Motown legend Smokey Robinson is soul personified. Throughout the years his angelic voice and endearing lyrics have caressed the ears and mended the hearts of many, from timeless classics such as "Cruisin'," "My Girl," "Tears of a Clown" "Just To See Her," and "Who's Loving You?" and "Ooh, Baby, Baby," just to name a few. After 50 years strong in the biz, Robinson returns with "Time Flies When You're Having Fun," his signature, melodic tome tackling the ups and downs of that thing called love. ESSENCE.com caught up with him to talk about his macking skills, working a 9-to-5 and kicking his drug addiction to the curb.

ESSENCE.COM: So you've been having such a good time that 50 years in the biz just flew right by you or were you too busy enjoying a "Love Bath" and not watching your time?
SMOKEY ROBINSON: (Laughs) That's one of my favorite songs on the album and I wanted it to be the first single. I might have to definitely make it the second. Yes, that's why I titled it "Time Flies When You're Having Fun." I'm so blessed because I love my work. Honestly, I didn't even realize it had been 50 years until I looked at my kids— three adult children and three grandbabies.

ESSENCE.COM: You're from the school of real musicianship and singing. Were you able to capture that during the creative process?
ROBINSON: Yes, I went back the old fashioned way and had musicians playing right in the studio with me. It was like having a concert—that's how we did it back then; it helps you feed off of one another creatively. Nowadays everyone records separately in different states and there's no interaction because technology allows you to bring it all together without ever having to see one another. It's inspiring and organic when you can record together in real time.

ESSENCE.COM: So confess, did you start writing songs because you were a mack or simply a hopeless romantic?
ROBINSON: (Laughs) I was far from a mack! I was rather shy and had very few girlfriends. From the time I was 3 or 4 years old I knew I wanted to be an entertainer. I wrote my first song when I was 6. I asked my teacher if I could write words to the music she had for our play, and she said okay. Man, you would have thought I was George Gershwin, my mother called everyone even folks she didn't know and let them know I had written and sang my own song (laughs).