Smokey Robinson and the Story of “My Girl”
The musical landscape of the twentieth century was formed by a select few. Within this group indisputably resides Smokey Robinson. As a charter member of the revolutionary Motown Records, Robinson helped establish rhythm & blues as a bedrock of American entertainment. Smokey has been called “Genius. Visionary. Trailblazer.” Bob Dylan simply calls him, “America’s greatest living poet.”
William Robinson Jr., better known as Smokey, was born in Detroit in 1940. By 1959, he decided that music was his calling and quit college to pursue the audible arts. That same year Smokey and his band, the Miracles, signed a deal with the freshly formed Tamla Records. Founder Barry Gordy had previous success with the teenaged Robinson and was eager to make the Miracles a feature act on his label. The following year Gordy absorbed Tamla Records into his new company, the Motown Record Corporation.
Smokey and his band scored an impressive 26 Top 40 songs in the 1960s. Now age 85, his vast credentials boast about every accomplishment imaginable. In 2016, he was awarded the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. In addition, Robinson is a Grammy Living Legend recipient, a Johnny Mercer Award winner, and a Kennedy Center Honoree. He is also a member of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame. But it has always been Smokey’s voice that sets him apart. Both literally and figuratively.
As the frontman of The Miracles, Robinson’s velvety falsetto earned him the designation of one of the great singers of the last half century. But his talents are not limited to performing. His music career also encompasses that of record executive, talent scout, and producer. However, Smokey’s contributions as a songwriter may be his most significant.
During Motown’s golden era, Robinson wrote and recorded generation defining hits with the Miracles. These classic tunes include “The Tracks of My Tears,” “Shop Around,” “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” and “The Tears of a Clown.” He also boasts timeless solo numbers such as “Cruisin’,” “Baby That’s Backatcha,” and “The Agony and the Ecstasy.” It is a remarkable legacy of songs, to be sure. Crazy thing is, Smokey’s legacy could be cemented strictly by the songs that he has penned for other artists. The most famous of these comes from 1964; a lighthearted ditty illuminating the infatuation of love.
1964 was a banner year for Motown Records. In January, “The Way You Do the Things You Do” (written by Smokey and fellow Miracles member Bobby Rogers) was released by the Temptations. This marked the first top 20 single on the Billboard Hot 100 for the silky sounding singing group. May 1964 saw the song “My Guy”, written and produced by Smokey, become a smash hit for female vocalist Mary Wells. The Wells number made #1 on the Billboard pop singles chart and sat atop the Cashbox magazine R&B chart for seven weeks. Based on the undeniable success of “My Guy”, Robinson capitalized on a clever follow-up. He called it “My Girl.”
Smokey calls “My Girl” his “international anthem” and his most well-known tune. “It has done what I set out to do when I wrote the song,” Robinson says. “It has stood the test of time.” The eventual classic was co-written and produced with Miracles member and childhood pal Ronnie White. The heartfelt lyrics were inspired by another member of the band, Robinson’s first wife Claudette Rogers. Smokey had a hit on paper. He also knew he wasn’t the right one to sing it.
“My Girl” was recorded by the Temptations in the fall of 1964. Smokey cites the Temps’ powerful “vocal presentation” as ideal for the tune. They also possess the exceptional harmonies that suit the irresistible melody. However, the primary reason why the Temptations got it is because Robinson felt the song would make the perfect vehicle for member David Ruffin. “David had that voice,” says Robinson. “I used to tell him he demanded the girls to love him because he had that ‘Oh, come on baby!’ kind of voice. But I wanted him to sing something sweet. Something that the girls could just swoon over.”
Nobody was a bigger Temptations fan than Smokey, but he felt the group had an underutilized resource. What Robinson refers to as a “sleeping giant.” That giant was David Ruffin. Because of Ruffin’s textured voice, Smokey wanted to feature him. Robinson recalls thinking, “All I needed was the right song for his voice and I felt like I would have a smash hit record.” The hunch paid off. “My Girl” was the band’s first song to feature Ruffin on lead vocals and the group’s first million-selling hit, earning Smokey a $1,000 bonus. In March 1965, it also became the Temptations’ first single to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
When Robinson finished “My Girl”, it was assumed that he would keep it for himself and the Miracles. When he is asked why he didn’t, his answer is simple. Smokey states, “Because were it not for the Temptations and David Ruffin being in that group, I probably would not have written ‘My Girl.’” It was family at Motown, which facilitated the curb in resentment that doomed so many record companies. “We were not just stablemates. And not just some artists who recorded for the same label”, avers Robinson. “We have what we call the ‘Motown Family.’ And we’ve always had that.”
In the six decades since “My Girl” hit the top of the charts, it has emerged as a pillar of the American songbook. Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, the song has also been preserved in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. And as of March 2025, it has surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify. “My Girl” has been subsequently recorded by over 150 artists including The Mamas & The Papas, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Dolly Parton and The Rolling Stones. “I didn’t expect ‘My Girl’ to become what it has become,” Smokey says. “It went beyond my wildest dreams.”
Smokey Robinson is the definition of timeless talent. It seems that his voice never ages, but then again neither does his artistic contributions. Robinson is a true link that connects musical generations, representing a through line from doo-wop to hip-hop. As far as impact and influence, Smokie’s are felt far and wide. And though he has more than 4,000 songs to his credit, the perpetual popularity of “My Girl” still stirs him. “I can’t tell you how gratified I am by that,” Robinson asserts. Smokey still performs live and routinely performs “My Girl.” And it still gives sunshine on a rainy day. Just as it has for the last 60 years.
