The 20th of February 1974
Official U.K. Singles Chart results from Sunday the 17th to Saturday the 23rd of February 1974
Cut-off for sales figures was up to the end of Saturday the 16th of February
Results counted from Sunday the 17th,
published on Tuesday the 19th,
and broadcast on B.B.C. Radio 1 on Sunday the 24th of February 1974.
Smokey Robinson
Just My Soul Responding
At No.48, on the “The Top 50 U.K. Singles Chart”, the week of my 2nd Birthday, is Smokey Robinson with Just My Soul Responding.
There seems to be…
…quite a few changes happening at Motown, as the 1960’s transition into the 1970’s.
The reshaping of the music, and the message it’s radiating out into the world, is a significant part of that change, which the last recent years have evidenced with such artists as The Temptations and also Stevie Wonder; both of which have been caught in my radar during the chart rundowns of my previous birthdays.
However, further changes are also coming into effect at the very core of the organisation,..
…and one such artist who has become a fundamental cog in this machinery is none other than William Robinson Jr., better known to us as Smokey Robinson.
Smokey is such an integral part of the smooth running of the workings at Hitsville, that his involvement in other aspects of the Motown group, other than his extraordinary performances on hit records, has been requiring more of his time than he could sufficiently give.
Therefore, to effectively offer more to the business which had nurtured his talent thus far, he recently took the decision to amicably leave his group the Miracles, and instead accommodate his time more directly to his role as Vice-President of the Motown group itself.
However,..
…when you are described as “America’s greatest living poet” by none other than Bob Dylan, you’re not going to be out of the studio for long.
And sure enough, a year later, Smokey has launched his solo career, releasing his debut album in the process, which he simply titled “Smokey“.
This single is pulled from that album.
The single,..
…described by Motown as “a biting piece of social comment about the USA’s treatment of blacks and American Indians”, arrives in the UK Chart as a New Entry this week.
From here,..
…it will slowly climb during the following 3 weeks, until it hits its peak at No.35 by the early spring on the 10th of March. From there, it will spend a further couple of weeks in the chart before finally leaving after the 30th of that month, with a total of 6 weeks in the bag.
The “A” Side
The “B” Side
Smokey Robinson – Just My Soul Responding (Soul Train performance – 24th November 1973).
Smokey Robinson – Sweet Harmony (The Midnight Special performance – 13th July 1973).
Smokey Robinson – Sweet Harmony (Soul Train performance – 24th November 1973).
Smokey Robinson – Just My Soul Responding (The Midnight Special performance (over closing credits) – 13th July 1973).
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