"Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" is a 1972 song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners (known as "Detroit Spinners" in the UK). It was co-written by Melvin and Mervin Steals, two songwriter brothers working for Atlantic, who were sometimes credited as "Mystro and Lyric."[2] 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.
| "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 One of A-side labels of U.S. vinyl release | ||||
| Single by The Spinners | ||||
| from the album Spinners | ||||
| B-side | "Just You and Me, Baby" | |||
| Released | November 1972 | |||
| Studio | Sigma Sound, New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:13 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Mystro & Lyric | |||
| Producer(s) | Thom Bell | |||
| The Spinners singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Vinyl video | ||||
| "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" by The Spinners on YouTube | ||||
Released as the follow-up single to the group's first hit for Atlantic Records, "I'll Be Around," "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" would equal the success of its predecessor, peaking at #1 on the R&B chart and #4 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart[3] and selling over one million copies. The song also found success in the UK, peaking at #11 on the UK Singles Chart.
Reception
editRecord World called it a "beautiful smash r&b ballad which spins a guaranteed success" with "outstanding production by Thom Bell."[4] Pitchfork named it the 184th best song of the 1970s, saying "every time lead vocalist Smith is offered the opportunity to go loud, he goes soft, letting Bell's dulcet accompaniments do the singing for him. The '70s yielded countless songs about falling in love, but few are as blissful as this."[5]
The Spinners version credits
edit- Lead vocals by Bobby Smith and Philippé Wynne
- Background vocals by Smith, Wynne, Pervis Jackson, Henry Fambrough and Billy Henderson
- Additional background vocals by Linda Creed and The Sweethearts of Sigma (Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson, and Evette Benton)
- Instrumentation by MFSB
Chart performance
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
Trivia
editThis song was used on the soundtrack of the 2005 film Beauty Shop.[16]
Cover versions
editThe song has been covered many times over the years, including a duet by David Grant and Jaki Graham (which peaked at #5 on the UK Singles Chart in 1985) and versions by Regina Belle, El Barrio, Messenjah, Worlds Apart, Peter White, Larry Carlton, Jeff Kashiwa, Donny Osmond, Earl Klugh, Boyz II Men, Todd Alsup, Houston Person and Paul Stanley.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Plume. pp. 270–271. ISBN 0-452-26305-0.
- ^ "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love by The Spinners". Songfacts. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 545.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. December 23, 1972. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ Rytlewski, Evan (August 22, 2016). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s". Pitchfork.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM". Library and Archives Canada. March 3, 1973. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
- ^ "Detroit Spinners". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
- ^ "The Spinners Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ "The Spinners Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ "The Spinners Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles, February 24, 1973". TropicalGlen.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1973". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ "Songs from Beauty Shop". Sweetsoundtrack.
