Motown legend Smokey Robinson recorded an unintentionally funny personal video message for a woman whose children made the Cameo request as a surprise for their mom who apparently grew up near the singer. Given that the "guttural Ch" in Chanukkah isn't a typical sound in English, and Smokey was clearly reading from a cue card, his error really isn't a big deal and the way he handled it is lovely.
"In the spirit of 2020, I'm gonna need a do-over!," Robinson tweeted along with the original video. "Please DM your mother's phone number so we can try this again."
Gil Kaufman writes in Billboard:
In another twist, Jeff [Jacobson, who commissioned the video with his sibling] responded to Smokey's offer in the most gracious way possible. "By the way, @smokeyrobinson can pronounce it any way he damn well pleases," wrote Jeff before Smokey's offer. "He is a true legend whose music has been with me since birth. His kindness and generosity of spirit has already made this most-unusual 2020 Chanukah one of my family's most memorable. Also, my mom says hi."
And, by the way, Jeff said he's happy to set up a second effort, but, to be fair, "Smokey but you owe her and us nothing. We love you!" Now that is truly a Chanookah miracle.
