7 Songs You May Not Know Smokey Robinson Wrote

Smokey Robinson is one of the best-known figures in R&B. Often referred to as the “King of Motown,” Robinson was the founder and frontman of the group The Miracles. He also served as the vice president of Motown Records for years, and went on to launch a legendary solo music career.

Along the way, Robinson has penned a huge number of major hits for other artists. The artist, who once called songwriting his “gift from God,” has written over 4,000 songs, dozens of which have reached the Billboard Top 40. A member of both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, he has a knack for getting to the heart of the human experience with his songcraft.

“What makes a song is a timeless thing,” Robinson once said. “That’s why I very seldom write songs about dances, cars, or political stuff because all that stuff is passé. What’s here today, politically or with cars or dances may be gone tomorrow. I basically write about love and live things because they are always current.”

Here are seven hit songs you may not know Robinson penned.

“My Girl” // The Temptations
“Since I Lost My Baby” // The Temptations
“Ain’t That Peculiar” // Marvin Gaye
“Who’s Lovin’ You” // The Jackson 5
“My Guy” // Mary Wells
“Don’t Mess With Bill” // The Marvelettes
“Your Heart Belongs to Me” // The Supremes

“My Girl” // The Temptations

This beloved soul classic has soundtracked countless first dances and sweet moments ever since it was released in 1965. It was written by Smokey Robinson and Ronnie White of The Miracles, and helped The Temptations ascend to pop stardom.

For Robinson, the song was a chance to pay tribute to his wife, Claudette. It was also a response of sorts to “My Guy,” the hit song he had written for Mary Wells.

“We were at the Apollo in New York and Smokey came and ran the track down and we rehearsed it,” Temptations member Otis Williams recalled. ‟At the time when he ran the track down, I said, ‘That sounds like it might be something.’ But it really didn’t hit me until we came all the way home [to Detroit], recorded it, and then Smokey put the strings on it. We sat there listening to the playback, and it really sounded like a No. 1. But, you know, it’s very seldom that you can predict a No.1 tune. But at that time, we really felt it would be more of a record that would be a No. 1 than the songs we had recorded before then. And luckily enough, it was.”

The song was The Temptations’ first single with David Ruffin as lead vocalist, and his tender vocals helped give the song some of its signature warmth. Billboard called the song the 10th biggest hit of the year it came out, and the song has remained in regular rotation ever since.

“Since I Lost My Baby” // The Temptations

Another hit that Robinson wrote for The Temptations was “Since I Lost My Baby,” which was a collaboration between Robinson and Miracles member Pete Moore. The song was the third Temptations track to feature Ruffin on lead vocals.

It was also one of Robinson’s personal favorites. “There’s something about that tune that I just set it aside. It wasn’t the biggest commercially, and I can’t put my finger on what I love about it,” Robinson told Loraine Alterman of the Detroit Free Press after the song’s release. Of course, the song did make some waves on the charts, hitting the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965.

“Ain’t That Peculiar” // Marvin Gaye

In 1965, Marvin Gaye—himself a consummate songwriter—recorded two songs by Robinson: “I’ll Be Doggone” and “Ain’t That Peculiar.” The latter was written with Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers, and Marv Tarplin, and it tells the story of a heartbreaking relationship seemingly built on more lies than truth. It became a huge hit for Gaye, following in the footsteps of the similarly successful “I’ll Be Doggone” and hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart that year.

“Who’s Lovin’ You” // The Jackson 5

This song was originally recorded by The Miracles in 1960, but it was famously covered by the Jackson 5 in 1969. In a speech at Michael Jackson’s memorial service in 2009, Robinson recalled the first time he heard the cover.

“Berry (Gordy) had this gathering at his house. He said, ‘Come here, I want you to see somebody very special,’” Robinson recalled. “I went over and these five young guys were there, and they sang and danced up a storm. A couple weeks later they recorded my song. I thought to myself: Now they have pulled a fast one on us, because this boy cannot possibly be 10 years old...I quickly went over to him because I wanted to see his birth certificate. I could not believe that someone that young could have that much feeling and soul. He had to know something to sing a song like that. It was wonderful—as a songwriter that's a dream come true to have someone sing one of your songs like that.”

“My Guy” // Mary Wells

Just weeks after turning 21 in 1964, Mary Wells’ “My Guy” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Robinson-penned tune became her biggest hit and cemented Wells’ position as one of Motown’s brightest early stars. The song, which was also produced by Robinson, displaced Louis Armstrong’s “Hello, Dolly!” at the top of the charts, and was replaced two weeks after it hit the top by The Beatles’ “Love Me Do.” The Beatles, as it turned out, were major fans of Wells, and she would later go on to tour with them in the UK.

“My Guy” incorporates a calypso rhythm and also drew melodic inspiration from Eddie Heywood’s 1956 instrumental track “Canadian Sunset.” It also became Motown’s first major hit in England. Wells would go on to leave the Motown label, and her career never quite reached the heights of “My Guy” again, but the song remains a shining achievement.

“Don’t Mess With Bill” // The Marvelettes

The Marvelettes were Motown’s first successful female group, thanks to their 1961 single “Please, Mr. Postman.” But by 1965, they needed another hit—and that came in the form of “Don’t Mess With Bill,” which Robinson wrote for the group. The song rose to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and featured Wanda Young on lead vocals. Robinson also penned and produced several other songs for the group, including “The Hunter Gets Captured By the Game” and “As Long As I Know He's Mine.”

“Your Heart Belongs to Me” // The Supremes

The Supremes were Motown’s biggest act of all, and Robinson was key to the group’s rise from the very start, helping them land their first audition for Motown Records while they were still a high school singing group.

Robinson also wrote some big hits for the band, including their very first single, “Your Heart Belongs to Me.” The song hit No. 95 on the pop chart and marked the start of the Supremes' ascension into the stratosphere. Robinson was also behind some of their other triumphs, including 1971’s “Floy Joy” and “I’ll Try Something New,” which was originally recorded by the Miracles and was later recorded by Diana Ross & The Supremes and The Temptations.