"I'll Try Something New" is a song written by

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...

and originally released in 1962 by

The Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential groups ...

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

Records' Tamla subsidiary label. Their version was a Billboard Top 40 hit, peaking at #39, and just missed the Top 10 of its R&B chart, peaking at #11. The song was released later as a joint single by

Diana Ross & the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

and

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

, also becoming a charting version on the ''Billboard'' 100 pop singles chart, peaking for two weeks in April 1969 at number 25.

Background

Song information

In the song, the narrator (Smokey Robinson) describes how if he feels that if his first attempt at trying to show his lover affection was not good enough, then he'd try something new to keep their love alive: The Miracles issued the original version of the song in 1962, and with wife and fellow Miracles member Claudette's voice clearly audible in the chorus (''hey Venus...''). Smokey and Motown founder Berry Gordy produced the song with an

Oriental The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the ...

feel to it, with unusually lush-for-the-period orchestration and sweeping strings, showcasing The Miracles' harmonies and Robinson's production style. The Miracles' original version peaked number 39 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop charts and number 11 on the

R&B singles chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs record chart, chart ranks the most popular Contemporary R&B, R&B and Hip hop music, hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of rad ...

. It became the title track from their 1962 album, ''

I'll Try Something New ''I'll Try Something New'' is the third Tamla (Motown) album by The Miracles. The title track was an important early single for the group, featuring Smokey Robinson's lead voice, a chorus led by his wife Claudette Rogers Robinson, Claudette and ...

''.

Personnel

Miracles version

*Lead vocals by

*Background vocals by

Claudette Rogers Robinson Claudette Annette Rogers Robinson ( Rogers; born June 20, 1938) is an American singer, best known as a member of the vocal group The Miracles from 1957 to 1972. Her brother Emerson "Sonny" Rogers was a founding member of the group, which befor ...

, Pete Moore,

Ronnie White Ronald Anthony White (April 5, 1939 – August 26, 1995), usually referred to as Ronnie White, was an American singer, best known as the co-founder of The Miracles and its only consistent original member. White was also known for bringing Stevi ...

and

Bobby Rogers Robert Edward Rogers (February 19, 1940 – March 3, 2013) was an American musician and tenor singer, best known as a member of Motown vocal group the Miracles from 1956 until his death. He was inducted, in 2012, as a member of the Miracles to t ...

*Guitarist

Marv Tarplin Marvin Tarplin (June 13, 1941 – September 30, 2011) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Miracles from the 1950s through the early 1970s. He was one of the group's original members and co-wrote several of their bigges ...

*Instrumentation by

The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

and the

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current music d ...

Supremes and Temptations version

*Lead vocals by

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

Eddie Kendricks Edward James Kendrick (December 17, 1939 – October 5, 1992), better known as Eddie Kendricks, was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group the Temptatio ...

and

Melvin Franklin David Melvin English (October 12, 1942 – February 23, 1995) better known by the stage name Melvin Franklin, or his nickname "Blue", was an American bass singer. Franklin was best known for his role as a founding member of Motown singing g ...

*Background vocals by Mary Wilson,

Cindy Birdsong Cynthia Ann Birdsong (born December 15, 1939) is an American singer who became famous as a member of The Supremes in 1967, when she replaced co-founding member Florence Ballard. Birdsong had previously been a member of Patti LaBelle & The Blueb ...

Dennis Edwards Dennis Edwards Jr. (February 3, 1943 – February 1, 2018) was an American soul and R&B singer who was best known as the frontman in The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a serie ...

, Paul Williams,

and

Otis Williams Otis Williams (born Otis Miles Jr.; October 30, 1941) is an American baritone singer.Ribowsky, Mark (2010). ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Endearing Soul of the Temptations''. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 7–9 He is o ...

*Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and various

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

area musicians

Chart history

Miracles version

The Supremes and The Temptations version

Track listing

*7" single (20 February 1969) (North America) (Diana Ross & the Supremes/The Temptations) #"I'll Try Something New" – 2:18 #"The Way You Do the Things You Do" – 1:39

Cover versions

In 1966, R&B artist

Spyder Turner Spyder Turner (born Dwight David Turner, February 4, 1947, Beckley, West Virginia) is an American soul singer. Turner was raised in Detroit, and sang in doo wop groups and high school choirs while young. He first began recording after winning a ...

covered the song as an excerpt of his hit cover of the

Ben E King Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later i ...

song " Stand by Me". Several years later, in 1969, the group's Motown label-mates

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

and

released a duet version that became a hit reaching number 25 on the Hot 100 and number 8 on the R&B chart. Disco/pop group

A Taste of Honey ''A Taste of Honey'' is the first play by the British dramatist Shelagh Delaney, written when she was 19. It was intended as a novel, but she turned it into a play because she hoped to revitalise British theatre and address social issues that ...

also covered the song 20 years later, in 1982 peaking at number 41 on the Hot 100 and number 9 on the R&B chart. Singer/actress Barbara McNair also recorded a version of “I’ll Try Something New” for Motown. Backed by Los Angeles-based area musicians and produced by Frank Wilson and Richard Morris, McNair’s version also included background vocals by The Andantes. The McNair cover is included on “The Ultimate Motown Collection,” which includes both of her released albums as well as the unreleased “Barbara Sings Smokey” album.

References

External links

* {{authority control 1962 singles 1969 singles 1982 singles The Miracles songs The Supremes songs The Temptations songs Tamla Records singles Songs written by Smokey Robinson Song recordings produced by Berry Gordy Song recordings produced by Smokey Robinson 1962 songs