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

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 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 hi ...

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

, and

Eddie Holland Edward James Holland Jr. (born October 30, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is brother to Brian Holland. Holland was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Although he was an early Motown artist who recorde ...

, who later went on to write two more Miracles hit singles, the Top 40 " I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying", and the Top 20 "

(Come 'Round Here) I'm The One You Need "(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need" is a 1966 hit single by Motown group The Miracles, released on Motown Records' Tamla label. Unlike most Miracles songs, which were written and produced by the group themselves, "I'm the One You Need" was ...

". This was an unusual writing situation for the Miracles, as most of their songs were generally 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 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 ...

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 advertis ...

'' Top 10 Pop smash, reaching No.8 on that chart, and a Top 10 R&B hit as well, reaching No.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" (1962). It was also a Top 10 hit in Canada, peaking at #10 (see chart below). A comical story about "A cat named Mickey from out of town" (

William "Mickey" Stevenson William "Mickey" Stevenson (born January 4, 1937) is an American former songwriter and record producer for the Motown group of labels from the early days of Berry Gordy's company until 1967. Life and career He was born William Stevenson and, a ...

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

). 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 track 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. 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 formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...

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

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 ...

and

The Marvelettes The Marvelettes were an American girl group formed in Inkster, Michigan, Inkster, Michigan in 1960, consisting of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who was ...

. 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 The Motortown Revue was the name given to the package concert tours of Motown artists in the 1960s. Early tours featured Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Mary Wells, The Marvelettes, Barrett Strong, and The Contours as headlining acts, and gave the ...

" touring shows in the early 1960s, where it usually "brought the house down".

Chart performance

Other versions

This song has inspired later versions by

Mother's Finest Mother's Finest is an American funk rock band founded in Atlanta, Georgia, by the vocal duo of Joyce "Baby Jean" Kennedy and Glenn "Doc" Murdock in 1970 when the pair met up with guitarist Gary "Moses Mo" Moore and bassist Jerry "Wyzard" Seay. ...

, Martha & The Vandellas,

The Hollies The Hollies are an English rock and pop band formed in Manchester 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. Singer Allan Clarke and ...

, Lou Christie,

Cannibal & the Headhunters Cannibal & the Headhunters were an American rock band from East Los Angeles, California. They were one of the first Mexican-American groups to have a national hit record, "Land of a Thousand Dances", recorded on the Rampart label. They were the ...

The Young Rascals ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

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 brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentatio ...

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 ''Simon Birch'' is a 1998 American comedy-drama film loosely based on the 1989 novel '' A Prayer for Owen Meany'' by John Irving and written for the screen and directed by Mark Steven Johnson in his directorial debut. The film stars Ian Micha ...

''. 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 The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

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 ca ...

in 1964 on the

American International Pictures American International Pictures, LLC (AIP or American International Productions) is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution c ...

release,

The T.A.M.I. Show ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

. 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 — background vocals *

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

— background vocals * Pete Moore — background vocals *

Ronnie White Ronald Anthony White (April 5, 1938 – August 26, 1995) was an American baritone singer, best known as the co-founder of the Miracles and its only consistent original member. White was also known for bringing Stevie Wonder to the attention of ...

— background vocals *

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 ...

— 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 best known for being the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas, which scored several major Hot 100 hits such as " Nowhere to Run", "Heat ...

— background vocals *

Rosalind Ashford Rosalind "Roz" Ashford-Holmes (born September 2, 1943) is an American soprano R&B and Soul music, 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 ...

— background vocals *

Annette Beard Annette Beard, also known as Annette Helton or Annette Sterling, (born July 4, 1943) is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul music, soul singer. Beard is best known for her work with Motown and as an original member of the singing group Ma ...

— 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