One of my favorite, and one of the most peculiar, entries in the Miracles' large and often miraculous catalog. Why peculiar? Because it was one of very few Miracles hits that Smokey Robinson didn't write himself, and it sounds so tailor-made for Levi Stubbs's declamatory voice that I can't fathom why the Four Tops didn't do it instead. Maybe it was too similar to their concurrent triumvirate of four-to-the-floor hits "Reach Out, I'll Be There," "Standing in the Shadows of Love," and "Bernadette"?At any rate, Smokey comes off more victim than victor here on "(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need," a tune ostensibly about waiting your turn while your beloved wastes her time with a guy who's clearly wrong for her. Problem is, he's so meek when he implores, "I may not be the one you want, but I know I'm the one you need," that the girl's natural reaction is to say, "Yeah, right, whatevs" and go back to the bad guy.
Still, you've gotta root for someone in Smokey's situation. At least he's a gentleman in his impotent longing.
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