1. A soul group of the early '70s, creating a body of work that defined the lush, seductive sound of Philly soul. In the UK they were known as "The Detroit Spinners" to avoid confusion with British band The Spinners. The band's roots lay in Detroit, where they formed as a doo wop group during the late '50s. Throughout the '60s, the Spinners tried to land a hit by adapting to the shifting fashions of R&B and pop. By the mid-'60s, they had signed with Motown Records, but the label never gave the group much consideration. "It's a Shame" became a hit in 1970, but the label continued to ignore the group, and dropped the band two years later. Unsigned and featuring new lead singer Phillipe Wynne, the Spinners seemed destined to never break into the big leagues, but they managed to sign with Atlantic Records, where they began working with producer Thom Bell. With his assistance, the Spinners developed a distinctive sound, one that relied on Wynne's falsetto and the group's intricate vocal harmonies. Bell provided the group with an appropriately detailed production, creating a detailed web of horns, strings, backing vocals, and lightly funky rhythms. Between 1972 and 1977, the Spinners and Bell recorded a number of soul classics, including "I'll Be Around," "Could It Be I'm Fallin in Love," "Mighty Love," "Ghetto Child," "Then Came You," "Games People Play," and "The Rubberband Man." Wynne left in 1977 and the Spinners had hits for a few years after his departure, but the group will always be remembered for its classic mid-'70s work. Originally, called the Domingoes, the Spinners formed when the quintet were high school students in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale in 1957. At the time, the group featured Bobbie Smith, Pervis Jackson, George W. Dixon, Billy Henderson, and Henry Fambrough. Four years later, they came to the attention of producer Harvey Fuqua, who began recording the group -- who were now called the Spinners -- for his Tri-Phi Records. The band's first single, "That's What Girls Are Made For," became a Top Ten R&B hit upon its 1961 release and featured Smith on vocals. Following its release, Dixon was replaced by Edgar "Chico" Edwards. Over the next few years, the group released a series of failed singles, and when Tri-Phi was bought out by Motown in the mid-'60s, the Spinners became part of the larger company's roster. By that time, Edwards had been replaced by G.C. Cameron. Though the Spinners had some R&B hits at Motown during the late '60s, including "I'll Always Love You" and "Truly Yours," they didn't have a genuine crossover success until 1970, when Stevie Wonder gave the group "It's a Shame." Motown never concentrated on the Spinners, and they let the group go in 1972. Before the band signed with Atlantic Records, Phillipe Wynne replaced Cameron as the group's lead vocalist. Wynne had previously sung with Catfish and Bootsy Collins. At Atlantic Records, the Spinners worked with producer Thom Bell, who gave the group a lush, seductive sound, complete with sighing strings, a tight rhythm section, sultry horns, and a slight funk underpinning. Wynne quickly emerged as a first-rate soul singer, and the combination of the group's harmonies, Wynne's soaring leads, and Bell's meticulous production made the Spinners the most popular soul group of the '70s. Once the group signed with Atlantic, they became a veritable hit machine, topping the R&B and pop charts with songs like "I'll Be Around," "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love," "One of a Kind (Love Affair)," "Ghetto Child," "Rubberband Man," and "You're Throwing a Good Love Away." Not only were their singles hits, but their albums constantly went gold and charted in the Top 20. Wynne left the band to pursue a solo career in 1977; he was replaced by John Edwards. Though none of Wynne's solo records were big hits, his tours with Parliament-Funkadelic were well-received, as were his solo concerts. In October 1984, he died of a heart attack during a concert in Oakland, CA. The Spinners, meanwhile, had a number of minor hits in the late '70s, highlighted by their disco covers of "Working My Way Back to You" and the medley "Cupid/I've Loved You for a Long Time." During the early '80s, they had several minor hits before fading away from the charts and entering the oldies circuit, reprising their earlier material for 1999's new studio effort At Their Best. Long time founding members Billy Henderson and Pervis Jackson have since deceased.
2. The Spinners were a folk group from Liverpool, England, that formed in September 1958. The group was unusual for its time in having a multiracial membership.
They variously had four albums in the UK Albums Chart between September 1970 and April 1972. One of them, Spinners Live Performance (1971), spent three months in the listing and peaked at No. 14.
The band began as a skiffle group with a mainly American repertoire, until they were prompted by Redd Sullivan, a seaman, to include sea shanties and English folk songs. They started out as the Gin Mill Skiffle Group, which included guitarist Tony Davis and washboard player Mick Groves. The group played the Cavern Club, Liverpool for the first time on Friday 18 January 1957, with the Muskrat Jazz Band and the Liverpool University Jazz Band. They played there on a number of occasions on Friday 24 May; Sunday 26 May; Wednesday 5 June; Wednesday 3 July and Friday 16 August 1957. In September 1958 they became the Spinners. They founded a folk club in Liverpool, the 'Triton Club', but soon were performing in London at places such as 'the Troubadour'. Their first album, Songs Spun in Liverpool, was recorded by Bill Leader from live performances. In 1962 Peter Kennedy of the English Folk Dance & Song Society recorded an album with them called Quayside Songs Old & New. In 1963 Philips Records signed them, and they recorded eight more albums over the next eight years. They signed for EMI Records in the early 1970s.
They became popular by reviving some of the greatest folk music and singing new songs in the same vein. Although sounding like traditional English folk songs, some of their material was in fact composed by Jones, such as "The Ellan Vannin Tragedy" and "The Marco Polo". One of their best known songs, particularly in their native Liverpool, was "In My Liverpool Home", written by Peter McGovern in 1962. Cliff Hall also introduced traditional Jamaican songs to their repertoire. One of their albums was called Not Quite Folk.
They produced over forty albums, and made numerous concerts and TV appearances. In 1970, they were given their own television show on BBC One that ran for seven years. They also had their own show on BBC Radio 2. They retired in 1988, after thirty years together, although they led the community singing at the 1989 FA Cup Final and played some Christmas shows in the early 1990s. Members of the group still perform, although Cliff Hall retired to Australia, where he died in 2008.
Their version of the Ewan MacColl song, "Dirty Old Town", was included in the Terence Davies' 2008 memoir/documentary of Liverpool, Of Time and the City. A biography of the group 'Fried Bread and Brandy-O' (the title of their signature tune) was written by Liverpool journalist David Stuckey (with a foreword by Pete Seeger) to coincide with their 25th anniversary, and published by Robson Books.
In 2009 The Liverpool Barrow Boys from Songs Spun in Liverpool was included in Topic Records 70 year anniversary boxed set Three Score and Ten as track 19 on the 6th CD.
Band members
Tony Davis (born 24 August 1930, Blackburn, Lancashire, England, died 10 February 2017)
Mick Groves (born Salford, Lancashire, England)
Cliff Hall (born Clifford Samuel Hall, 11 September 1925, Oriente Province, Cuba, died 26 June 2008, Adelaide, South Australia)
Hughie Jones (born Liverpool, England)
3. The Spinners were a female punk band from Turkey, active in the late 80's and early 90's. They released a demo called “Lalala” in 1991.
Cupid/I
The Spinners Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Draw back your bow
And let
Your arrow go
Straight to
My lover's heart for me
Nobody but me
Cupid
And let
Your arrow fly
Straight to
My lover's heart for me
Now I don't mean to bother you but I'm in distress
There's danger of me losing all of my happiness
For I love a girl who doesn't know I exist
And this you can fix
So cupid
Draw back your bow
Now cupid if your arrow makes her love strong for me
I promise I will love her until eternity
I know between the two of us her heart we can steal
Help me if you will
So cupid
Draw back your bow
Don't you hear me callin'
My tears keep fallin'
I gotta have a lot of nana
Cupid, cupid
Look I've loved you for a long time
Now it's time to make you my baby
I've loved you for a long time
Now it's time to make you my baby
I look at you
You turn away
I say to you
Please look my way
But you say to me
Leave it alone
And I say
I can't live without you
Hey
I've loved you for a long time
Now it's time to make you my baby
I've loved you for a long time
Now it's time to make you my baby
Girl didn't you know that
My love's is for you
And it hurts me so bad
I'm telling you
Come on look at you want
Try it again
Can't you see I can't live without you
I've loved you for a long time
Now it's time to make you my baby
Make you my baby
Cupid
Draw back your bow
And let
You arrow go
Straight to
My lover's heart for me
Hear me callin'
Hear the love's getting stronger
All I got to do is callin' louder
Cupid, cupid
The Spinners' "Cupid (I've Loved You For A Long Time)" is a classic 1970s soul ballad that captures the unrequited love of the singer for someone who does not even know they exist. The lyrics are addressed directly to Cupid, the Roman god of love and desire, who is implored to shoot an arrow into the heart of the singer's beloved. The opening lines, "Cupid, cupid, draw back your bow / And let your arrow go / Straight to my lover's heart for me / Nobody but me" underscore the heartfelt yearning that the singer has for their love interest, who is oblivious to their feelings.
The singer beseeches Cupid to help them win their love interest's heart, insisting that their love is true and genuine. They promise to cherish and adore their beloved forever if Cupid's arrow can make them reciprocate their feelings. The plea is heightened by the inclusion of an urgent, repeating motif, "Cupid, please hear my cry / And let your arrow fly / Straight to my lover's heart for me," amplifying the pain and longing associated with unrequited love.
Overall the song is a soulful and poignant expression of love and unrequited longing, which has made it an enduring classic over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
Cupid, cupid
Addressing the god of love, asking for his assistance
Draw back your bow
Asking Cupid to prepare his weapon for use
And let
Cupids' action requested in previous line
Your arrow go
Allowing Cupid's arrow to be released towards its target
Straight to
Emphasizing the intended route of the arrow
My lover's heart for me
Asking Cupid to make the recipient of the arrow fall in love with the singer
Nobody but me
Requesting exclusivity in the love that Cupid is being asked to initiate
Please hear my cry
Urging Cupid to listen to the singer's plea for assistance
Now I don't mean to bother you but I'm in distress
Apologizing for the inconvenience of the request while explaining the urgency of the situation
There's danger of me losing all of my happiness
Explaining the negative impact of not receiving Cupid's assistance
For I love a girl who doesn't know I exist
Revealing the obstacle in the singer's love life
And this you can fix
Expressing hope that Cupid can solve the problem
Now cupid if your arrow makes her love strong for me
Continuing to request Cupid's intervention in making the girl fall in love with the singer
I promise I will love her until eternity
Pledging the singer's commitment to the girl if Cupid grants their wish
I know between the two of us her heart we can steal
Expressing confidence in the singer and Cupid's ability to win the girl's heart
Help me if you will
Asking Cupid for assistance once again
Don't you hear me callin'
Repeating the plea for Cupid to listen
My tears keep fallin'
Expressing the singer's emotional distress
I gotta have a lot of nana
Using slang to indicate a need for love and affection
Look I've loved you for a long time
Addressing Cupid again using additional, respectful language
Now it's time to make you my baby
Requesting Cupid's assistance in a jovial way
I look at you
Describing the singer's gaze toward the girl they love
You turn away
Explaining the girl's uninterested response
I say to you
Detailing the singer's attempts to communicate with the girl
Please look my way
Making a request for the girl to take notice of the singer
But you say to me
Recounting the girl's response to the singer's pleas
Leave it alone
Showing the girl's reluctance to engage in a relationship
And I say
Reiterating the singer's desire to be with the girl
I can't live without you
Expressing the gravity of the situation for the singer
Hey
Used as a filler, conveying urgency and passion
My love's is for you
Declaring the extent of the singer's love for the girl
And it hurts me so bad
Expressing the emotional pain felt by the singer's unreciprocated love
I'm telling you
Emphasizing the importance of the singer's message
Come on look at you want
Encouraging the girl to recognize the singer's worth
Try it again
Encouraging the girl to give the singer a chance
Can't you see I can't live without you
Repeating the fundamental message of the song
Make you my baby
Continuing to use playful language with Cupid
Hear the love's getting stronger
Describing the singer's increasing feelings of love
All I got to do is callin' louder
Stating the simplicity of the singer's request
Cupid, cupid
Reiterating the initial address to Cupid
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MICHAEL JAMES ZAGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sierra Harrah
This is the version I grew up with. I love this song.
tarstarkusz
Is there another version?
Peter Balac
Sam cook does a great version but personally I love the spinners version more up tempo.
Luvine Hudson
My parents danced to this song may they both R.I.P.
Mercedes Clarke
All versions of this song are fantastic but this one excels over all others. 😁
Mercedes Clarke
@tarstarkusz There are several Including the original ever so smoothe by Sam Cooke and a reggae version by Johnny Nash. 💘
edwin santos
With all due respect to the great and legendary Sam Cooke, this version of the Spinners takes the song to a whole new level in terms of soulfulness and vocal perfection. Amazing, really.
Elsie McPherson-Brown
Yes it does! Fantastic!
Gasper Mangerchine
Awesome version!!! Love it!!!!
shiichan32
well this ver is two songs in one