"That's What Love Is Made Of" is a 1964 hit song by

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 ...

's original vocal 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 groups ...

, issued on the label's

Tamla 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 subsidiary. It was taken from the group's album ''

Greatest Hits from the Beginning ''Greatest Hits from the Beginning'' is a compilation double LP by The Miracles released in 1965. This was the first double album ever released by the Motown Record Corporation (Tamla TS2-254). It covers most of the group's hits from their pre-1 ...

'', but originally appeared on their abortive 1964 album, '' I Like It Like That''. Written by Miracles members

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 ...

, Bobby Rogers, and Pete Moore, this song was a ''

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'' Top 40 Pop hit, peaking at number 35, and a Top 10 Billboard R&B hit, peaking at number nine. A showcase for poetic wordplay, the Miracles utilized several famous nursery rhymes in this song; in fact, the song's title itself is a variation of the rhyme "What Are Little Girls/Little Boys Made Of?" and parts of this famous rhyme were incorporated into the lyrics of this song, which, like many Miracles songs, starts with the guitar licks of Miracles member Marv Tarplin. Robinson, as the lead singer, serves as the song's narrator: While Tarplin plays and Robinson sings the lyrics, the other Miracles ( Bobby Rogers, Ronnie White, Pete Moore and

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 ...

, answer in classic call-and-response style. ''

'' stated that the song has a "good lyric line, great hand clappin' beat and mighty good on-frantic performance by the group." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' described it as "an inviting shuffle thumper...that the artists serve up with a rhythmic delight." The Miracles performed this song before a 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 ...

on the 1964 American International Pictures film, ''

The T.A.M.I. Show ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''. Present on stage were Robinson, Tarplin, Rogers, White and Moore. Although present on the original recording, Miracle Claudette Robinson, who was married to Smokey Robinson, was not present at the concert. She had retired from onstage and TV performances earlier that year for health reasons, after touring caused her to have miscarriages, but she continued singing on their records as a non-touring member of the Miracles. The Miracles' "That's What Love Is Made Of" has inspired cover versions by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, Bobby Vee,

Choker Campbell Walter Luzar "Choker" Campbell (March 21, 1916 – July 20, 1993) was an American saxophonist and bandleader. Biography Born as an only child in Shelby, Mississippi, United States, his family moved to Saginaw, Michigan, when he was only fiv ...

, and the Magicians, and has appeared on many Miracles "Greatest Hits" albums and CD Anthologies. This Miracles song also inspired a cover version by Len Barry. The song's flip side was the popular regional Miracles hit tune, "Would I Love You", which was included on ''Greatest Hits from the Beginning'', but did not appear on CD until 1996's ''Early Classics''. Both sides of this single received extended stereo mixes on the 2002 compilation ''Ooo Baby Baby: The Anthology''.

Credits and personnel

The Miracles *

lead vocals *

backing vocals * Pete Moorebacking vocals * Bobby Rogersbacking vocals * Ronnie Whitebacking vocals * Marv Tarplinlead guitar Additional musicians *

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 ...

References

External links

AllMusic entry AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

{{The Miracles singles The Miracles songs Motown singles 1964 songs Songs written by Warren "Pete" Moore Songs written by Smokey Robinson Songs written by Bobby Rogers Song recordings produced by Smokey Robinson