"Mickey's Monkey" is a 1963 song recorded by the R&B group

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 ...

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 label. It was written and produced by Motown's main songwriting team of

Brian Holland Brian Holland (born February 15, 1941) is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown sound, and numerous h ...

Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...

, and

Eddie Holland Edward Holland Jr. (born October 30, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Holland was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Although he was an early Motown artist who recorded minor hit singles such as "Jamie", he ...

, who later went on to write two more Miracles hit singles, the Top 40 "

I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying "I Gotta Dance to Keep from Crying" is a 1963 hit by the Miracles on Motown's Tamla label. It was written and produced by Motown's main songwriting team, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland. Background "I Gotta Dance to Keep fro ...

", and the Top 20 " (Come 'Round Here) I'm The One You Need". This was unusual, as most Miracles songs were composed by the group members themselves.

Overview

Described by Miracles lead singer

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 ...

as "One of our biggest records ever in life", "Mickey's Monkey" was a ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' Top 10 Pop smash, reaching #8 on that chart, and a Top 10 R&B hit as well, reaching #3. One of the group's most powerful singles, it was also the Miracles' third million-selling record in as many years, after " Shop Around" (1961) and "

You've Really Got A Hold On Me "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" is a song written by Smokey Robinson, which became a 1962 Top 10 hit single for the Miracles. One of the Miracles' most covered tunes, this million-selling song received a 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame Award. It has al ...

" (1962). A comical story about "A cat named Mickey from out of town" ( William "Mickey" Stevenson) who "spread his new dance all around", the song helped popularize " The Monkey" as a national dance craze in the early 1960s. In the Motown DVD release, ''Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The Definitive Performances'', Smokey exclaimed that this song began when he spotted

playing the song's initial chords on the piano at the Motown studios one day. (It has been described by many rock historians as having a beat influenced by the music of

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, inc ...

). While playing, Dozier was singing the song's famous chorus: "Lum de lum de lai-ai". Intrigued, Smokey then requested that Lamont record it for The Miracles, at the time Motown's top group, to which Lamont agreed. Recorded in the Motown studios with an intended "live party" feel, the song has Smokey start with the now-famous line: "Alright . . . Is everybody ''ready ?''" followed by the people saying “Yeah!”. In addition to The Miracles' contribution, "Mickey's Monkey" also featured background vocals by Mary Wilson of

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 successf ...

, famed Detroit Dee Jay "Jockey Jack" Gibson, Martha & The Vandellas, and members of

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 ...

and

The Marvelettes The Marvelettes were an American girl group that achieved popularity in the early to mid-1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who wa ...

. One of the most famous of the early Motown hits, "Mickey's Monkey" was often used by The Miracles as their closing song on the legendary " Motortown Revue" touring shows in the early 1960s, where it usually "brought the house down". The recording begins with Smokey Robinson asking: "Alright, is everybody ready?", to which the crowd, in unison, responds enthusiastically "Yes!". This is followed by Smokey saying "Alright now, here we go. A one, a two, a one, two, three, four", before the drum issue in the chorus.

Chart performance

Other versions

This song has inspired later versions by Mother's Finest, Martha & The Vandellas,

The Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band ...

, Lou Christie, Cannibal & the Headhunters, The Young Rascals,

John Cougar Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...

and

. It was also used in the soundtrack of the award-winning 1964 Ivan Dixon film '' Nothing But a Man'', and the 1998 motion picture '' Simon Birch''. The Miracles can be seen performing "Mickey's Monkey" on The PBS special ''Red, White, and Rock''(on VHS & DVD), the 1985 Sony/Dave Clark Productions/ Picture Music VHS release ''Ready Steady Go Special Edition: The Sounds of Motown'' (VHS), and the 2006

/Universal DVD release: ''Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The Definitive Performances 1963-1987''.They also performed the song before an enthusiastic live audience at the

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center at 1855 Main Street in Santa Monica, California, owned by the City of Santa Monica. It was built in 1958 and designed by Welton Becket and as a concert venue, it has a seating cap ...

in 1964 on the

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

release, The T.A.M.I. Show . This song has appeared on virtually every Miracles "greatest hits" collection and anthology, except for their ''Greatest Hits, Vol.2'' album and CD. The song's B-side was "Whatever Makes You Happy", a song that, while not charting nationally, did become a hit on several regional charts, and has inspired a cover version by singer Jacki Gore. It was also the title cut of the 1993 Motown/Rhino CD compilation, ''Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: Whatever Makes You Happy (More of the Best)''.

Personnel

The Miracles *

— lead vocals *

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 ...

— background vocals * Bobby Rogers — background vocals * Pete Moore — background vocals * Ronnie White — background vocals * Marv Tarplin — guitar Additional personnel * Mary Wilson — background vocals *

Martha Reeves Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is an American R&B and pop singer. She is the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas which scored over a dozen hit singles, including " Come and Get These Memories", " Nowhere to R ...

— background vocals *

Rosalind Ashford Rosalind "Roz" Ashford-Holmes (born September 2, 1943) is an American soprano R&B and soul singer, known for her work as an original member of the Motown singing group Martha and the Vandellas. Early years Born Rosalind Ashford on September 2, ...

— background vocals *

Annette Beard Annette Beard, also known as Annette Helton or Annette Sterling, is an American R&B and soul singer. Beard is best known for her work with Motown and as an original member of the singing group Martha and the Vandellas during the 1960s. Beard is ...

— background vocals * "Jockey Jack" Gibson — background vocals *

— background vocals *

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 *

— producer *

— producer

References

*''Hits Of The Sixties: The Million Sellers'' by Demitri Coryton and Joseph Murrells, p. 82, Batsford Ltd., 1990, *Motown DVD: ''Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The Definitive Performances (1963-1987)'' *Andrew Hamilton-''Allmusic'' (Mickey's Monkey/Bo Diddley connection) *The Miracles perform "Mickey's Monkey" live- Motortown Revue Vol 2 album and CD;, their 1969 album: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: LIVE! LP, and the group's final live album; '' Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: 1957-1972'' – these latter two are now available on CD in the Motown/HIP-O Select release,''Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The LIVE Collection''.

External links

''Mickeys Monkey-by The Miracles'' (video)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mickey's Monkey (Song) The Miracles songs Tamla Records singles 1963 singles Songs written by Holland–Dozier–Holland Song recordings produced by Brian Holland Song recordings produced by Lamont Dozier 1963 songs Songs about dancing Songs about primates