B-side "Save Me" Format 7" 45 RPM Length 2:30 | Released October 19, 1966 Genre Soul, psychedelic soul | |
Recorded Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A)
September 13, 1966 |
"(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need" is a 1966 hit single by Motown group The Miracles, released on Motown Records' Tamla label.
Unlike most Miracles songs, which were written and produced by the group themselves, "I'm the One You Need" was written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, best known for their work with The Supremes and The Four Tops. Holland-Dozier-Holland had written and produced two previous Miracles singles: the Top 10 hit "Mickey's Monkey" and the Top 40 hit "I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying" (both 1963). "I'm the One You Need" was the final Miracles single released before lead singer Smokey Robinson was given star billing on the group's 45's.
In this popular Miracles tune, Smokey Robinson, as the song's narrator, seeks to comfort a girl he obviously loves, who belongs to another man who cheats on her, and treats her badly:
With the solution,to the broken-hearted girl's problem, Smokey continues...
While Smokey sings lead, The other Miracles, Bobby, Ron, Pete, and Claudette, back him with repeated chants of "Come 'Round Here,Honey Honey...I'm the one you need,Honey Honey"...
Two versions of this song were released, with very notable changes. The first version was released on the single; this version also appears on mono copies of the Miracles' 1966 album Away We a Go-Go. The second version used a different take, was in stereo, and had Smokey's lead more prominent than the single version; this version was released on the stereo LP editions of the album.
The single was a Top 20 Pop Hit,peaking at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, and a Top 10 R&B hit, peaking at number four on Billboard's R&B singles chart. It was also a Top 20 hit in the UK, but not until February 1971, when it peaked at number 13. "(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need" was the most successful single featured on their album Away We a Go-Go, and has been covered by acts such as The Jackson 5, The Cowsills, and The GP's . In 1967 The Miracles themselves recorded an Italian language version, entitled Non sono quello che tu vuoi (I'm not that man you want).
The song's "B" side, "Save Me" was covered in a 1966 ska version as "Rude Boy Prayer" by a group consisting of Alton Ellis, Zoot Sims, Bob Marley and an unknown female vocalist. Despite being highly regarded, this version remains officially unavailable outside its original blank labelled 7" vinyl release. The Undertones also covered the song.