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 By that time, Edwards had been replaced by G.C. Cameron.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.
Funny How Time Slips Away
The Spinners Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ah, it's been a long, long time
How am I doin'?
Well, I guess I'm doin' fine
It's been so long now
But it seems like it was only yesterday
Ain't it funny, it's so funny how time can slip right away?
How's your new love?
Oh, I hope he's doin' fine
I heard you told him
That you're gonna love him, till the end of time
Oh, that's the same thing that you told me
It seems like just the other day
Ain't it funny, it's so funny how time can just slip right away?
I gotta go now
Oh I guess, I'll see you somewhere 'round
But you never can tell, you never can tell
You never can tell when I'll be back in town
Oh please remember
What I told you, "In time you're gonna pay"
Ain't it funny, it's so funny how time slips right away?
The Spinners' "Funny How Time Slips Away" is a poignant song about the passage of time and missed opportunities. The song opens with a greeting after a long absence, and the singer asks how the other person is doing. Though the two haven't seen each other in a while, the singer insists everything is just fine. The chorus reflects on how time has flown by, yet it feels like it was just yesterday that the two last spoke. The second verse delves into more personal subjects, particularly how the other person is doing with their new relationship. The singer jokes that they hope it works out and that the person declares their love forever, just as they had done with the singer when they were in a relationship.
The final verse leaves a bit of a bitter taste. The singer reveals this will likely be the last time they see each other for some time, and they urge the other person to remember what they previously told them. Perhaps there's a hint of revenge involved, as the other person will pay for what they did to the singer in the past, and time is the only thing that will reveal their justice. The song ends with a restatement of the chorus, making it clear that the funny thing is how time seems to slip away, and we're left with nothing but what we've made of our past.
Line by Line Meaning
Well hello there
Greeting an old acquaintance
Ah, it's been a long, long time
It's been a significant amount of time since they last saw each other
How am I doin'?
Asking how they are doing and implying they are doing well
Well, I guess I'm doin' fine
Responding to the previous question with a positive answer
It's been so long now
Acknowledging how much time has passed since they last saw each other
But it seems like it was only yesterday
Despite the amount of time passed, the memories are still vivid
Ain't it funny, it's so funny how time can slip right away?
Commenting on how quickly time can pass without realizing it
How's your new love?
Asking about their current romantic relationship
Oh, I hope he's doin' fine
Expressing well wishes for their new partner
I heard you told him
Referring to what they said to their new partner
That you're gonna love him, till the end of time
Promising infinite love to their new partner
Oh, that's the same thing that you told me
Recalling the same promise made in a previous relationship
It seems like just the other day
Memories seem recent despite the amount of time passed
I gotta go now
Informing that they need to leave
Oh I guess, I'll see you somewhere 'round
Hoping to see each other again
But you never can tell, you never can tell
Uncertainty about when they will see each other again
Oh please remember
Asking for a request
What I told you, "In time you're gonna pay"
Reminding them of a previous statement
Ain't it funny, it's so funny how time slips right away?
Reflecting on how time can change circumstances and situations over a period of time
Contributed by Sydney I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Allonda Jackson
O M G, This is the first time I have ever heard this version, I had goosebumps!!! What a wonderful version of this song and the lead singer blew it out of the ballpark!!! I must admit it is just as good as Joe Hinton's version. But, he was first so I gotta give him ultimate props. First day of retirement 33 years, yes it is funny how time just slips on away!!! Hello Contributions Department 😊 HELLO CRCC😄
karen ramos
Wow the Spinners were so under rated, they never got the respect they were due. Ooo they showed off some real talent on this one. One of my favorites..
Carlos Noriega
The Spinners were a lot of things.
But....undarated was never one of them.
As a O G who grew up with hearing these groups as a kid ..Spinners were super bad singing group ranked with The Temps .OJays .Four Tops etc.
Sky Glider
I love this by Joe Hinton. Didn't know The Spinner covered it until today. (6/17/21) A memory: 1973. I was a 20 Y/O flight attendant. One of The Spinners boarded my flight. Asked me if I had heard of The Spinners. Of course! My favorite is 'It's A Shame'. He told me that was the OLD Spinners. LOL! Funny how time slips away. ❤❤
Gwyneth Pound
Beautiful song by the almighty Spinners.
David Alexander
John did a great job on lead
J Ramos
Ooooooo, warm & fuzzy. Ain't it funny how so many years can slip away?...
Helen Brooks
I think my grandma use to listen to Joe Hintons version...I get emotional listening to the spinners version...2 deceased husbands later...I fully understand...but with my new love Rudy...Time goes bye 2 fast.
karen garland
No one sings this like the Spinners
Carlos Noriega
How there is no
" reaction " to this song..
just blows my mind...