| Come On Do the Jerk | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | the Miracles |
| Album: | Greatest Hits Vol.2 |
| B-Side: | Baby, Don't You Go |
| Released: | November 20, 1964 |
| Recorded: | 1964 |
| Studio: | Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A) |
| Genre: | Soul |
| Length: | 2:53 |
| Label: | Tamla T 54109 |
| Producer: | Smokey Robinson Robert Rogers |
| Prev Title: | That's What Love Is Made Of |
| Prev Year: | 1964 |
| Next Title: | Ooo Baby Baby |
| Next Year: | 1965 |
"Come On Do the Jerk" (Tamla 54109) was a 1964 song recorded by R&B group the Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label subsidiary. It was co-written by Miracles members Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers and Smokey Robinson and drummer Donald Whited. A single-only release, it did not appear on any original Miracles studio album, and was the group's last single release of 1964.[1] Robinson and fellow Miracle Bobby Rogers were the song's producers. The flip side, "Baby Don't You Go", was also a popular regional hit but was not released on CD until The 35th Anniversary Collection in 1994. Both sides of this single received new stereo mixes for the 2002 compilation Ooo Baby Baby: The Anthology.
"Come On Do the Jerk" charted at No.50 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 22 on the Cash Box R&B chart.(Billboard had temporarily suspended its R&B chart at this time).
An instructional dance number, this song was one of several based on the jerk, a very popular 1960s "dance craze".[2] Described by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson as the intended follow-up to the group's 1963 million-selling smash "Mickey's Monkey" the previous year, "Come On Do the Jerk" was actually recorded in a similar tempo. As the song begins, longtime Miracles drummer Donald "Spike" Whited and Miracles member, guitarist Marv Tarplin begin the song, while Smokey, as the song's narrator, offers the invitation:
The other Miracles, Ronnie White, Claudette Robinson, Pete Moore, and Bobby Rogers, echo Smokey's lead, with chants of the song's title, in classic call and response style.Then, midway through, Smokey's role changes... from narrator to dance instructor, as he instructs the listener on the Jerk's simple dance steps:
| Chart (1964–65) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 50 | |
| US Top 50 in R&B Locations (Cash Box)[4] | 22 |
. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012 . Joel Whitburn . 2013 . Record Research . 579.
. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 404.