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 By that time, Edwards had been replaced by G.C. Cameron.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.
Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me Girl
The Spinners Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, I'm working my way back to you, babe, and the happiness that died
I let it get away
(Been payin' ev'ry day)
When you were so in love with me, I played around like I was free
Thought I could have my cake and eat it too, but how I cried over losin' you
See me down and out, but I ain't about to go living my life without you
I'll pay and girl, till the day that I die
I'll keep working my way back to you, babe, with a burning love inside
Yeah, I'm working my way back to you, babe, and the happiness that died
I let it get away
(Been payin' ev'ry day)
Oh, I used to love to make you cry
It made me feel like a man inside
If I'd been a man in reality, you'd be here, babe, lovin' me
Now my nights are long and lonely, and I ain't too strong, babe
I just miss you so
Girl, but you're too proud, and you won't give in
But when I think about all I could win
I'll keep working my way back to you, babe, with a burning love inside
Yeah, I'm working my way back to you, babe, and the happiness that died
I let it get away
(Been payin' ev'ry day)
My road is kind alone
I just gotta get back home
I'm really sorry for acting that way
I'm really sorry
Oh little girl I'm really sorry
For telling you lies for so long
Oh please forgive girl
Come on (give me a chance)
Won't you forgive me, girl
Hey (let's have romance)
Ooh, forgive me, girl (let's try again)
Come on, forgive me, girl
I want you over and over
And over and over again
I'll keep working my way back to you, babe
With a burning love inside
Yeah, I'm working my way back to you, babe
And the happiness that died
I let it get away
(Been paying every day)
I'll keep working my way back to you, babe
The Spinners' hit song "Working My Way Back to You" is a heartfelt plea for forgiveness from a man who realizes the error of his ways and wants to win back the love of his life. He admits that he played around while he was in a loving relationship and now regrets his actions. The lyrics reveal an inner struggle to come to terms with his mistakes and express his desire to make things right. The chorus repeats the phrase "I'll keep working my way back to you, babe" as a declaration of his commitment to making things right and rebuilding the relationship.
The song is notable for its upbeat disco sound, catchy chorus, and soulful vocals. It was a hit for The Spinners in 1980 and has since been covered by numerous artists. The lyrics have a universal appeal, as everyone has had to make amends for their mistakes and work to heal a damaged relationship. The song is a classic of its genre and is still popular today.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll be working my way back to you, babe, with a burning love inside
I'm determined to win you back, and my love for you is still as strong as ever.
Yeah, I'm working my way back to you, babe, and the happiness that died
I know I hurt you and caused our happiness to fade away, but I want to fix our relationship.
I let it get away
I made mistakes and took our love for granted, causing us to drift apart.
(Been payin' ev'ry day)
I've been feeling the consequences of my actions and regretting them every day since we parted.
When you were so in love with me, I played around like I was free
I didn't appreciate you or our relationship when it was going well, and I acted selfishly and immaturely.
Thought I could have my cake and eat it too, but how I cried over losin' you
I foolishly thought I could have both you and my freedom, but I realized too late that I needed you in my life.
See me down and out, but I ain't about to go living my life without you
I may be struggling and suffering now, but I'm not willing to give up on us and try to move on without you.
For every day I made you cry
I'm acknowledging how much I hurt you and how frequently I caused you pain.
I'll pay and girl, till the day that I die
I'll make it up to you and do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness and win back your love, even if it takes a lifetime.
Oh, I used to love to make you cry
I realize now how cruel and emotionally abusive that was, and I'm ashamed of my past behavior.
It made me feel like a man inside
I was insecure and immature, thinking that controlling and hurting you was a sign of masculinity.
If I'd been a man in reality, you'd be here, babe, lovin' me
I understand now that being a real man means treating you with respect, kindness, and love, and that's the only way we can have a healthy relationship.
Now my nights are long and lonely, and I ain't too strong, babe
I'm suffering from the pain of losing you, and I feel weak and vulnerable without you in my life.
I just miss you so
I can't stop thinking of you and longing for your love and companionship.
Girl, but you're too proud, and you won't give in
I understand that I hurt you deeply, but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me and give me another chance, even if it's hard to let go of your hurt and pride.
But when I think about all I could win
I know that being with you is worth fighting for, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make things right and win your love again.
My road is kind alone
I'm on a difficult and lonely journey to win you back, but I'm willing to face the challenges and hardships head on.
I just gotta get back home
My ultimate goal and desire is to find my way back to you and the loving home we once had.
I'm really sorry for acting that way
I deeply regret how I treated you, and I'm truly sorry for the pain I caused you.
I'm really sorry
I want to emphasize how sincere and genuine my apology is, and how much I hope you can forgive me.
Oh little girl I'm really sorry
I'm acknowledging how much I hurt you and how powerless and vulnerable I feel without your forgiveness and love.
For telling you lies for so long
I recognize that I was dishonest and unfaithful to you, and I'm sorry for betraying your trust and love.
Oh please forgive girl
I'm pleading with you from the bottom of my heart to find it in yourself to forgive me and let me make things right between us.
Come on (give me a chance)
I'm hoping and begging you to give me another chance to prove my love and loyalty to you.
Won't you forgive me, girl
I'm expressing my deep desire for your forgiveness and willingness to reconcile with me.
Hey (let's have romance)
I'm suggesting that we can rekindle our love and passion for each other, and start anew with a fresh and romantic outlook.
Ooh, forgive me, girl (let's try again)
I'm pleading and begging for your forgiveness and a chance to start over and try again with renewed commitment and devotion.
Come on, forgive me, girl
I'm repeating my sincere and fervent request for your forgiveness and acceptance of my apology.
I want you over and over
I'm expressing my deep and unwavering love and desire for you, and how much I want you in my life forever.
And over and over again
I'm emphasizing how much I'm willing to keep fighting and working to keep our love strong and alive, no matter what it takes.
I'll keep working my way back to you, babe
I'll never give up on you or our love, and I'll keep striving to earn your forgiveness and win back your heart.
With a burning love inside
My love for you is still as passionate and intense as it ever was, and it's what drives me to keep fighting for us.
Been paying every day
I'm still feeling the weight of my mistakes and the pain I caused you every day, and it motivates me to make things right and earn your forgiveness.
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Denny Randell, Sandy Linzer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind