Released 1962 Recorded Hitsville USA; 1962 Length 2:45 | Format 7" single | |
B-side "Old Love (Let's Try It Again)" | ||
"You Beat Me to the Punch" is a soul single by Motown singer Mary Wells, released on the Motown label in 1962. It was co-written by Smokey Robinson of the Miracles, who was responsible for the majority of hits released by Wells while she was a Motown artist, and another Miracles member, Ronnie White.
Following the success of the previous single, "The One Who Really Loves You", Motown released this record shortly after it was produced and the song performed similar work as "The One Who Really Loves You" did, becoming a Billboard Top 10 Pop smash, peaking at number nine on the pop chart and becoming her first number-one hit on the Billboard R&B singles chart. It also won Wells a Grammy nomination for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording.
Like "The One Who Really Loves You" before it, the song was produced with a mock-calypso beat. It inspired an "answer" song by soul singer Gene Chandler called "You Threw A Lucky Punch" which used the same music and different lyrics and became a Pop and R&B chart hit that year.