"I've Been Good to You" is a 1961 R&B song by

the Miracles The Miracles (later known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1955. They were the first successful recording act for Motown Records and are considered one of the most ...

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

Records'

Tamla Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''motor'' ...

label. It was released as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of their ''

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 advertis ...

'' Top 40 hit, " What's So Good About Goodbye", and was included on their album '' I'll Try Something New'' the following year. This sad, melancholy ballad charted #103 on the ''Billboard'' Pop chart. Despite its relatively modest chart placing, this song has been hugely influential, and is noted as Beatle

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

's favorite Miracles tune, and was the inspiration for

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' songs "

This Boy "This Boy" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon–McCartney). It was released in November 1963 as the B-side of the band's Parlophone single "I Want to Hold Your Hand". In the United States, ...

" and "

Sexy Sadie "Sexy Sadie" is a song by the English rock group the Beatles from their 1968 double album ''The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). The song was written by John Lennon in India and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Lennon wrote the song ...

". Written by Miracles lead singer

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...

, the song begins with the lyric, "Look what you've done...You've made a fool out of someone..." which Lennon later paraphrased in "Sexy Sadie" song as, "What have you done...You've made a fool of everyone." The song was performed live by the group on their album, '' The Miracles Recorded Live on Stage'', and has inspired cover versions by

Marshall Crenshaw Marshall Howard Crenshaw (born November 11, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for hit songs such as " Someday, Someway", a US top 40 hit in 1982, " Cynical Girl", and " Whenever You're on My Mind". He is ...

Joe Meek Robert George "Joe" Meek (5 April 1929 – 3 February 1967) was an English record producer and songwriter considered one of the most influential sound engineers of all time, being one of the first to develop ideas such as the recording studio a ...

, The Temptones,

Ray, Goodman & Brown Ray, Goodman & Brown is an American R&B human voice, vocal band (music), group. The group originated as the Moments, who formed in the mid-1960s and whose greatest successes came in the 1970s with chart-topper, hits including "Love on a Two-Way S ...

(The Moments),

The Ones The Ones are an American electronic dance music group. Their 2001 hit single " Flawless" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Belgium and the United Kingdom. The trio consisted of three male vocalists Paul Alexander, JoJo Americo, and N ...

, and fellow Motown artists,

Brenda Holloway Brenda Holloway (born June 26, 1946) is an American soul singer who was a recording artist for Motown Records during the 1960s. Her best-known recordings are the hits " Every Little Bit Hurts", " When I'm Gone", and " You've Made Me So Very H ...

, and

The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

. The Temptations' version would also be released as a "B" side and would chart at #124 on the Pop charts in 1967 (as well be released on their 1966 album ''

Gettin' Ready ''Gettin' Ready'' is the fourth studio album by the Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label released in 1966. It marks the transition of the group from having Smokey Robinson as its main producer, with new producer Norman Whitfield taking over ...

''). In addition to being on their first ''Live'' album, The Miracles' original version of "I've Been Good to You" actually appears on two other of their early 1960s albums; 1962's '' I'll Try Something New'', and 1963's '' The Fabulous Miracles''.

References

External links

*
''I've Been Good to You- by The Miracles – Song review from the "Motown Junkies" website''.
{{Authority control 1961 singles 1967 singles 1968 singles The Miracles songs Songs written by Smokey Robinson Song recordings produced by Berry Gordy Tamla Records singles The Temptations songs Brenda Holloway songs Gordy Records singles Song recordings produced by Smokey Robinson