"Automatically Sunshine" is a song written by
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chi ...
and released as a single by
Motown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...
singing group
The Supremes
The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...
as the second single from their popular album ''
Floy Joy'' in 1972.
The single featured
Jean Terrell
Velma Jean Terrell (born November 26, 1944) is an American R&B and jazz singer. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes in January 1970.
Biography
Early life and career
She is the sister of the former WBA heavyweight box ...
and original Supreme
Mary Wilson sharing lead vocals on the song. ''Floy Joy'' was one of the group's final albums recorded at Motown's famed
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
studio,
Hitsville U.S.A.
"Hitsville U.S.A." is the nickname given to Motown's first headquarters and recording studio. The house (formerly a photographers' studio) is located at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan, near the New Center area. The house was pur ...
On the US soul chart, "Automatically Sunshine" reached number twenty-one and was the Supremes' final top 40 US hit for four years peaking at number thirty-seven on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100,
while it became the group's third consecutive top-ten single on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
peaking at number ten.
Charts
Personnel
*Lead vocals by
Mary Wilson and
Jean Terrell
Velma Jean Terrell (born November 26, 1944) is an American R&B and jazz singer. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes in January 1970.
Biography
Early life and career
She is the sister of the former WBA heavyweight box ...
*Background vocals by
Mary Wilson,
Jean Terrell
Velma Jean Terrell (born November 26, 1944) is an American R&B and jazz singer. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes in January 1970.
Biography
Early life and career
She is the sister of the former WBA heavyweight box ...
and
Cindy Birdsong
*Additional vocals by
The Andantes
The Andantes were an American female session group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by Ma ...
*Produced and written by
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chi ...
*Instrumentation by
The Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The ...
References
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1972 singles
1972 songs
The Supremes songs
Songs written by Smokey Robinson
Song recordings produced by Smokey Robinson
Motown singles