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Published 17:28 IST, December 16th 2020

Smokey Robinson's new video leaves Twitter in splits, here's what he said

Motown Singer Smokey Robinson has inspired generations of musicians with his work. Find out why are fans sharing a short video featuring him on Twitter.

Reported by: Disha Kandpal
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Fans have been hooked to Smokey Robinson’s music for decades now. The American singer, songwriter, and record producer is best known for being the founder and frontman of the Motown vocal group the Miracles. For a long time, he was also chief songwriter and producer for the group. However, recently Smokey Robinson has been trending on the internet for reasons other than his music. The musician recently appeared in a 40-second video that went viral on Twitter. Read on to find out more about Smokey Robinson’s new video.

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Smokey Robinson Chanooka video

Twitter user Jeff Jacobson paid the Motown legend Smokey Robinson $399 to record a Hanukkah greeting for his mother. According to Jacobson’s recent tweet, he reached out to Robinson on a video service called Cameo, a service which connects fans with celebrities for this type of short paid recorded greeting. Jacobson revealed in the tweet that the Motown legend and his mother grew up on the same street in Detroit.

However, the video didn’t go as planned and left fans on Twitter in splits. The video features Robinson, 80, greeting Jacobson’s mother, and wishing her for the Jewish holiday, Hanukkah. However, Robinson kept saying Chanukah, pronounced as “cha-new-Kah,” instead of Hanukkah. The video has been retweeted over 30,000 times now and has over 43,000 likes. Robinson ends the video saying, “Anyway, god bless you babe, and enjoy ‘chanooka.’

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Smokey Robinson songs

According to Billboard Magazine, one of Smokey Robinson’s greatest all-time hits is I Second That Emotion (1967). It was the first big pop hit from Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. The song peaked at No. 4, their biggest hit since "Shop Around" hit No. 2 in 1961. Here are some of his other famous songs.

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  • Ain't It, Baby (1961): The Miracles had spent eight weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's R&B chart with their breakthrough single, Shop Around. While falls short in terms of numbers, artistically, it's solid gold. It is an open letter to the girl who doesn't seem to love young Smokey anymore.
  • You've Really Got a Hold on Me (1962): You've Really Got a Hold on Me is a soulful ballad that topped the R&B charts. It was later famously covered the following the summer by the Beatles, whose version is even more tortured. 
  • My Girl (1964): My Girl is a hopelessly devoted celebration of his special girl. It is written in collaboration with another Miracle, Ronald "Ronnie" White.
  • Ooo Baby Baby (1965): The melody of this song is simply gorgeous, and the harmonies, arranged by fellow Miracle Pete Moore underscore the ache in Smokey's voice. But, surprisingly, this classic stalled at No. 16 on the pop charts.

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Smokey Robinson's net worth

A report in Celebrity net worth reveals that the Motown singer is worth $150 million. Most of the singer’s wealth comes from his music and musical group The Miracles. Following his departure from the group, Robinson pursued a successful solo career. In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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Disclaimer: The above net worth information is sourced from various websites and media reports. The website does not guarantee a 100% accuracy of the figures.

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17:28 IST, December 16th 2020