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I'll Be Around (The Spinners song)

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"I'll Be Around"
side-B label by Atlantic Records
Side B of the US single
Single by The Spinners
from the album Spinners
A-side"How Could I Let You Get Away"
ReleasedJuly 1972[1]
StudioSigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
GenrePhiladelphia soul[2][3]
Length3:12
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Thom Bell
Phil Hurtt
Producer(s)Thom Bell
The Spinners singles chronology
"We'll Have It Made"
(1971) 		"How Could I Let You Get Away" / "I'll Be Around"
(1972) 		"Could It Be I'm Falling in Love"
(1972)
Vinyl video
"I'll Be Around" by The Spinners on YouTube

"I'll Be Around" is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners (known as "Detroit Spinners" in the UK). It was co-written by Thom Bell and Phil Hurtt and produced by Bell.

Recorded at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios, the house band MFSB provided the backing. The production of the song gives it a smooth, mid-tempo feel, with the signature guitar riff (in octaves) played by Norman Harris at the forefront and punctuation from female background singers, the MFSB horns & strings and conga-playing from Larry Washington. Bobby Smith handles lead vocals on the song.

The song was included on the group's 1973 self-titled album on Atlantic Records, their first album release for the label. It was initially released as the B-side of the group's first single on Atlantic Records, with "How Could I Let You Get Away" being the A-side. Radio deejays, however, soon opted for "I'll Be Around" which led to Atlantic flipping the single over and the song became an unexpected hit, eventually spending five weeks at No.1 on the U.S. R&B chart (the group's first No.1 on the R&B chart), and reaching No.3 on the U.S. Pop chart in the fall of 1972.[4] It also reached sales of over one million copies, The Spinners' first record ever to do so. The success of "I'll Be Around" would be the first in a series of chart successes The Spinners and Bell would have together during the 1970s.

Personnel

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Cover versions

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"I'll Be Around" has been covered by many artists. Among them are The Moments, The Afghan Whigs, Devon Allman, Joan Osborne, The Rippingtons featuring Jeffrey Osborne, Funk, Inc., Doug Parkinson, Richie Kotzen and Hall & Oates, whose version reached No.6 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart.

The song was sampled in the 1973 break-in record, "Super Fly Meets Shaft" (US #31).

Jamaican reggae artist Otis Gayle also recorded a rocksteady version of "I'll Be Around" for the Studio One label in the early 1970s, that features the recognizable organ playing of Jackie Mittoo. Like many Jamaican recordings, the instrumental track for this song went on to be the foundation for many Jamaican singles to this day, notably Johnny Osbournes 1979 hit We Need Love.

US singer Terri Wells had a hit in 1984 with her version, which reached No.17 in the UK Singles Chart.

In 1985, a cover by the American new wave group What Is This?, produced by Todd Rundgren, reached No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100.[5]

In 1995, rapper Rappin' 4-Tay released his own version of the song as the second single from his second album. This rendition replaced the song's original lyrics with those written by Rappin' 4-Tay, though it sampled the original and retained the chorus, for which The Spinners were credited as featured artists. It became a top-40 hit in the United States, peaking at No.39 on the Billboard Hot 100. Also that same year, the Spinners' original version was featured in the film Dead Presidents.

In 1999, rap group TRU, featuring Master P sampled it on their single "Tru Homies", from their album Da Crime Family. "Tru Homies" peaked at No.6 on the Hot Rap Singles and No.61 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.

In 2015, the German group, Hotlane (Agnes Lindström & Jack Tennis) sampled "I'll Be Around" on the song "Whenever", featured on their first album titled "The EP".[6]

Chart performance

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The Spinners

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-story-behind-ill-be-around-1497783606 [bare URL]
  2. ^ Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (October 15, 1996). "The Sound of Philadelphia: Philly Soul". Precious and Few - Pop Music in the Early '70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 52. ISBN 031214704X.
  3. ^ Rolling Stone Staff (September 24, 2024). "The 101 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 5, 2024. ...the Spinners' Philly-soul standard "I'll Be Around"...
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 545.
  5. ^ "The Hot 100". Billboard. September 14, 1985.
  6. ^ "Hotlane New Releases: The EP on Beatport". Pro.beatport.com. 2015-04-27. Retrieved 2016-10-07.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "RPM Top Singles - Volume 18, No. 16". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  8. ^ "The Spinners Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  9. ^ "The Spinners Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  10. ^ "Top 100 1972-11-25". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2015-03-17.
  11. ^ "Hall & Oates Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  12. ^ "Hall & Oates Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  13. ^ "Best of 1973 songs and music, on MusicAndYears.com!". Archived from the original on 2015-02-24. Retrieved 2015-05-25.

References

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  1. A House on Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul by John A. Jackson, ISBN 0-19-514972-6 (Publication: New York Oxford University Press (U.S.), 2004)
  2. "I'll Be Around" song review on Allmusic website
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