Ooo Baby Baby

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"Ooo Baby Baby" is a 1965 hit single by The Miracles for the Tamla (Motown) label, today considered the group's signature song. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the song #262 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time^[1].

[edit] History

[edit] Song Information

A slow, remorseful number, "Ooo Baby Baby" features Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson lamenting the fact that he cheated on his woman, and begging for her to overlook his mistakes and please forgive him. The song's highly emotional feel is supported by the Miracles' background harmonies, arranged by Miracles member Pete Moore, and a lush orchestral arrangement that accents the Funk Brothers band's instrumental track.

Written by Robinson and fellow Miracle Pete Moore and produced by Robinson, "Ooo Baby Baby" was a #4 hit on the Billboard magazine R&B singles chart and reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is one of the Miracles' most-covered tunes, having achieved its greatest commercial success when Linda Ronstadt included it in her double-platinum album Living in the USA, with the single reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked The Miracles' original version #262 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time^[2].

[edit] Credits

• Written by William "Smokey" Robinson and Pete Moore
• Produced by William "Smokey" Robinson
• Lead vocals by Smokey Robinson
• Background vocals by Claudette Rogers Robinson Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Bobby Rogers
• Guitar by Marv Tarplin
• Other instrumentation by The Funk Brothers, featuring vibraphones by Jack Ashford, and strings by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
• Vocal arrangments by Pete Moore

[edit] Covers

• The Five Stairsteps (1967)
• Todd Rundgren (1973) on A Wizard, A True Star
• Shalamar (1977)
• Linda Ronstadt (1978) on her chart-topping album Living in the USA; the cover made it to the Top Ten when released as a single (1979)
• Zapp (1989)
• Laura Nyro (recorded 1994/95) released on Angel in the Dark in 2001
• Bruce Caldwell (2001) on Evening Songs
• LaToya London (2004) on American Idol during Motown Week
• Musiq (2007) Luvanmusiq Bonus Track
• Ella Fitzgerald (1969)
• Anoop Desai (2009) on American Idol during Motown Week

[edit] References