"(You Can't Let the Boy Overpower) The Man in You" is a 1964 R&B song 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 group ...

on Motown Records' Tamla subsidiary label. It was written by Miracles lead singer Bill "Smokey" Robinson, and was produced by Robinson and Motown president/founder

Berry Gordy Jr. Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record l ...

One of several gospel-styled

call and response Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...

tunes the group issued in 1964, this song reached number 59 April 4, 1964 on the Billboard Pop chart, and the top 20 of the Cash Box R&B chart, peaking at number 12. (Billboard had temporarily suspended its R&B chart during this time.) The song was recorded on August 17, 1963, and was the group's first single release of 1964. After the million-selling success of their hit "

Shop Around "Shop Around" is a song originally recorded by the Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla subsidiary label. It was written by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. It became a smash hit in 1960 when originally re ...

", Smokey and the other Miracles (

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 ...

, wife

Claudette 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

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 ...

) recorded several tunes between 1961 and 1964, with the main theme centering on "parental advice". In this song, it is the father who is giving pearls of wisdom, advising Smokey, as the song's narrator, about the importance of "being a man", being loyal, and treating your wife or girlfriend right, despite the fact that every man has "a boy in his heart" that would lead him to do otherwise."(You Can't Let the Boy Overpower) The Man in You'. '' Cash Box'' described it as "an infectious shuffle-rock affair that could take off in no time flat." This song was not one of the group's more successful singles, and did not appear on any original Miracles studio album, not even making the group's first greatest hits album, '' The Miracles' Greatest Hits from the Beginning'', but, since then, has appeared on several Miracles "Greatest Hits" CD compilations, including the group's 4-CD ''35th Anniversary Collection'', and has spawned a cover version by

Chuck Jackson Chuck Jackson (born July 22, 1937) is an American R&B singer who was one of the first artists to record material by Burt Bacharach and Hal David successfully. He has performed with moderate success since 1961. His hits include "I Don't Want to ...

. The song's "B" side was the popular "Heartbreak Road".

Personnel

The Miracles * Smokey Robinsonlead vocals *

, Pete Moore,

backing vocals *

guitar Other Credits *

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 ...

other instrumentation

References

*''Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The 35th Anniversary Collection'', pp. 54 & 60 *''The Complete Motown Singles Vol 4: 1964'' D liner notes New York: Hip-O Select/Motown/Universal Records. {{DEFAULTSORT:You Can't Let The Boy Overpower The Man in You The Miracles songs Songs written by Smokey Robinson Motown singles 1964 singles Chuck Jackson songs Song recordings produced by Smokey Robinson Song recordings produced by Berry Gordy 1963 songs