Last night I was listening to The Miracles' "Come On Do The Jerk" and it occurred to me, it was a pretty darn good record. Then I thought I had recalled how this record's success may have been hampered by its predecessor, "Mickey's Monkey". I recalled where I had read it: "Motown: The Golden Years" by Bill Dahl.
In the chapter on Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Smokey had remarked that he felt "Come On Do The Jerk" had indeed been hampered by the ongoing popularity of "Mickey's Monkey." He reflected that "Mickey's Monkey" was one of those records that just wouldn't die.
I thought that was pretty interesting to have a hit that kept going so strong that it was overshadowing their follow-ups. Playing "Mickey" and "Do The Jerk" back to back, I can now hear the similarities between the two.
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