The Rubberband Man

"The Rubberband Man"
Single by The Spinners
from the album
Happiness Is Being with the Spinners
B-side "Now That We're Together"
Released August 1976
Format 7-inch single
Recorded 1976
Genre Soul, funk
Length 3:33 (single edit)
7:22 (album version)
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)

"Wake Up Susan"
(1976)		 "The Rubberband Man"
(1976)		 "You're Throwing a Good Love Away"
(1977)

"The Rubberband Man" is a song recorded by the American vocal group The Spinners.

The song, written by producer Thom Bell and singer-songwriter Linda Creed, was about Bell's son, 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]

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, 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 returned to the Billboard charts in 2018 because of its use in the Guardians of the Galaxy's introductory appearance in Avengers: Infinity War. [4]

The song was included in the Detroit Free Press's "Detroit's 100 Greatest Songs" list, ranking 70th.[5]

Arrangement and structure

The arrangement opens with rhythmic clavinet and percussion, followed by a Philly string arrangement provided by the Mother Father Sister Brother musicians. There are brief bursts of brass section and piano. Singer Wynne's delivery is "singularly expressive" and the bridge and chorus provide for a classic call and response routine by supporting vocalists Bobbie Smith (tenor), Henry Fambrough (baritone), Billy Henderson (tenor/baritone) and Pervis Jackson (bass). The song also features the bass playing of Motown Legend Bob "Funk Brother" Babbitt.

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."[6]

Personnel

Charts

References

  1. ↑ Feldman, Christopher G. (2000). The Billboard Book of No. 2 Hits. Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-7695-4.
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 545.
  3. ↑ "The Detroit Spinners: The Rubberband Man". 45cat.com</a>.
  4. ↑ "'Avengers: Infinity War' Helps The Spinners' 'Rubberband Man' Return to Charts ⋆ 10z". 9 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  5. ↑ "Detroit's 100 Greatest Songs". Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  6. ↑ Planer, Lindsay. "The Rubberband Man". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  7. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  9. ↑ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  10. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1977/Top 100 Songs of 1977". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
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