The Soul Corner - The Spinners "I'll Be Around"

The Spinners, one of the most beloved of all the soul music vocal groups, have been recording and touring for 50 years. They hail from Detroit, started their career with Motown, and were known in Europe as the Detroit Spinners to avoid confusion with a British folk group.

But their zenith occurred in the 70's when they recorded in Philadelphia for Atlantic Records, and were produced by Thom Bell.

Here's "I'll Be Around" from 1972:

So many songs either feature someone who moans that their life is over because their girl/boy left them, or else we find the dumpee bitterly telling the dumper what a giant mistake they made. But in "I'll Be Around", co-written by Thom Bell, silky smooth lead singer Bobby Smith not only keeps his cool, but takes the high road, "bows out gracefully," but lets her know that if she changes her mind she can come back - "I'll be around." Good strategy my man.

"I'll Be Around" was the first in a mid-career string of mega-hits for the Spinners: "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love", "One of a Kind (Love Affair)", "Mighty Love", "Then Came You", "Games People Play" and "The Rubberband Man".