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Going to a Go-Go (song)

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"Going to a Go-Go"
Single by the Miracles
from the album Going to a Go-Go
B-side"Choosey Beggar"
ReleasedDecember 6, 1965[1]
RecordedAugust 17, 1965[2]
StudioHitsville USA, Detroit
GenreSoul/pop
Length2:50
LabelTamla
T 54127
Songwriter(s)Smokey Robinson
Pete Moore
Bobby Rogers
Marv Tarplin[3]
Producer(s)Smokey Robinson
Pete Moore
The Miracles singles chronology
"My Girl Has Gone"
(1965) 		"Going to a Go-Go"
(1965) 		"Whole Lot of Shakin' in My Heart"
(1966)

"Going to a Go-Go" is a 1965 single recorded by the Miracles for Motown's Tamla label.

The Miracles' original version

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Smokey Robinson sings lead on "Going to a Go-Go", which he co-wrote with fellow Miracles Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers, and Marv Tarplin. Moore, Rogers, Ronnie White, and Smokey Robinson's wife Claudette Robinson provide backing vocals for the song, an up-tempo dance song inviting people of all walk of life to attend a go-go party. Miracles Robinson and Pete Moore were the song's producers. In the Motown DVD release Smokey Robinson And The Miracles: The Definitive Performances, Miracles member and co-writer Bobby Rogers commented that this song was inspired by the success of the "Go-go" clubs that grew in popularity throughout the United States in the 1960s. While at first a regional phenomenon, the success of this Miracles song ignited a nationwide fad for go-go music in America.[4]

Issued in December 1965, "Going to a Go-Go" peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States the following spring. In addition, the single peaked at number-two on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and was The Miracles' fifth million-selling record.[5]

Cash Box described it as a "hard-driving, bluesy handclapper with an infectious repeating rhythmic riff" and felt the song was "ultra-commercial."[6]

"Going to a Go-Go" is featured on the Miracles' album of the same name, which proved to be their highest-charting LP of all-original material. The album reached the Top Ten of the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart in early 1966, peaking at number eight, and reached #1 on the Billboard top R&B albums chart. In 2003, the Miracles' Going To A Go-Go album was ranked number 271 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

One of the tracks from the Going to a Go-Go LP, "Choosey Beggar", was issued as the single's b-side, and was also a hit, peaking at number 35 on the Billboard R&B chart.

The opening drum intro was sped up and copied by Showaddywaddy on the group's self penned debut single "Hey Rock 'N' Roll" in 1974.

Personnel

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The Miracles

Other instrumentation by The Funk Brothers[7]

The Rolling Stones live version

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"Going to a Go-Go"
Single by the Rolling Stones
from the album Still Life
B-side"Beast of Burden" (Live)
Released1 June 1982
RecordedDecember 1981
GenreRock
Length3:10
LabelRolling Stones
Songwriter(s)Smokey Robinson
Pete Moore
Bobby Rogers
Marvin Tarplin
Producer(s)The Glimmer Twins
The Rolling Stones singles chronology
"Hang Fire"
(1982) 		"Going to a Go-Go"
(1982) 		"Time Is on My Side"
(1982)

"Going to a Go-Go" was covered by The Rolling Stones on their 1982 live album Still Life. Released as the album's first single, the Stones' version "Going to a Go-Go" reached number 26 in the British charts and number 25 in the United States. Both the single and the album were released in the middle of the European tour of the band in 1982. Other versions of the song are included on the band's Live at Leeds and Hampton Coliseum live albums. Despite its relative success, the Rolling Stones never recorded this song in a studio.

Personnel

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Other instrumentation

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (1982) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 16
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 8
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] 4
Finland (Soumen Virallinen)[11] 16
Ireland (IRMA)[12] 18
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[13] 4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] 3
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[15] 24
Norway (VG-lista)[16] 5
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 18
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 9
UK Singles (OCC)[19] 26
US Billboard Hot 100[20] 25

Year-end charts

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Chart (1982) Position
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] 54
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22] 70

Other covers

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The song was also a UK top 50 hit in 1975 by The Sharonettes.[23]

Phil Collins recorded a cover during the sessions of his 2010 album Going Back.

The Miracles' "Going To A Go-Go" was referenced by Arthur Conley in his 1967 hit tune, "Sweet Soul Music".

Other sources

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  • Demitri Coryton; Joseph Murrells (1990). Hits Of The Sixties: The Million Sellers. Batsford Ltd. p. 131. ISBN 978-0713458510.
  • Motown/Universal DVD: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The Definitive Performances (1963-1987)

References

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  1. ^ Smokey Robinson and the Miracles: The 35th Anniversary Collection. pg. 61. 1994.
  2. ^ Smokey Robinson and the Miracles: The 35th Anniversary Collection. Volume 2: Track 21. pg. 55. 1994.
  3. ^ "discogs.com". discogs.com. 6 December 1965. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  4. ^ John Bush. "Going to a Go-Go - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  5. ^ "Hits Of The Sixties: The Million Sellers"- by Demitri Coryton & Joseph Murrells (pg 131)
  6. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 18, 1965. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  7. ^ Liner notes. The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 5: 1965, Hip-O Select – B0006775-02, USA, 04 Aug 2006
  8. ^ "The Rolling Stones – Going to a Go Go (Live)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  9. ^ "The Rolling Stones – Going to a Go Go (Live)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6557." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  11. ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. p. 240. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  12. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Going to a Go Go". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  13. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 27, 1982" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  14. ^ "The Rolling Stones – Going to a Go Go (Live)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  15. ^ "The Rolling Stones – Going to a Go Go (Live)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  16. ^ "The Rolling Stones – Going to a Go Go (Live)". VG-lista. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  17. ^ "The Rolling Stones – Going to a Go Go (Live)". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  18. ^ "The Rolling Stones – Going to a Go Go (Live)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  19. ^ "Rolling Stones: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  20. ^ "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  21. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1982". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  22. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1982". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  23. ^ "The Sharonettes - Going To A Go-Go (Vocal)". 45cat.com. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
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