"Games People Play" | ||||
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Single by The Spinners | ||||
from the album Pick of the Litter | ||||
B-side | "I Don't Want to Lose You" | |||
Released | May 1975 | |||
Studio | Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |||
Genre | Philly soul | |||
Length | 3:29 (7") 4:41 (album) | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Joseph B. Jefferson, Bruce Hawes, Charles Simmons | |||
Producer(s) | Thom Bell | |||
The Spinners singles chronology | ||||
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"Games People Play", also known as "'They Just Can't Stop It' The (Games People Play)", is a song recorded by American R&B vocal group The Spinners. Released in 1975 from their Pick of the Litter album, featuring lead vocals by Bobby Smith, it was a crossover success, spending a week at number one on the US Hot Soul Singles chart and peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. [1] Recorded at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios, the house band MFSB provided the backing. Female backing vocals on the song were performed by Carla L. Benson, Evette Benton, and Barbara Ingram, who together formed the legendary studio backing vocal group Sweethearts of Sigma. The female lead vocal on the track is by Evette Benton. This song was an RIAA-certified million seller for the Spinners. [2]
Chart (1975) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian RPM Top Singles [3] | 21 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [4] | 5 |
US Billboard Easy Listening [5] | 2 |
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 1 |
US Cash Box Top 100 [6] | 2 |
Chart (1975) | Rank |
---|---|
Canada [7] | 89 |
US Cash Box Top 100 [8] | 25 |
MFSB, officially standing for "Mother Father Sister Brother", was a pool of more than 30 studio musicians based at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom Bell, and backed up Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the O'Jays, the Stylistics, the Spinners, Wilson Pickett, and Billy Paul.
Spinners is the third studio album recorded by American R&B group The Spinners, produced by Thom Bell and released in April 1973 on the Atlantic label. The album was the group's first for Atlantic after leaving Motown.
"The Rubberband Man" is a song recorded by American vocal group the Spinners. The song, written by producer Thom Bell and singer-songwriter Linda Creed, is about Bell's son Mark, who was being teased by his classmates for being overweight. Intended to improve his son's self-image, the song eventually evolved from being about "The Fat Man" to "The Rubberband Man".
"I'll Be Around" is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners. It was co-written by Thom Bell and Phil Hurtt and produced by Bell.
"Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" is a 1972 song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners. It was co-written by Melvin and Mervin Steals, two songwriter brothers working for Atlantic, who were sometimes credited as "Mystro and Lyric." It was produced by Thom Bell, recorded at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios and the house band MFSB provided the backing. Bobby Smith sings lead through most of the song, while Philippé Wynne handles vocal duties on the outro.
"One of a Kind (Love Affair)" is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners (known as "Detroit Spinners" in the UK). It was written by Joseph B. Jefferson and produced by Thom Bell.
"Mighty Love" is a 1973 song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners. The song was co-written by Joseph B. Jefferson, Bruce Hawes and Charles Simmons and was produced by Thom Bell.
Barbara Jane Ingram was an American R&B singer and songwriter who was active throughout the early 1970s until the mid-late 1980s, enjoying modest success as a backup singer for almost two decades.
The Magic of the Blue is the second album by American soul group Blue Magic, produced by Norman Harris and Bobby Eli and released in 1974 on the Atco label.
Mighty Love is the fourth studio album recorded by American R&B group The Spinners, released in March 1974 on the Atlantic label. It was the Spinners' second album for Atlantic and, like their breakthrough Atlantic debut Spinners, was produced by Thom Bell at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia.
New and Improved is the fifth album by American R&B group The Spinners, released in December 1974 on the Atlantic label. Like the Spinners' two previous Atlantic albums, New and Improved was produced by Thom Bell and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia.
Pick of the Litter is the sixth studio album by American R&B group The Spinners, released in August 1975 on the Atlantic label. The album was produced by Thom Bell and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia.
Summertime is the fifth album to be released by Philadelphia International Records houseband MFSB.
Happiness Is Being with the Spinners is the seventh studio album recorded by American R&B group The Spinners, released in July 1976 on the Atlantic label. It was produced by Thom Bell and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia and Kaye-Smith Studios in Seattle.
Rockin' Roll Baby is the third studio album recorded by American R&B group The Stylistics, released in November 1973 on the Avco label. It was produced by Thom Bell and recorded at Sigma Sound Studio North in Philadelphia. This was the group's last album produced by Bell.
My Way is the debut album by former The Delfonics vocalist Major Harris. Released in 1975 and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios, Harris scored a hit in the United States with the single "Love Won't Let Me Wait". The single hit number five on the pop chart and number one on the soul chart for one week. It was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. on June 25, 1975.
"Sadie" is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners. The song was written and produced by Joseph B. Jefferson, Bruce Hawes and Charles Simmons. Recorded at Philly's Sigma Sound Studios and released as the third single from their 1974 New and Improved album on Atlantic Records, "Sadie" would chart at number #7 on the U.S. R&B Singles Chart, their 10th consecutive Top 10 Atlantic single on the chart. It also reached the number #54 position on Billboard Pop Singles chart.
"Ghetto Child" is a 1973 song recorded by American R&B music group the Spinners for the Atlantic label. It was written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed. It was produced by Bell, and recorded at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios with the house band MFSB providing the backing instrumentation. It is notable for being one of few songs that all three main leads, Bobby Smith, Philippé Wynne and Henry Fambrough sing lead. Although some think the song focuses on racial injustice broadly and the injustice of the 1967 Detroit Riot more specifically, the lyrics suggest that the song may be about intra-racial discrimination—the song is written from the perspective of a black child who is derided not (primarily) due to his skin-color but due to his class status.
Track of the Cat is a studio album by the American singer Dionne Warwick. It was released by Warner Bros. Records in 1975 in the United States. Her second album to be released that year, it peaked at number 137 on the US Top LPs & Tape chart.
The Sweethearts of Sigma, sometimes known simply as The Sweethearts or The Sweeties, were an American female vocal trio comprising Carla Benson, Evette Benton and Barbara Ingram. Primarily backing vocalists, they sung backup on many recordings made in Philadelphia, especially in the 1970s.