Rockin' Robin

Album: Got To Be There (1972)
Charted: 3 2
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Songfacts®:

  • The R&B/pop singer Bobby Day originally recorded this song in 1958. His version also peaked at #2 in the US. Major irony: Bobby Day's real name is Robert Byrd.

    Bobby Day had a soulful Pop sound that suited a young Michael Jackson, who recorded this as just his second single as a solo artist, scoring a huge hit with the song. With the Jackson Five, Michael also scored with another Bobby Day song in 1972: "Little Bitty Pretty One," which went to #1 in the US.
  • This song was inspired by a mockingbird, not a robin, that pestered composer Leon René with its incessant singing. René, who wrote the lyrics, is credited as Jimmy Thomas, which is his songwriting pseudonym. Rene owned the label Excelsior Records.
  • The Indiana group The Rivieras, famous for their 1964 hit "California Sun," nicked the charts with their version of "Rockin' Robin" that same year when it hit #96.

Comments: 3

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn July 1st 1972, Michael Jackson performed "Rockin' Robin" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
    Four months earlier on March 5th, 1972 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #68; and on April 16th, 1972 it peaked at #2 (for 2 weeks) and spent 13 weeks on the Top 100...
    It also reached #2 on Billboard's Best Selling Soul Singles chart...
    As already stated the original version of the song was released by Bobby Day in 1958; and it also peaked at #2 on the Top 100 (was released on the 'Class' record label, and in the label it was titled as "Rock-In Robin")...
    The 2 weeks that Michael's version was at #2, the #1 record for both those weeks was "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack...
    R.I.P. to The King of Pop (1958 - 2009).
  • Bob from Orlando, MaCool song I played for my 3rd girlfriend
  • Keith from Slc, UtThis hit about the same time that Donny Osmond's cover of "Puppy Love" was also a hit, prompting jocks to demand "no more animal songs until they hire someone to clean the floors in the studio."
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