The Rubberband Man

Infobox Single
Name = The Rubberband Man


Artist = The Spinners
from Album = Happiness Is Being With the Spinners
B-side = "Now That We're Together"
Released = 1976
Format = 7-inch single
Recorded = 1976
Genre = Pop / Soul
Length = 3:33 (single edit)7:22 (album version)
Label = Atlantic Records
Writer = Thom Bell
Linda Creed
Producer = Thom Bell
Chart position = * #2 (U.S. Billboard Hot 100)
* #1 (U.S. Black Singles)
* #16 (UK Singles Chart)
Certification = RIAA: Gold
Last single = "Wake Up Susan"
(1976)
This single = "The Rubberband Man"
(1976)
Next single = "You're Throwing a Good Love Away"
(1977):"For the song by T.I., see Rubberband Man."

"The Rubberband Man" is a song recorded by the American vocal group The Spinners (known as "Detroit Spinners" in the UK).

The song, written by producer Thom Bell and Linda Creed, was about Bell's son, who was being teased by his classmates for being overweight. Intended to make his son feel better about his self-image, the song eventually evolved from being about "The Fat Man" to "The Rubberband Man". [Cite web|url=ISBN 0-8230-7695-4|title=The Billboard Book of No. 2 Hits|accessdate=|publisher=Billboard books|year=2000|author=Christopher G. Feldman]

The last major hit by the Spinners to feature Philippé Wynne on lead vocals, "The Rubberband Man" spent three weeks at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and topped the U.S. R&B chart at the end of 1976. It was also a top-twenty hit in the UK Singles Chart.

The song was sung by actress Lynda Carter in a Season 4 episode of "The Muppet Show".In the early 2000s, the song was featured prominently in a series of OfficeMax television commercials starring actor Eddie Steeples. In the 1981 film "Stripes", the song is featured in the mud wrestling club the platoon visit.

Chart positions

References