Could It Be I’m Falling In Love

The Spinners have always taken up space in my sonic cereal cupboard. From Rubberband Man to Working My Way Back to You, their songs deliver steady beats and layers of vocal harmony. People tend to remember the Temptations, The Four Tops, and maybe even the O’Jays, but somehow The Spinners get shuffled to the back.

Could It Be I’m Falling in Love is the perfect example of a classic Spinners song — indeed, a perfect R & B song, if you’ll allow me to go that far. I chose this particular track because of the way it slowly builds layer upon layer until the vocals come in.

Check out the xylophone in the opening and how it gives way to the sweeping instrumental section. The music was performed by MFSB, a group of Philadelphia studio musicians that rivaled L.A.’s Wrecking Crew.

And the way Bobby Smith slips the spoken line, “That’s funny” into the first verse gets me every time.