the song about his mother telling him to keep going through girls unless he found his perfect soulmate, some words of advice he held dear given the fact she died when he was just 10 years old.
Ooo Baby Baby

Smokey Robinson and The Miracles - Ooo Baby Baby (Ready Steady Go - 1965)

Smokey was certainly a smooth operator, though his exploits with the opposite sex often caused turmoil.
'Ooo Baby Baby' is about exact that, with Robinson lamenting throughout the top 5 hit that he foolishly cheated on a female lover and now is begging her to forgive him and take him back.
The song's highly emotional feel inspired numerous artists to cover it, including the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Todd Rundgren and Linda Ronstadt.
More Love

More Love

Smokey wrote 'More Love' for his wife Claudette, who was also a member of The Miracles for many years.
In the book, Where Did Our Love Go? The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound, Robinson revealed that the song – which reached No.5 on the US R&B charts – was one of the most personal he'd ever written.
Claudette had a series of miscarriages throughout their marriage, and sadly gave birth to stillborn twins, feeling she was letting her husband down.
So he wrote 'More Love' for her, saying: "I wanted to reassure her that I was cool no matter what happened, because I still had her."
Baby That’s Backatcha

Smokey Robinson - Baby's That Backatcha

After leaving The Miracles in 1972, Smokey was at a crossroad career-wise, unsure whether to continue the sparkling, tear-stained ballads from his previous band or try something new.
'Baby That’s Backatcha' marked a major cornerstone in Smokey's career, a free and funky song which became the first notable song of his solo venture.
The falsetto is still prominent, but now it's lifted by the exploration of the disco age.
His first solo No.1 on the US R&B chart, 'Baby That’s Backatcha' propelled his lauded 1975 album A Quiet Storm into the top ten of the album charts, which even spawned it's own genre, aptly titled 'Quiet Storm'.
Cruisin'

Smokey Robinson – Cruisin' [Official Lyric Video]

"You'd be surprised by how many people speculate on what Cruisin' means," he told The Guardian. "'Cruisin'' is a word that I leave up to the listener. When you're with the person you're with, and you feel you're cruisin', it's whatever you want it to be."
Despite Smokey trying to keep it vague, it's abundantly clear that his idea of cruisin' means making your way to the bedroom.
It's certainly heavily suggested in the sultry and silky smooth song Smokey released in 1979, which would become his biggest hit of the '70s.
Strangely enough, actress Gwyneth Paltrow would actually record a duet of 'Cruisin'' with singer Huey Lewis (of The News fame) for the 2000 film called Duets.
Tracks Of My Tears

The Tracks Of My Tears

Smokey Robinson looked at himself in the mirror one day and thought 'what if someone cried so much you could see the tracks of their tears in their face?'
As the title would suggest, this thought process became The Miracles' 1965 song 'Tracks Of My Tears'.
Written by Smokey and his bandmates Warren Moore and Marv Tarplin, the heartbreaking song which describes a man concealing his pain after breaking up with the love of his life, though he cannot muster the strength to admit he needs her.
This gorgeous song became a huge hit among the American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War, with Motown's Berry Gordy believing it to be the finest song Smokey wrote.
Being With You

Smokey Robinson - Being With You

Smokey initially wrote 'Being With You' for singer Kim Carnes, though it was her former producer George Tobin that suggested he record it himself.
Tobin's idea turned out to be a master stroke, as 'Being With You' would become Smokey's biggest hit as a solo artist, topping the Billboard R&B chart in the US and topping the charts here in the UK.
As a hit-making songwriter and producer himself, it was Smokey's first experience of handing over the studio direction to another producer, in this case being Tobin who harnessed Robinson's delicate vocal and lovelorn lyrics.
Coincidentally, Smokey was kept off the US mainstream charts by none other than Kim Carnes, who held 'Being With You' at No.2 thanks to her cracking single 'Bette Davis Eyes'.
You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles You Really Got A Hold On Me Shindig 1964)

The legendary Sam Cooke provided Smokey with inspiration for the timeless 'You've Really Got A Hold On Me' – he'd perform at Robinson's church with his group the Soul Stirrers and dazzled the young budding singer.
Like most of Smokey's songs, he'd write about the softer sides of male emotion, often being the heartbroken party rather than the one breaking hearts.
An absolute classic, 'You've Really Got A Hold On Me' was a huge hit, and was even cover by a little known band called The Beatles in 1963.
Smokey appreciated the fact that the Liverpudlians openly admitted they were influenced by black artists from the US, which helped them with notoriety but also record sales.
I Second That Emotion

I Second That Emotion

A play on words from the phrase 'I second that motion', The Miracles' 1967 hit 'I Second That Emotion' actually came from painful beginnings.
As he revealed in his 1989 biography, Smokey and his wife Claudette sadly lost twins who were born prematurely, so the singer treated her to a gift. Suggesting he buy her pearls, at the counter co-writer Al Cleveland replied 'I second that emotion' so the pair wrote a song about it that night.
It became a No.1 hit on the US R&B charts, the first after the group changed their name to Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.
'I Second That Emotion' was also a money-maker for Motown in general, with The Temptations and Diana Ross & the Supremes also scoring big hits with the song. Years later synth-pop waifs Japan and the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia would also release notable cover versions.
The Tears Of A Clown

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Tears Of A Clown (Lyric Video)

Like most of Smokey Robinson's songs, 'The Tears Of A Clown' details someone hiding the pain behind a joyful masquerade, only to be crumbling behind the surface.
That's precisely why 'The Tears Of A Clown' is his and The Miracles' greatest song, as they even successfully disguised the tear-jerking lyrics within an upbeat, brass-laden soul bop.
It was in fact Stevie Wonder who conceived the song's instrumentation, as it was common practice for Motown Records' artists to work on each other's songs.
Deciding that Stevie's musical contributions sounded like a circus, Robinson used that as a springboard of inspiration for the lyrics, which were based on the Italian opera Pagliacci, a story which intrigued Smokey for many years prior.
"I was trying to think of something that would be significant, that would touch people's hearts, but still be dealing with the circus," said Smokey. "So what is that? Pagliacci, of course."
"The clown who cries. And after he makes everyone else happy with the smile painted on his face, then he goes into his dressing room and cries because he's sad. That was the key."
First appearing on the 1967 album Make It Happen, the song failed to capture an audience in the US initially, but after reaching the top of the charts in the UK, our American counterparts finally embraced 'The Tears Of A Clown' taking it to the No.1 across the pond. Now it's widely regarded as an all-time classic, no doubt about it.