Today’s somewhat-forgotten classic Motown song of the day is “I’ll Try Something New” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Released in April of 1962, this single went to #39 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #11 on Billboard’s R&B chart—although you don’t hear it much on oldies radio today.
“I’ll Try Something New” was written by Smokey Robinson and features a beautiful pentatonic-flavored melody and lush string arrangement provided by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Rhythm backing was, as usual, by members of Motown’s Funk Brothers.
By this point in time the Miracles had established themselves as one of Motown’s premiere acts, especially with their #2 hit, “Shop Around,” in 1960. “I’ll Try Something New” was different, however. It’s long been a favorite of Motown head Berry Gordy, who thought the song marked a turning point in Smokey Robinson’s career:
“Smokey was always a great poet. But he came to me one day, and he said, ‘I have a song that I think you’re gonna like, finally,’ because I turned down 90 percent of his songs—95 percent. He says, ‘It’s called ‘I’ll Try Something New’…’ It scared me, actually, and I felt bad because I said, ‘He can write songs better than I can.”
Smokey Robinson went on to have another 24 top forty hits with the Miracles (including “I Second That Emotion,” “Tracks of My Tears,” and “The Tears of a Clown“), as well as write dozens of hits for other artists, including Mary Wells (“You Beat Me to the Punch,” “Two Lovers,” “My Guy”), the Temptations (“My Girl,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “It’s Growing,” “Since I Lost My Baby“), the Supremes (“Floy Joy”), the Marvelettes (“Don’t Mess with Bill,” “The Hunter Gets Captured By the Game”), Marvin Gaye (“I’ll Be Doggone,” “Ain’t That Peculiar”), the Contours (“First I Look at the Purse”), and the Four Tops (“Still Water (Love)”). He also had a number of solo hits on his own, including “Cruisin’,” “Being with You,” “Just to See Her,” and “One Heartbeat.”
Smokey Robinson is one of the true legends in the music business. He currently hosts the Smokey’s Soul Town channel on SiriusXM satellite radio, along with several programs on that channel. For an 85 year-old guy, he’s still going strong.
Which leads us to today’s daily bonus track of the day. It’s a somewhat funkier cover of “I’ll Try Something New” by Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations, which was a #25 hit (#8 on the R&B chart) in 1969. Enjoy!
