1976 single by the Spinners From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"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]
"The Rubberband Man" | ||||
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Single by the Spinners | ||||
from the album Happiness Is Being with the Spinners | ||||
B-side | "Now That We're Together" | |||
Released | August 1976 | |||
Studio | Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Atlantic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Thom Bell, Linda Creed | |||
Producer(s) | Thom Bell | |||
The Spinners singles chronology | ||||
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Official audio | ||||
"The Rubberband Man" on YouTube |
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 US Billboard Hot 100, number 3 on the US Cash Box Top 100 and topped the U.S. R&B chart.[2] It also reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart.[3]
The song was included in the Detroit Free Press's "Detroit's 100 Greatest Songs" list, ranking 70th.[4]
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]
This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2021) |
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI)[19] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
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