Tom Moulton (born 1940) is an American record producer and originator of th… Read Full Bio ↴Tom Moulton (born 1940) is an American record producer and originator of the remix, the breakdown section, and the 12-inch single vinyl format. He has humbly maintained that the last two innovations were pure accidents. Perhaps contrary to expectation, Moulton's early successes in "mixing down" dance records were the result of insistently taking away elements from the original multi-track.

His career started in the late 1960's with a self-made tape of overlapping songs created for the Fire Island bar and restaurant The Sandpiper. As the club in question was very high profile, it was only a matter of time before his skills were noticed and put to use pre-release by those in the music industry. Moulton preferred R&B and dance music, but actually mixed a wide range of popular recordings. A noteworthy quote has him saying, "I never made a dance record, I made records you can dance to."

Moulton worked as a model at the Bookings and Ford agencies before beginning his production career. Before that, he had worked in the music industry, holding a sales and promotion job at King Records (from 1959 to 1961) and similar positions at RCA and United Artists. He eventually left due to his disgust at the industry's dishonesty.

His notable achievements in recording technique include extending the high frequencies and tightening the bottom for better sounding play at high volume and lengthening for greater musical and emotional impact by repeating key passages.

He was responsible for the first continuous-mix album side ever, on Gloria Gaynor's seminal disco album "Never Can Say Goodbye", earning him the title the "father of the Disco Mix" (today megamix). Among some of his other success in mixing songs are MFSB's "Love Is The Message", B.T. Express' "Do It (Til You're Satisfied)", The Trammps' "Disco Inferno", People's Choice's "Do It Any Way You Wanna", The Andrea True Connection's "More, More, More" and First Choice's "Doctor Love".

Tom Moulton's innovative work was honored at the 2004 Dance Music Hall of Fame ceremony in New York City when he was inducted for his achievements as a Remixer. He is the official archivist of the Bethlehem Jazz and Salsoul music catalogues, and has overseen all of the digital remastering for the entire catalog. In late 2006 Moulton would remix the Brand New Heavies (featuring N'Dea Davenport) single "I Don't Know (Why I Love You)", a cover of the Stevie Wonder and Jackson 5 hit.

Back Stabbers
Tom Moulton Lyrics

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(What they do!)
(They smile in your face)
All the time they want to take your place
The back stabbers (back stabbers)

(They smile in your face)
All the time they want to take your place
The back stabbers (back stabbers)

All you fellows who have someone and you really care, yeah, yeah

Then it's all of you fellows who better beware, yeah yeah
Somebody's out to get your lady
A few of your buddies they sure look shady
Blades are long, clenched tight in their fist

Aimin' straight at your back
And I don't think they'll miss
(What they do!)
(They smile in your face)

All the time they want to take your place
The back stabbers (back stabbers)
I keep gettin' all these visits from my friends, yeah, what they doin to me
They come to my house again and again and again and again, yeah

So are they there to see my woman
I don't even be home but they just keep on comin'
What can I do to get on the right track
I wish they'd take some of these knives off my back

(They smile in your face)
All the time they want to take your place
The back stabbers (back stabbers)
Low down... dirty...

(What they do!)
(They smile in your face)
Smiling faces... smiling faces sometimes tell lies (Back stabbers)
(They smile in your face)

I don't need... low down, dirty bastards (Back stabbers)

Overall Meaning

Tom Moulton's song 'Back Stabbers' is a cautionary tale about how people can appear friendly and trustworthy on the surface, but in reality, they are only interested in advancing their own agenda. The lyrics focus on the dangers of people who pretend to be your friends, but who are actually plotting to take advantage of you behind your back. The chorus repeats the phrase "They smile in your face, All the time they want to take your place, The back stabbers".

The opening lines of the song establish the contradicting nature of these people who show a friendly face while inflicting harm behind one's back. The phrase "smiling faces sometimes tell lies" alludes to the idea that not everyone who appears to be friendly is necessarily trustworthy. The lyrics go on to advise people to be cautious of those around them, especially those who seem shady, as they may be trying to manipulate and use them. The lines, "A few of your buddies they sure look shady, Blades are long, clenched tight in their fist, Aimin' straight at your back, And I don't think they'll miss" highlight the sense of looming danger that can hang over a person who is constantly on guard.

Line by Line Meaning

(What they do!)
Highlighting the deceitful actions of certain people

(They smile in your face)
They pretend to be friendly and trustworthy

All the time they want to take your place
Yet, their true intentions are to replace you in some way or take something from you

The back stabbers (back stabbers)
These individuals are backstabbers who will betray and hurt you

All you fellows who have someone and you really care, yeah, yeah
Warning to all the men who love and care for their partner

Then it's all of you fellows who better beware, yeah yeah
To be very careful and aware of the people around you

Somebody's out to get your lady
Someone is out to acquire your girlfriend or wife

A few of your buddies they sure look shady
Your own trusted friends may be involved in this plot

Blades are long, clenched tight in their fist
They have weapons and are ready to attack you

Aimin' straight at your back
Directly targeting you with their harmful intentions

And I don't think they'll miss
These backstabbers have a clear goal in mind and won't stop until they achieve it

I keep gettin' all these visits from my friends, yeah, what they doin to me
The artist is questioning why his so-called friends keep coming to visit him

They come to my house again and again and again and again, yeah
Their repeated visits are suspicious and unwelcome

So are they there to see my woman
The real reason for their continued visits is unclear, possibly to see someone else's woman

I don't even be home but they just keep on comin'
The singer is not even there, yet they still keep coming over

What can I do to get on the right track
The artist is unsure of what he should do next to protect himself

I wish they'd take some of these knives off my back
The artist feels like he is being stabbed in the back by all sides and wants it to stop

Low down... dirty...
These backstabbers are not only deceiving but also morally bankrupt individuals

Smiling faces... smiling faces sometimes tell lies (Back stabbers)
Just because they are smiling does not always mean they are honest or trustworthy

I don't need... low down, dirty bastards (Back stabbers)
The artist does not need these types of people in his life

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LEON HUFF, GENE MCFADDEN, JOHN WHITEHEAD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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