Song · The Spinners
“I'll Be Around” by The Spinners
From the album Spinners (1973)
“I'll Be Around” by The Spinners appears on 3 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 2001 and 2022. It was first released in 1973 on the album Spinners. Its best result is #60 on the 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #2,345 indie & aaa song of all time and #60 of the '70s.
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"I'll Be Around" was never supposed to be the hit. The Spinners' first single for Atlantic went out in 1972 with "How Could I Let You Get Away" on the A-side, but radio DJs flipped it over, Atlantic followed their lead, and the B-side ran off with five weeks at the top of the R&B chart, a number three pop peak and the group's first million-seller. It later turned up on their self-titled 1973 album, their first for the label.
Thom Bell wrote it with Phil Hurtt and produced it at Sigma Sound in Philadelphia with MFSB as the house band, and the whole thing glides: Norman Harris's octave guitar riff out front, female backing singers, horns, strings, Larry Washington's congas and Bobby Smith singing lead as smooth as poured cream. It started a run of hits for Bell and the Spinners.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 951 | WFPK | WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2000 |
| 2020 | 736 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2022 | 60 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s | 908 |
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