Tag: Thom Bell

I was so surprised, I was hypnotized
By the sound this cat’s puttin’ down

I had this single in the late seventies. I bought it at the dime store in a discount rack for 10 cents. I didn’t know what I was buying but it was the best dime I ever spent. The song has had a resurgence in popularity recently with the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack. It’s a great piece of 1970s soul music. 

The Rubberband Man peaked at #2 in the Billboard 100, #7 in Canada, and #16 in the UK in 1976. The Spinners had 7 top ten hits and one #1 with Then Came You. Once you hear it…it sticks with you.

The Spinners’ producer, Thom Bell, wrote this song for his son with help from his songwriting partner Linda Creed. Bell wrote theme songs for all of his children, although this is the only one that was ever recorded. “The Fat Man is what it was called at first since his son Mark was rather large, and that’s what his schoolmates called him.

Bell wanted to change the perception of this nickname, so he wrote a song about a big man who could really move. He’s the guy everyone waits for at the party since it can really get going when he arrives.

Thom Bell: “It was written for big people who were hip, to change the whole idea of a person being large being sloppy, slow.”

The Rubberman Man

Hand me down my walkin’ cane
Hand me down my hat
Hurry now and don’t be late
‘Cause we ain’t got time to chat
You and me we’re goin’ out
To catch the latest sounds
Guaranteed to blow your mind
So high you won’t come down

Hey, y’all prepare yourself
For the rubberband man
You never heard a sound
Like the rubberband man
You’re bound to lose control
When the rubberband starts to jam

Oh, Lord this dude is outta sight
Everything he does
Seems to come out right

Once I went to hear them play
At a club outside of town
I was so surprised, I was hypnotized
By the sound this cat’s puttin’ down
When I saw this short fat guy
Stretched a band between his toes
Hey, I laughed so hard ’cause the man got down
When he finally reached his goal

Hey, y’all prepare yourself
For the rubberband man
You never heard a sound
Like the rubberband man
You’re bound to lose control
When the rubberband starts to jam

Got that rubberband
Up on his toes
And then he wriggled it up
All around his nose

Guaranteed to blow your mind
Playin’ all that music, yet keepin’ time
Where in the world did he learn that, oh, Lord
Lord, help him get away

Hey, y’all prepare yourself
For the rubberband man
You never heard a sound
Like the rubberband man
You’re bound to lose control
When the rubberband starts to jam

Rubberband man, rubberband man
How much of this stuff do he think we can stand
So much rhythm, grace and debonair from one man, Lord
And then he had the nerve to wiggle his left toe
To his knee, got the feelin’ in his head, y’all
Ah, come on baby

Hey, y’all prepare yourself
For the rubberband man
You never heard a sound
Like the rubberband man
You’re bound to lose control (and he likes to jam)
When the rubberband starts to jam

Rubberband man starts to jam
Movin’ up and down across the land
Got people all in his ways
Everything about him seems out of place
Just a movin’, just a movin’, just a move-move-movin’
Just a, a rubberband, rubberband man
Just a movin’, just a movin’, just a move-move-movin’
Just a rubberband, rubberband man

Get down
Oh, get down lover
Uh-huh