YOU REALLY GOT A HOLD ON ME
THE MIRACLES
THE MIRACLES
Written by: Robinson
Recorded by: The Miracles (1962)
Recorded by: The Miracles (1962)
ATRULY GREAT POP RECORD, The
Miracles’ ‘You Really Got A
Hold On Me’ was perfect for The
Beatles to cover. It had everything: memorable
instrumental riffs; a great melody; a two-part
harmony sung by Smokey Robinson and Bobby
Rogers; and a hint of gospel-style drama in the
‘tighter!’ interjections. Ostensibly an exercise in
effortless pop, it was of course carefully crafted
by Motown’s best personnel. It was released as
the B-side of ‘Happy Landing’, but American
DJs preferred ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’
and made that the hit. The Beatles got hold of
an imported copy of the single that finally made
number 8 on the Billboard chart just a few months
before they recorded it themselves in seven takes
at Abbey Road. On this occasion John Lennon
delivered a full-tilt lead vocal of immense power
while the two-part harmonies, unusually, were
shared between Lennon and George Harrison.
The result could almost be mistaken for a superior
Beatles composition of the time but song writers
Lennon and McCartney were still learning
their craft and ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’
gave them something to aim for in their own
Miracles’ ‘You Really Got A
Hold On Me’ was perfect for The
Beatles to cover. It had everything: memorable
instrumental riffs; a great melody; a two-part
harmony sung by Smokey Robinson and Bobby
Rogers; and a hint of gospel-style drama in the
‘tighter!’ interjections. Ostensibly an exercise in
effortless pop, it was of course carefully crafted
by Motown’s best personnel. It was released as
the B-side of ‘Happy Landing’, but American
DJs preferred ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’
and made that the hit. The Beatles got hold of
an imported copy of the single that finally made
number 8 on the Billboard chart just a few months
before they recorded it themselves in seven takes
at Abbey Road. On this occasion John Lennon
delivered a full-tilt lead vocal of immense power
while the two-part harmonies, unusually, were
shared between Lennon and George Harrison.
The result could almost be mistaken for a superior
Beatles composition of the time but song writers
Lennon and McCartney were still learning
their craft and ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’
gave them something to aim for in their own
work. Now they were choosing material from
the contemporary US charts, not golden oldies,
and they must have been among the first in a
long line of artists to cover ‘You Really Got A
Hold On Me’. Others would include Michael
Jackson, The Supremes, The Temptations, Rod
Stewart, Cyndi Lauper and, more recently, M.
Ward and Zooey Deschanel in their ‘She &
Him’ guise. One more studio album (Beatles For
Sale) would see them raiding the musical attic,
mainly because movies and the general pressure
of work made it difficult to fill a 14-track album
with original songs, but after and including
Rubber Soul it was Beatles originals all the way.
From 1965 until the breakup in 1970, the band
maintained quite exceptional levels of originality,
productivity and creativity. Seen in this perspective
‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’ may be seen
as one of the last examples of The Beatles doing
what they had done right at the start: hearing
a great record and immediately wanting to do
their own version because it was so good.
the contemporary US charts, not golden oldies,
and they must have been among the first in a
long line of artists to cover ‘You Really Got A
Hold On Me’. Others would include Michael
Jackson, The Supremes, The Temptations, Rod
Stewart, Cyndi Lauper and, more recently, M.
Ward and Zooey Deschanel in their ‘She &
Him’ guise. One more studio album (Beatles For
Sale) would see them raiding the musical attic,
mainly because movies and the general pressure
of work made it difficult to fill a 14-track album
with original songs, but after and including
Rubber Soul it was Beatles originals all the way.
From 1965 until the breakup in 1970, the band
maintained quite exceptional levels of originality,
productivity and creativity. Seen in this perspective
‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’ may be seen
as one of the last examples of The Beatles doing
what they had done right at the start: hearing
a great record and immediately wanting to do
their own version because it was so good.
The Miracles
The legendary Smokey Robinson was stilluncredited as solo singer when The Miracles
released ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’as a
B-side November 1962. The Beatles covered it
exactly one year later.