(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
The Miracles - "Love Machine (Part 1)"
Hit Number 1: March 6, 1976
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
Imagine trying to replace someone like Smokey Robinson. Aside from Berry Gordy, Robinson was Motown. He started with the Miracles way back in 1960, and the band almost instantly hit #1 with the early banger "Shop Around," which made it to #2 in 1961. (It's a 10) After "Shop Around," Robinson and the Miracles continued to appear on the charts, and Robinson did a lot of songwriting and producing for other artists too. He stayed with the Miracles into the '70s, hitting #1 with "The Tears of a Clown" that year before leaving the band in 1972 to pursue a solo career. This put the Miracles into a terrible spot. Robinson was the band's key songwriter, and his signature tenor made him the most identifiable thing about the band. At the time of "The Tears of a Clown" hitting #1, the band was even named Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. This could have, some might even say should have ended the Miracles, because how do you replace someone like Robinson? Well, apparently by filling in the spot with a 20-year-old guy just getting started in the music world.
This guy was Billy Griffin, who Robinson formally introduced as the Miracles' new lead singer during the Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' Farewell Tour. Griffin idolized Robinson and got national attention after he and some friends formed a group called Last Dynasty and won a talent show on NBC. Admittedly, Griffin was a good replacement for Robinson. I don't think he had quite the same levels of talent that Smokey did, but if I didn't know any better I would've thought that Smokey was singing lead on "Love Machine." The two sound a lot alike, and Griffin has almost that same exact tenor that Robinson did. And Griffin and the Miracles proved that they still were capable of making hits. It didn't take the new look Miracles long to find success after the release of "Do It Baby," which made it to #13 in 1974. (It's a 7) Then a year after that they released "Love Machine," which would become a big shocker. "Love Machine" stands today as the Miracles' biggest hit they ever had. Bigger than anything that Robinson contributed to the group.
The song was produced by Freddie Perren, a dude who achieved some serious fame while with the Corporation, the group that produced the Jackson 5's earlier stuff. In other words, it's not like the song's success was totally out of left field, as there was still a lot of talent going on behind the scenes. But still, the fact that "Love Machine" was technically bigger than songs like "Shop Around" is pretty mind-boggling. The song also showed how the Miracles were beginning to transition into a disco sound, which everyone knows was gaining intense steam in early '76. Sure, I guess the song has some sick grooves going on, but I'm not one to get too excited about "Love Machine." It's a pretty weird song, lyrically. This guy compares himself to an actual love machine, like he's not even a human, he was programmed to love one particular girl, and this girl is in total control of him. With that, I've come to the conclusion that the narrator is a cross between a simp and a delusional weirdo. But I guess if your grooves are hard enough, and you have a lot to get excited about instrumentally, who cares about the lyrics right?
Well, that's another problem for "Love Machine." The grooves don't suck, and the bridge where everyone goes "la, la, la, la" is enough to make me remember the song in a positive light. But the bass line goes away almost entirely after the intro, which sucks cause that's an awesome bass riff! I want to hear more of that! Instead, it's washed away by the chorus of the song, and unfortunately, I find the chorus to be rather boring. Like, the song has the main skeleton of what it takes to be a banger disco song, but it all falls flat. It's a song that gave itself all the potential in the world, but didn't live up to it. Apparently the real song is actually around seven minutes long, and it was split into two parts for single release, with the first part being the #1 hit. I don't think I care to listen to the whole thing. If you wanna talk about disco songs, "Love Machine" falls into the "meh" category.
This is no fault of Griffin. I think he sounds great on the track, and damn does the guy sound just like Smokey Robinson. It's downright impressive. There's just nothing behind him that propels the song into anything that amazing. And while after "Love Machine," the Miracles didn't do a whole lot else, Robinson thrived. He never hit #1, but he would crack the top ten a couple times, almost reaching #1 in 1981 with "Being With You," which made it to #2. ("Being With You" is an 8. There's actually a really fun trivia fact about it and the song that kept it out of #1. But I'll wait for that review to share it of course) So, I guess it all boils down to this: Props to Griffin and the Miracles for making the post-Robinson era work for a little bit, but their last #1 hit didn't live up to its own potential. It had a bass line it should have run off with, but for whatever reason, chose not to. What a shame.
GRADE: 4/10
JUST MISSED:
Eric Carmen's exploding ballad "All By Myself" peaked at #2 behind "Love Machine (Part 1)." It's a 6. People my age might be surprised to know that no, Celine Dion is not the original singer of this song.
IN POP CULTURE:
There's a brilliant scene in the show Friends where Bruce Willis, playing the character of Paul, sings "Love Machine" in front of a mirror in his bedroom while Ross (David Schwimmer) is hiding under his bed nearby. Here's that scene:
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