You've Really Got a Hold on Me

The Miracles can be seen performing the song live on stage at the Apollo Theatre in New York (1963) on the Motown/Universal DVD release: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The Definitive Performances 1963-1987. This filmed performance, according to the DVD's liner notes, is the only known recorded live footage of the group with original Miracles member Claudette (Mrs. Smokey) Robinson. They also performed it live at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium the following year (1964) for the American International Pictures concert film, T.A.M.I. Show. It was also chosen for the soundtrack of the award-winning 1964 Ivan Dixon film, Nothing But a Man, and many others (see below). Smokey Robinson himself also performed a rewritten version of it on Sesame Street - alongside a graspy, feminine-looking Muppet letter "U", who wouldn't stop trying to grab Smokey - with lyrics such as "U stands for uptight/That's how I'm feelin'/Bein' grabbed by a letter is/Unappealin'". The Miracles performed the song on a 1964 telecast of the ABC television series Shindig!, and in 1983, the group also performed it, 21 years after they originally recorded it, on the Emmy-winning NBC Television special, Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever.

• Nothing But a Man (1964)
• T.A.M.I. Show (1964)
• More American Graffiti (1979)
• "The Wanderers" (1979)
• Alien Nation (1988)
• Roseanne (1988)
• Mermaids (1990)
• Breaking the Rules (1992)
• Striptease (1996)
• Strike! (1998)
• Friends (2000)
• Flipped (2010)

Reference: IMDb

The Miracles

• Smokey Robinson – lead vocal
• Claudette Rogers Robinson – backing vocal
• Pete Moore – backing vocal
• Ronnie White – backing vocal
• Bobby Rogers – co-lead vocal and backing vocal
• Marv Tarplin – guitar
• Other instruments by The Funk Brothers

"You Really Got a Hold on Me"
Cover of the song's sheet music
Song by the Beatles
from the album With the Beatles
Released	November 22, 1963
Recorded	July 18, 1963
Studio	EMI, London
Genre	Rhythm and blues
Length	3:01
Label	Parlophone
Songwriter(s)	Smokey Robinson
Producer(s)	George Martin

"You Really Got a Hold on Me" was the first track recorded for the Beatles' second United Kingdom LP, With the Beatles and was included on their third US album, The Beatles' Second Album, and features John Lennon and George Harrison on lead vocals with Paul McCartney on harmony vocals.[6] The Beatles acquired an imported copy by the Miracles and included it in their repertoire early in 1963. In a 1968 interview, Smokey Robinson reported that he liked their cover.[1]

The Beatles recorded the song on July 18, 1963. This session took place while Please Please Me was still at number one in the album charts four months after its release, and in the midst of a rigorous touring schedule that also had to include BBC sessions for radio and television. It was completed in seven takes, four of which were complete. The group then recorded four edit pieces. The final version was an edit of takes 7, 10 and 11.[7]

The Beatles also recorded "You Really Got a Hold on Me" on four occasions for BBC radio in 1963. One of these, from July 30, 1963 was included on the Live at the BBC collection. A live version recorded in Stockholm, Sweden in October 1963 was released in 1995 on Anthology 1. The song was performed once again in 1969, during the Let It Be recording sessions, and featured in the 1970 documentary film, Let It Be.

• John Lennon – rhythm guitar, lead vocals[6]
• George Harrison – lead guitar, lead vocals[6]
• Paul McCartney – bass guitar, harmony vocals
• Ringo Starr – drums
• George Martin – piano

"You've Really Got a Hold on Me" has been covered extensively since its release. The most notable include:

• The Supremes did a version which was produced by Berry Gordy with Hal Davis and Marc Gordon doing the mixing, and appeared on their 1964 album A Bit of Liverpool.[8] Group member Mary Wilson sang in close unison with Diana Ross's lead[9] in their version.

• The Temptations' rendering, produced by Smokey Robinson, was included on their 1965 album The Temptations Sing Smokey. Eddie Kendricks sang lead vocal with David Ruffin providing harmony co-lead vocal on verses 1 and 2; Paul Williams provided vocals on close harmony on the final verse.

• Eddie Money recorded a version for his self-titled debut album released 1977. It reached #72 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in December of 1978, and #68 in Canada, January 1979[10]

• Country music artist Mickey Gilley covered the song in 1984. Produced by Jim Ed Norman, and released by Epic Records, Gilley's version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and number one on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.