The Rubberband Man

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"The Rubberband Man"
The Rubberband Man.jpg
Single by the Spinners
from the album Happiness Is Being with the Spinners
B-side "Now That We're Together"
ReleasedAugust 1976
Studio Sigma Sound (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Genre
Length
  • 7:23 (album version)
  • 3:33 (single edit)
Label Atlantic
Songwriter(s) Thom Bell, Linda Creed
Producer(s) Thom Bell
The Spinners singles chronology
"Wake Up Susan"
(1976)
"The Rubberband Man"
(1976)
"You're Throwing a Good Love Away"
(1977)

"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". [1]

Contents

The last major hit by the Spinners to feature Philippé Wynne on lead vocals, "The Rubberband Man" spent three weeks at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (blocked from the top spot by Rod Stewart's massive hit single "Tonight's the Night") and topped the U.S. R&B chart at the end of 1976. [2] It was also a top-20 hit in the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 16 in October 1976. [3]

The song was included in the Detroit Free Press 's "Detroit's 100 Greatest Songs" list, ranking 70th. [4]

Arrangement and structure

Wynne alternates between singing the verse and interjecting verbal asides and improvises the eight bars linking the chorus with the bridge. The backing singers' retort of "do-do-do-do" recalls the distinctive chorus in Stephen Stills' song "Love the One You're With." [5]

Later uses

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [12] Silver200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

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Philippé Wynne was an American singer, best known for his role as a lead vocalist of The Spinners. Wynne scored notable hits such as "How Could I Let You Get Away", "The Rubberband Man", and "One of a Kind ". After leaving The Spinners, Wynne never regained the same success, although he was featured in hits by other artists such as "(Not Just) Knee Deep" by Funkadelic. Wynne died of a heart attack while performing at a nightclub.

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Thomas Randolph Bell was an American record producer, arranger, and songwriter known as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s. Hailed as one of the most prolific R&B songwriters and producers ever, Bell found success crafting songs for Delfonics, Stylistics, and Spinners. In June 2006, Bell was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2016, Bell was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.

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References

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  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 545.
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  4. "Detroit's 100 Greatest Songs" . Retrieved May 10, 2018.
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  9. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1976". Cashbox Magazine . Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  10. "Image : RPM Weekly – Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. July 17, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  11. "Top 100 Hits of 1977/Top 100 Songs of 1977". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  12. "British single certifications – Spinners – The Rubberband Man". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved June 16, 2023.