To celebrate the birthday Feb. 19 of Motown icon William “Smokey” Robinson, here are his biggest hits – but for others. These are the highest-charted songs written (or co-written) by him, as recorded by both Motown and non-Motown artists. In other words, this Top 10 excludes hits by his group, the Miracles, and by himself as a solo star.
The countdown is based on each record’s chart peak on the Billboard Hot 100, with ties broken by weeks in the Top 10. (If that doesn’t produce a winner, then the number of weeks on the Hot 100 does the trick.)
This also marks the debut of Motown’s Top 10, a regular feature which will appear every month through 2019 to celebrate the achievements of Hitsville U.S.A.
MOTOWN’S TOP 10
Things you need to know. This time: Smokey’s biggest songs by others
(ranked by Billboard Hot 100 chart peak, as shown*)
- “My Guy,” MARY WELLS (1) 1964
- “My Girl,” THE TEMPTATIONS (1) 1965
- “Shop Around,” THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (4) 1976
- “Get Ready,” RARE EARTH (4) 1970
- “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” UB40 (6) 1990
- “Ooo Baby Baby,” LINDA RONSTADT (7) 1979
- “Two Lovers,” MARY WELLS (7) 1963
- “Don’t Mess With Bill,” THE MARVELETTES (7) 1966
- “Ain’t That Peculiar,” MARVIN GAYE (8) 1965
- “The One Who Really Loves You,” MARY WELLS (8) 1962
*Ties broken by weeks at chart peak or in Top 10
