Ooo Baby Baby (2:46)

“Ooo Baby Baby” is a 1965 hit single by The Miracles for the Tamla (Motown) label, today considered the group’s signature song. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the song #262 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[1]

A slow, remorseful number, “Ooo Baby Baby” features Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson lamenting the fact that he cheated on his woman, and begging for her to overlook his mistakes and please forgive him. The song’s highly emotional feel is supported by the Miracles’ background harmonies, arranged by Miracles member Pete Moore, and a lush orchestral arrangement that accents the Funk Brothers band’s instrumental track.

Written by Robinson and fellow Miracle Pete Moore and produced by Robinson, “Ooo Baby Baby” was a #4 hit on the Billboard R&B singles chart and reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] The song is one of the Miracles’ most-covered tunes, having achieved its greatest commercial success when Linda Ronstadt included it in her double-platinum album Living in the USA, with the single reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979.[3]